Orchard Therapeutics Secures Partnerships to Broaden Access to LibmeldyTM for Eligible Patients in Middle East & Turkey

BOSTON and LONDON, Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ORTX), a global gene therapy leader, today announced plans to extend the company’s commercial reach in the Middle East and Turkey through exclusive agreements with GenPharm Services and GEN, two leading regional specialty pharmaceutical companies with extensive experience in rare genetic disease. GenPharm and GEN will collaborate with Orchard to facilitate access to treatment with Libmeldy in European-based qualified treatment centers for eligible patients living in the Middle East and Turkey.

Libmeldy was approved in the EU in December 2020 as the first gene therapy for the treatment of early-onset metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), an inherited, neurodegenerative disorder. Patients from the Middle East and Turkey were among those who participated in the clinical studies and/or compassionate use programs that supported the marketing authorization for Libmeldy in the EU.
  
“MLD is a devastating disease found at a higher rate in Middle Eastern and Turkish populations than those in the U.S. and Europe, which heightens our urgency to establish access mechanisms for Libmeldy in support of eligible patients in these regions,” said Frank Thomas, president and chief operating officer, Orchard Therapeutics. “Orchard’s agreements with GenPharm and GEN represent an innovative way to scale through collaboration, leveraging the pre-existing infrastructure, expertise and relationships of our partners to quickly and efficiently extend our reach to serve patients in these areas of the world.”

Under terms of the agreements, GenPharm and GEN will be responsible for all activities related to identifying patients, driving disease awareness, and ensuring market access for Libmeldy in their respective territories. Combined, these partnerships will expand access to Libmeldy for patients living in the following seven additional markets: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Turkey.

“We launched GenPharm Services nearly nine years ago to address significant gaps we saw in meeting rare disease patients’ needs in the Middle East region,” said Karim Smaira, co-founder of GenPharm Services. “Given the severity of MLD and the lack of any other approved treatment options, we are honored to partner with Orchard Therapeutics to support eligible young MLD patients and their families in getting to Europe for treatment with such an innovative and promising therapy as Libmeldy.”