argenx Announces Approval of VYVGART (efgartigimod alfa) in Japan for Adults with Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia

VYVGART now approved in Japan for both generalized myasthenia gravis and primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)

Regulatory decision in Japan represents first global approval for VYVGART in ITP

March 26, 2024 7:00 AM CET

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – argenx SE (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a global immunology company committed to improving the lives of people suffering from severe autoimmune diseases, today announced that Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) approved VYVGART (efgartigimod alfa) for intravenous (IV) use in adults with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).

“argenx is on a mission to deliver transformative medicines for people living with severe autoimmune disease,” said Tim Van Hauwermeiren, Chief Executive Officer of argenx. “We have always believed VYVGART has the potential to treat many IgG-mediated autoimmune diseases, and now patients in Japan, who have been waiting for a new treatment option, have one for ITP. My sincere thanks to all of those who contributed to today’s milestone approval in Japan – it takes true collaboration to bring real innovation for the millions of patients around the world living with rare autoimmune disease. And our work has only just begun.”

“ITP is a severe, debilitating autoimmune disease, and ITP patients typically experience a significantly lower quality of life,” said Luc Truyen, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of argenx. “Physicians now treat ITP via a trial-and-error approach – or by cycling through current therapies. By reducing circulating autoantibodies, VYVGART is uniquely designed to serve as a precision intervention that targets the underlying disease biology of ITP. We are grateful to all of those who contributed to advancing our understanding of the disease so that we could bring VYVGART to patients in Japan.”

The approval of VYVGART is based on results from the global Phase 3 ADVANCE-IV trial, which were published in the September 2023 issue of The Lancet. ADVANCE successfully met its primary endpoint, demonstrating that a higher proportion of chronic ITP patients receiving VYVGART achieved a sustained platelet count response compared to placebo. VYVGART demonstrated rapid onset of effect in chronic and persistent ITP patients, as well as a 51% response rate on the International Working Group (IWG) score, which is a measure developed by the world’s leading experts on ITP and highly relevant to clinical care. Primary endpoint responders were observed across patient types regardless of age, disease severity, time since diagnosis, prior ITP treatment or background medication. VYVGART was well-tolerated in this 24-week study and the observed safety and tolerability profile was consistent with previous clinical trials.