Business Wire

Heat-stable carbetocin has been added to the WHO Essential Medicines List for the prevention of excessive bleeding after childbirth

Share

Ferring Pharmaceuticals today welcomes the World Health Organization’s (WHO) addition of heat-stable carbetocin to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) of uterotonics for the prevention of excessive bleeding after birth.1 The EML identifies medicines the WHO deems essential for addressing the most important public health needs globally.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190709005661/en/

To view this piece of content from mms.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Nepal: Due to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), Tulasi was rushed to have emergency blood transfusions after childbirth. Her husband Dinesh felt helpless, but thankfully she recovered. (Photo: Business Wire)

Every year, 14 million women are affected by excessive bleeding after birth, also known as postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).5 Although most deaths are preventable,6 PPH is the leading direct cause of maternal death worldwide,2 causing approximately 70,000 deaths per year,2 99% of which occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.5

“The WHO’s addition of heat-stable carbetocin to the Essential Medicines List brings us one step closer to tackling this life-threatening condition that impacts thousands of women and their families,” said Klaus Dugi, Chief Medical Officer, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “This milestone is thanks to collaboration from stakeholders around the world, and demonstrates how work across both the public and private sectors can help achieve development goals in global health. As the manufacturer, Ferring is now seeking registrations for heat-stable carbetocin and, once approved, our priority is to make heat-stable carbetocin available at an affordable and sustainable price** in public sector healthcare facilities in low- and lower-middle income countries where cold-chain transport and refrigeration of medicines is often difficult to achieve or maintain.”

This addition to the EML follows the 2018 update to the WHO’s recommendations on uterotonics for the prevention of PPH.3 The guidelines recommend heat-stable carbetocin for the prevention of excessive bleeding after all births in settings where oxytocin is unavailable or its quality cannot be guaranteed, and where its cost is comparable to other effective uterotonics. 3 The CHAMPION trial, the largest clinical trial in PPH prevention, showed that heat-stable carbetocin is non-inferior to current standard of care oxytocin, for the primary outcome of ≥500 ml blood loss or additional uterotonic use, after vaginal birth.7 Heat-stable carbetocin remains effective at high temperatures,8 addressing a significant limitation of oxytocin, which must be stored and transported at 2 – 8°C.9,10

Carbetocin is currently registered in more than 80 countries worldwide for the prevention of PPH due to uterine atony following caesarean section.11 Ferring is now seeking registrations for heat-stable carbetocin for the prevention of PPH following all births. Once approved, the heat-stable formulation of carbetocin will be available at an affordable and sustainable price** to publicly controlled or publicly funded healthcare facilities and healthcare facilities operating on a social marketing basis in low- and lower-middle income countries.

About the EML1
The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) serves as a guide for the development of national and institutional essential medicine lists and is updated and revised every two years by the WHO Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Medicines.

About the CHAMPION trial7
CHAMPION (Carbetocin Haemorrhage Prevention), the largest clinical trial in the prevention of PPH, was a double-blind, randomised, non-inferiority trial designed to compare the effectiveness and safety of investigational heat-stable carbetocin to oxytocin in the prevention of PPH after vaginal birth. The trial, funded by MSD for Mothers*** and conducted by the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research including the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), enrolled nearly 30,000 women in ten countries including Argentina, Egypt, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda and the UK. Heat-stable carbetocin is a long-acting uterotonic developed by Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The results demonstrated that heat-stable carbetocin is non-inferior to the standard of care, oxytocin, for the primary outcome of > 500 ml blood loss or additional uterotonic use. Non-inferiority was not demonstrated for the secondary primary outcome of blood loss of 1000 ml or more, however, the trial was underpowered for this outcome. There were no significant differences between groups in other measures of bleeding or in adverse effects.

* The availability of heat-stable carbetocin is subject to regulatory review and approval in relevant countries.
** This price is a subsidised price of $0.31 +/- 10% per ampoule of 100 µg heat-stable carbetocin. This is comparable to the current United Nations Population Fund price for oxytocin of $0.33 per unit (10 I.U.).12
*** MSD for Mothers is an initiative of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A.

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, speciality biopharmaceutical group committed to helping people around the world build families and live better lives. Headquartered in Saint-Prex, Switzerland, Ferring is a leader in reproductive medicine and women’s health, and in speciality areas within gastroenterology and urology. Ferring has been developing treatments for mothers and babies for over 50 years and has a portfolio covering treatments from conception to birth. Founded in 1950, privately-owned Ferring now employs approximately 6,500 people worldwide, has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries.

Learn more at www.ferring.com, or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

# # #

References


1 WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/325771 Last accessed: July 2019

2 Say L, et al. Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis. Lancet Global Health. 2014; 2(6):e323-e333. Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/langlo/PIIS2214-109X(14)70227-X.pdf Last accessed: July 2019

3 WHO. WHO recommendations: Uterotonics for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/277276/9789241550420-eng.pdf?ua=1 Last accessed: July 2019

4 World Bank. World Bank Country and Lending Groups. Published 2019. Available at: https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups Last accessed: July 2019

5 WHO. Priority diseases and reasons for inclusion. Postpartum haemorrhage. Available at: http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/priority_medicines/Ch6_16PPH.pdf Last accessed: July 2019.

