Accentia Gets Global License to Revimmune

U.S. firm Accentia Biopharmaceuticals said Wednesday it has acquired a global exclusive license to market Revimmune for all autoimmune diseases.

Developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, the patent-pending treatment currently in late-stage clinical studies uses an ultra-high intensity, short-course of an intravenous formulation of the approved drug cyclophosphamide, the company said.

The drug’s lead indication is for multiple sclerosis, but also has potential in treating other autoimmune diseases like aplastic anemia and myasthenia gravis, Accentia said.

The Revimmune license covers all of the estimated 80 currently recognized autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, juvenile diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, myasthenia gravis, and scleroderma.

So far, more than 175 patients, mostly those with severe refractory autoimmune diseases, have been treated with Revimmune, Accentia said. Revimmune works in a new way by effectively rebooting a patient’s immune system to eliminate autoimmunity, compared to current treatment for autoimmune disorders — including oral cyclophosphamide — which work by suppressing the inflammation of autoimmunity, Accentia said.