Héma-Québec has awarded a two-year tender for TAKHZYRO®

Héma-Québec has awarded a two-year tender for TAKHZYRO® (lanadelumab injection) as the sole option for prophylaxis subcutaneous treatment for type I/II HAE patients. The two-year term which began 1 April 2022, includes the option for Héma-Québec to extend the tender for an additional two years.

“My team and I took part in the clinical trials that led to the approval of TAKHZYRO®, and we are pleased that the medicine is now available for the treatment of patients with HAE,” says Dr. Jacques Hebert, Head, Immunology and Allergy Clinic, CHUL. “The treatment philosophy has evolved over the years. About ten years ago, prophylaxis was used to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to this clinical condition. With modern medicine that is proven to be safe and effective, such as TAKHZYRO®, prophylaxis aims to help patients lead normal lives without recurrence or attacks.”

“Patients with HAE have long been limited to acute attack treatments. Having access to safe and effective preventive treatment is a major advancement for our patients,” says Dr. Rémi Gagnon, Head of the Department of Allergy and Immunology, CHU de Québec. “Many of our Quebec patients have played a pivotal role in this treatment’s development by participating in the research protocols of the Clinique spécialisé en allergie de la capitale. Making Lanadelumab available improves patient care by giving them a better quality of life.”

“Patients with HAE constantly live in fear of their next attack, often disrupting day to day activities such as work, family and social interactions, and significantly impacting their quality of life,” says Charles St. Pierre, President, Hereditary Angioedema Quebec/Angio-Oedeme Hereditaire du Quebec. “The HAE community is delighted that TAKHZYRO® is now available for patients living in Quebec because having access to a treatment option that can prevent attacks would be life-changing for those living with HAE.”

The awarding of the Héma-Québec tender is the most recent milestone for TAKHZYRO® since receiving Health Canada authorization for routine prevention of attacks of HAE in adolescents and adults (12 years of age and older) in September 2018. Since then, Health Canada has issued the Notice of Compliance for a Prefilled Syringe (300 mg/ 2 mL) presentation in September 2020, as well as receiving a positive recommendation from CADTH’s Canadian Drug Expert Committee for the routine prevention of HAE attacks in November 2019, and from the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) in August 2020.

“We’re extremely proud of this agreement with Héma-Québec and what it represents for HAE patients,” says Rute Fernandes, General Manager, Takeda Canada Inc. “This collaboration is an important step to ensure patients with type I and type II HAE have to access TAKHZYRO® and the improvement of care that is now available to them. This is an example of how our commitment to meeting the needs of patients living with a rare disease has resulted in greater access for patients across the country.”
(Source: Takeda)