Marin Co. Firm Partners With Rival To Treat Rare Illness

NOVATO, CA — A Marin pharmaceutical company has partnered with an East Coast rival to battle an ultra-rare inherited form of high cholesterol.

Novato-based Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which is headquartered in New York State, jointly announced a license and collaboration agreement for Ultragenyx to clinically develop, commercialize and distribute Evkeeza (evinacumab) in countries outside of the U.S.

This includes the European Economic Area, where Evkeeza was approved in June as a first-in-class therapy for use together with diet and other low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol lowering therapies to treat adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).

Regeneron discovered and developed Evkeeza, and launched the medicine in the U.S. in February 2021 when it was approved by the FDA.

"Evkeeza utilizes a novel, potent biological mechanism to significantly reduce LDL cholesterol levels beyond historical standard of care for people with HoFH. This is a highly complementary partnership that combines Regeneron's bold science with our proficiency in rare disease," Ultragenyx President and CEO Emil D. Kakkis said in a statement.

"We have developed our commercial expertise to support patient identification and access across regions and we believe we can make a real difference for the HoFH community outside of the U.S."