Novartis announces UK market launch of Exjade

Novartis has announced that Exjade, its innovative therapy for non-transfusion-dependent thalassaemia (NTDT), has been made available in the UK.

The product is the first oral treatment for chronic iron overload among patients with NTDT, functioning by attaching to excess iron in the body and helping to remove it, thus delivering clinical and quality of life benefits.

Clinical trial data shows that Exjade is able to significantly decrease the iron burden, when compared to placebo, among NTDT patients who require chelation therapy and cannot benefit from the current standard treatment.

This comes after the European Commission granted regulatory approval for the drug last month, with the positive decision based on results from the prospective placebo-controlled study Thalassa, which demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the drug.

Panos Alexakos, oncology general manager for Novartis in the UK and Ireland, said: "Novartis is committed to the development of innovative treatments for rare diseases and today's announcement means that these much-needed treatments can be made available to patients in the UK."