AstraZeneca spinoff scores maiden FDA approval, where it will field Alexion competition and an imminent Roche rival

About a year after the first-ever FDA approval for patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), the agency has approved a second therapy for the rare autoimmune condition.

On Thursday, AstraZeneca spinoff Viela Bio scored its maiden approval for its lead drug, Uplizna, to treat NMOSD patients. It will compete with Alexion’s entrenched keystone therapy Soliris — a monoclonal antibody that targets complement protein C5 — which secured its NMOSD approval last June.