Chiasma Announces US Commercial Launch & Availability of the First & Only Oral Somatostatin Analog
Chiasma, Inc. recently announced the commercial launch and availability of MYCAPSSA (octreotide) capsules in the US for patients with acromegaly. MYCAPSSA, the first and only oral somatostatin analog (SSA), was approved by the US FDA on June 26, 2020, for the long-term maintenance treatment of patients with acromegaly who have responded to and tolerated treatment with octreotide or lanreotide.
“I am proud of our employees’ tireless efforts to achieve the earlier-than-expected US commercial launch of MYCAPSSA, the first and only oral SSA in an injectable dominated market,” said Raj Kannan, Chief Executive Officer of Chiasma. “We are executing on our plan to make MYCAPSSA widely available to potentially address the strong preference by patients with acromegaly for an oral, non-medically administered therapy.”
Anand Varadan, Chief Commercial Officer of Chiasma, added “To support our launch of MYCAPSSA in the US, we have trained and deployed the first wave of what we believe is a world-class sales team experienced in specialty, orphan diseases. Our team has been in the field since late July, and we believe it is sized for and possesses the capabilities to operate in the current, predominantly remote environment. We plan to expand our customer-facing team as our commercial launch progresses and as we see the level of in-person interactions with healthcare providers increase. The initial feedback on MYCAPSSA from healthcare providers has been encouraging and we are continuing to engage with them to establish the foundation needed to execute a robust launch of MYCAPSSA.”
Acromegaly typically develops when a benign tumor of the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone, ultimately leading to significant health problems. Common features of acromegaly are facial changes, intense headaches, joint pain, impaired vision and enlargement of the hands, feet, tongue and internal organs. Serious health conditions associated with the progression of acromegaly include type 2 diabetes, hypertension, respiratory disorders and cardiac and cerebrovascular disease. Chiasma estimates that approximately 8,000 adult acromegaly patients are chronically treated with somatostatin analog injections in the US.
Chiasma is focused on developing and commercializing oral therapies to improve the lives of patients who face challenges associated with their existing treatments for rare and serious chronic diseases. Employing its Transient Permeability Enhancer (TPE) technology platform, Chiasma seeks to develop oral medications that are currently available only as injections. On June 26, 2020, Chiasma received FDA approval of MYCAPSSA for long-term maintenance therapy in acromegaly patients who have responded to and tolerated treatment with octreotide or lanreotide. MYCAPSSA is the first and only oral somatostatin analog approved by the FDA. Chiasma is headquartered in Needham, MA, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Israel. MYCAPSSA, TPE and CHIASMA are registered trademarks of Chiasma. For more information, visit www.chiasma.com.
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