Orchard Therapeutics And Er-Kim Partner To Make Libmeldy Accessible To More Patients For Early-Onset MLD Treatment

Orchard Therapeutics, now part of Kyowa Kirin with the motive to stimulate the delivery of next-gen therapies to meet the patient's needs, has now partnered with Er-Kim, a pharmaceutical company specialising in the commercialisation of novel treatments to make Libmeldy® (atidarsagene autotemcel) accessible across Turkey and Eurasia. Libmeldy is the only suitable therapy for children with early-onset metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD).

The Chief executive officer of Er-Kim Cem Zorlular, said in a statement, “The pharmaceutical and biotech industries have made notable strides in advancing gene therapies, and we are thrilled to partner with Orchard Therapeutics to enable access to this important treatment in the region. 

He also stated, “Libmeldy is a potentially transformative therapy for eligible children with early-onset MLD who previously had no approved treatment options beyond supportive and end-of-life care. We are looking forward to working with Orchard and our counterparts in these territories that we specialise in to implement further bespoke approaches to deliver genetic medicines to eligible patients as soon as possible.”

The main objective of Libmeldy is to treat the primary genetic cause of MLD (Metachromatic Leukodystrophy), which is a highly rare, fast progressing, and fatal neurometabolic disease affecting about one in every 100,000 newborns. Under this exclusive distribution agreement, Er-Kim will represent Orchard in identifying eligible children for Libmeldy in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Er-Kim will work with Orchard Therapeutics to refer the identified children with early-onset MLD from these countries to an already set European-based qualified treatment center.

“MLD is a devastating disease for which there is evidence of a higher incidence rate in Turkish and Eurasian populations than those in the U.S. and Europe, which heightens our urgency to expand access mechanisms for Libmeldy in these regions. With its extensive regional footprint and deep expertise in delivering specialty medicines to needy patients, we look forward to working with our new partners at Er-Kim to broaden access for eligible children and their families,” stated Robin Kenselaar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EMEA at Orchard Therapeutics.