6 WHO. Maternal mortality – Fact sheets. Published 2018. Available at: www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality Last accessed: July 2019

7 Widmer M, et al. Heat stable carbetocin vs oxytocin to prevent hemorrhage after vaginal birth. New England Journal of Medicine 2018;379:743-752

8 Malm M, et al. Development and stability of a heat-stable formulation of carbetocin for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage for use in low and middle-income countries. Journal of Peptide Science 2018;e3082

9 Widmer M, et al. Room temperature stable carbetocin for the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage during the third stage of labour in women delivering vaginally: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2016;17(1):143

10 Torloni MR, et al. Quality of Oxytocin Available in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of the Literature (Systematic Review on Quality of Oxytocin). BJOG 2016;123(13):2076-2086

11 Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Data on file. 2019

12 UNFPA Procurement Services. Oxytocin 10 I.U./ml injection in 1ml ampoule. www.unfpaprocurement.org/products?id=OXYTOCIN_10IU/ML Last accessed: July 2019

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

Bhavin Vaid
Head of Corporate Communications
+41 58 301 0952 (direct)
+41 79 191 0632 (mobile)
bhavin.vaid@ferring.com

Lindsey Rodger
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
+41 58 451 4023 (direct)
+41 79 191 0486 (mobile)
lindsey.rodger@ferring.com

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
24 Martin Lane
EC4R 0DR London

+44 20 7626 1982http://www.businesswire.co.uk

(c) 2018 Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.

Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in multiplatform press release distribution.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

H.I.G. Capital Announces the Sale of DGS S.p.A.11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release

H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global alternative investment firm with $62 billion of capital under management, is pleased to announce that an affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company, DGS S.p.A. (“DGS” or the “Group”), a leading firm in the Italian Information Technology market, to DGS Co-Founders and management team in partnership with ICG, a global alternative asset manager. Since its inception in 1997, DGShas supported blue-chip customers in the design, integration, and maintenance of complex IT systems, with a specialization in digital transformation and cybersecurity services. The Group currently has over 1,900 employees, revenues of approximately €300 million, and maintains a group of highly loyal clientele. During H.I.G.’s ownership, DGS has tripled in size and consolidated its position as a leading Italian firm in cybersecurity services and digital transformation. DGS offers its clients sophisticated and proprietary digital transformation

Evertas Names Nick Selby Head of European Underwriting11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release

Evertas, the world’s first crypto insurance company, has named Nick Selby as its new Head of European Underwriting. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611141887/en/ Nick Selby, Executive Vice President and Head of European Underwriting at Evertas (Photo: Business Wire) Selby, an accomplished information and physical security professional, brings two decades of expertise in public and private sector information security, physical security, and complex incident handling, as well as seven years of experience leading teams securing billions of dollars in cryptoassets. Previously, his roles included VP of the Software Assurance Practice at Trail of Bits, Chief Security Officer at Paxos Trust Company, and Director of Cyber Intelligence and Investigations at the NYPD Intelligence Bureau. “Nick is an extremely valuable addition to our European team,” said Evertas CEO and Co-Founder J. Gdanski. “His public and private

Owlet utvider globalt fotavtrykk med lanseringen av medisinsk-sertifisert Dream Sock™ i Storbritannia og over hele Europa11.6.2024 11:00:00 CEST | Pressemelding

Owlet, Inc. («Owlet» or the «Company») (NYSE:OWLT), pioneren innen smart spedbarnsovervåking, kunngjør i dag den britiske og europeiske lanseringen av Dream Sock. Dette er en smart babymonitor med levende helseavlesninger og varsler for friske spedbarn mellom 0-18 måneder og 2,5-13,6 kg. Dette innovative medisinske utstyret gir foreldre helse og viktig informasjon i sanntid, noe som gir uovertruffen trygghet. Denne pressemeldingen inneholder multimedia. Se hele pressemeldingen her: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611820341/no/ (Photo: Business Wire) «Vi er svært stolte over å lansere Dream Sock til omsorgspersoner over hele Storbritannia og Europa og gi millioner av foreldre mer trygghet mens babyen sover,» sa Kurt Workman, Owlets administrerende direktør og medgründer. «Dream Sock er nå et globalt produkt som er anerkjent som medisinsk nøyaktig og trygt, etter å ha gjennomgått regulatoriske autorisasjoner og sertifiseringer innenfor flere geografier. I dag er misjonen vår

V-Nova Surpasses 1000 Patent Milestone in Media Technology Innovation11.6.2024 10:00:00 CEST | Press release

V-Nova, a leading provider of data compression solutions, video compression technology, XR technology, AI acceleration and parallel processing for a multitude of industries including media and entertainment, today announced its milestone achievement of 1000 active technology patents. This accomplishment underscores V-Nova’s dedication to research and development and its commitment to protecting its intellectual property globally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611724561/en/ V-Nova’s patent portfolio spans more than 50 different jurisdictions. Including over 400 patents in Europe, over 200 in the Americas, over 100 in the United States specifically, and over 200 in Asia. V-Nova forged new directions in data processing to enhance digital experiences, maximize efficiency, reduce costs, and increase sustainability. The company leads the way with key international data compression standards for the video indust

Alipay+ Reveals Top Scorer Trophy Design for UEFA EURO 2024™11.6.2024 09:24:00 CEST | Press release

Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions operated by Ant International and an Official Partner of UEFA EURO 2024™, today revealed the trophy that will be awarded to the most prolific marksman at the UEFA EURO 2024™ finale on July 14 in Berlin, Germany. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240610328619/en/ The UEFA Top Scorer Trophy presented by Alipay+ is unveiled for UEFA EURO 2024™ (Photo: Business Wire) Sculpted in the shape of the Chinese character “支” (pronounced zhi, and meaning payment as well as support), the trophy reflects Alipay+’s dedication to supporting consumers to enjoy seamless payment and a broad choice of deals using their preferred payment methods while traveling abroad. The character also resembles the fleeting moment of a barefooted striker poised to shoot, evoking the original beauty and power of football – a game that united people across the wo

World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye