Benzinga | Jun 18, 2021 12:31PM EDT

Horizon Therapeutics Announces Multiple Presentations On Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder At the 7th Congress Of European Academy of Neurology

Horizon Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ:HZNP) today announced the presentation of company information on Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) in three oral sessions during the 7th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), June 19 -22, 2021. Presentations will discuss information from the open-label extension period (OLP) of the pivotal N-MOmentum trial for people living with NMOSD.

"NMOSD is a chronic disease that requires lifelong management," said Quinn Dinh, M.D., vice president, international medical affairs and pipeline launch strategy. "The EAN Congress provides an important opportunity to engage with the international neurology community to advance the understanding and further increase awareness of this rare disease."

Presentation Details:

* Title: Long term safety outcomes in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: N-MOmentum trial Session: OS3003, B. Cree Date: June 21, 17:00-17:15 CEST, 11-11:15 a.m. EDT

* Title: Long term efficacy outcomes in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: N-MOmentum trial Session: OS3003, B. Cree Date: June 21, 17:15-17:30 CEST, 11:15-11:30 a.m. EDT

* Title: Immunoglobulin kinetics and infection risk after long-term treatment for NMOSD Session: OS3003, B. Greenberg Date: June 21, 17:30-17:45 CEST, 11:30-11:45 a.m. EDT

About Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD)

NMOSD is a unifying term for neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and related syndromes. NMOSD is a rare, severe, relapsing, neuroinflammatory autoimmune disease that attacks the optic nerve, spinal cord as well as the brain and brain stem.1,2 Approximately 80 percent of all patients with NMOSD test positive for anti-AQP4 antibodies.3 AQP4-IgG bind primarily to astrocytes in the central nervous system and trigger an escalating immune response that results in lesion formation and astrocyte death.4

Anti-AQP4 autoantibodies are produced by plasmablasts and plasma cells. These B cell populations are central to NMOSD disease pathogenesis, and a large proportion of these cells express CD19. Depletion of these CD19+ B cells is thought to remove an important contributor to inflammation, lesion formation and astrocyte damage. Clinically, this damage presents as an NMOSD attack, which can involve the optic nerve, spinal cord and brain.4,5 Loss of vision, paralysis, loss of sensation, bladder and bowel dysfunction, nerve pain and respiratory failure can all be manifestations of the disease.6 Each NMOSD attack can lead to further cumulative damage and disability.7,8 NMOSD occurs more commonly in women and may be more common in individuals of African and Asian descent.9,10