BridgeBio Says Attruby Cuts Risk Of Death Almost In Half In New Study
BridgeBio Pharma (BBIO) said Sunday its heart-disease drug, Attruby, cut the risk of death almost in half in an exploratory study that one cardiologist says could be a game-changer for the disease.
Attruby is approved to treat patients with cardiomyopathy due to transthyretin amyloidosis. In this condition, abnormal plaque called amyloid builds up on the heart, causing damage. Patients who took Attruby for 30 months had a 49% lower risk of death due to heart or blood vessel problems.
Even more shocking: the outcomes were apparent within just a month of treatment.
It can takes months to years to diagnose cardiomyopathy, Dr. Ahmad Masri, of the Oregon Health & Science University told Investor’s Business Daily. This study suggests patients should receive the diagnosis and start treatment much earlier. Medications like Attruby can’t reverse damage due to built-up amyloid. They can only prevent it from getting worse.
“This data will hopefully bridge that gap,” he said. “We’re challenging that thinking that you have time, you can spend six months working someone up and initiating therapy.”
BridgeBio Eyes Attruby Blockbuster
The news could be a boon for BridgeBio stock, which has climbed more than 80% this year, despite pulling back somewhat this month.
Attruby won Food and Drug Administration approval in late 2024 and sales have grown markedly. In its first quarter on the market, the drug generated $5.9 million in sales. It quickly grew to $36.7 million and $71.5 million in subsequent quarters. In the current quarter, analysts polled by FactSet forecast $94.9 million in sales, up by almost 33% from the three months ended June 30.
The Street predicts Attruby will be a blockbuster drug by 2027.
It’s going up against Pfizer‘s (PFE) Vyndaqel. Both medicines stabilize the aberrant transthyretin protein tied to the disease. Last year, Vyndaqel brought in $5.45 billion in sales. It launched in 2019, so it has a long lead in the disease.
Preventing Cardiovascular Outcomes
At BridgeBio’s presentation, delivered at the Heart Failure Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, the company said the difference between Attruby and the placebo was rapidly apparent after the first month.
After 30 months of treatment, Attruby prevented 53 events per 100 treated patients, the company said in its presentation. After 42 months of treatment, Attruby recipients had a lower risk of death across all causes than patients who started on the placebo and switched to Attruby.
This highlights “the importance of early and continuous acoramidis,” BridgeBio said. Acoramidis is the test name for Attruby, which also sells in Europe and the U.K. under the name Beyonttra.
Masri, the cardiologist, says Attruby could become an important part of shifting the paradigm in TTR-related cardiomyopathy. Preventing heart attacks, strokes and hospitalizations due to cardiac events is key to the longevity of patients with cardiovascular diseases, he said.
“Every time you have a heart-failure episode or you get admitted to the hospital, you have to rebuild your strength and your abilities again over time,” he said. “And some people actually never recover back to their baseline. … I think it’s of extremely high value to patients, to their bodies, to their life and quality of life.”
Follow Allison Gatlin on X/Twitter at @AGatlin_IBD.
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