ATyr Pharma is stepping up its preparations to launch a steroid-sparing drug with the appointment of a commercial head who previously helped ChemoCentryx communicate a similar value proposition en route to its acquisition by Amgen.
San Diego-based aTyr is aiming to report phase 3 data on efzofitimod in the rare lung disease pulmonary sarcoidosis in the third quarter. The biotech has begun laying the foundations for the launch, including by adding Neurocrine Biosciences’ chief commercial officer to its board of directors and carrying out research into a global opportunity that it values at up to $5 billion.
Hiring Dalia Rayes as head of commercial for the global efzofitimod franchise slots another piece of the puzzle into place. Rayes was head of commercial at ChemoCentryx for the Tavneos launch, giving her a starring role in a product rollout that ultimately persuaded Amgen to strike a $3.7 billion buyout in 2022.
There are overlaps between what Rayes did at ChemoCentryx and what she will need to do at aTyr. In both cases, Rayes’ responsibilities include building a new commercial organization to push a drug with steroid-sparing effects. ATyr calculates around 75% of patients with sarcoidosis receive steroids and sees efzofitimod as a product that can help wean patients off the drug; Tavneos also aims to reduce steroid use.
Before her stint at ChemoCentryx, Rayes spent more than a decade at Actelion Pharmaceuticals, through its 2017 acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. At Actelion, she led the launches of drugs including Opsumit and Valchlor.
ATyr made the links between efzofitimod and Tavneos explicit even before hiring Rayes. In a presentation earlier this month, the company named (PDF) Tavneos as a price benchmark because it, too, is a steroid-sparing treatment of a rare inflammatory disorder.
Rayes, having served as a strategic advisor to the biotech over the past year, was involved with aTyr as it was working through its pricing plan and other aspects of its launch preparations.
Sanjay Shukla, CEO of aTyr, discussed the strategy on an earnings call with investors earlier this month. Responding to an analyst, Shukla explained how emerging evidence of the potential for ongoing therapy is shaping thinking about commercialization.
“I think it's both exciting, but it also opens up some questions around once we get into 18 or 24 months of good management of these patients,” Shukla said. “What are the implications for a drug like ours? How does it impact pricing? And how do we, as a company, prepare ourselves for what seems to be a larger market than anyone ever anticipated?”