(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has approved Mirum Pharmaceuticals’ drug to treat a type of rare disorder, which affects the body’s ability to metabolize fats known as cholesterol.
Patients with the disorder known as cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis are unable to break down cholesterol properly, causing toxins to build up throughout the body over time.
The drug is a form of chenodeoxycholic acid, a naturally occurring bile acid that was originally approved for the treatment of people with a type of stone, called radiolucent stones in the gallbladder.
Mirum gained access to the drug, sold under the brand name Ctexli, through its acquisition of Travere Therapeutics’ bile acid product portfolio.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
