Actelion provides update on strategic progress in 2013

Actelion has offered an update on the efforts it has made to enhance its shareholder value creation during 2013 at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference.

Special attention was given to Opsumit, its new endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Since its US launch last year, the average numbers of Opsumit weekly prescriptions for new patients more than doubled those of its older product Tracleer.

Otto Schwarz, chief operating officer of Actelion, said: "This trend suggests that we are already gaining new patient market share from ERA therapies. These weekly Opsumit prescription levels also indicate that physicians are switching some Tracleer patients to Opsumit earlier than anticipated."

Opsumit was also approved in Europe in December 2013 and will launch in Germany next month. Meanwhile, the firm is looking to expand its capabilities beyond PAH, with the recent launch of the lymphoma therapy Valchlor to be instrumental in this.

Actelion is also focused on driving profitable growth and creating greater returns for shareholders over the months to come.