Pharmaceutical firm Galen on Thursday launched an innovative medical food for people living with the rare, inherited metabolic disorder, phenylketonuria (PKU).
The PKU Easy Microtabs is an alternative to other protein substitutes on the market and will help patients from age 8 to manage the condition and consume the protein they need each day.
PKU Easy Microtabs are small coated microtabs containing non-Phe amino acids. They are swallowed with liquid or eaten with cold foods, such as jam or fruit puree.
Approximately 70 babies each year are born with PKU in the UK. The inherited disorder prevents the body from breaking down the proteins in foods to amino acids and if unmanaged, can lead to brain damage.
First launched by POA Pharma across Scandinavia in 2011, PKU Easy Microtabs was not available to UK patients via NHS until now. In January, Galen has announced the completion of its acquisition and takeover of POA Pharma.
Alongside its wider product portfolio, the move was intended to expand access to the company’s innovative nutritional therapies for people with PKU.
Dr Dennise Broderick, President & Managing Director at Galen, said: “Within one month of the completion of our acquisition of POA Pharma we are delighted to be able to bring this important new dietary management option to the 6,000 plus patients living with PKU across the UK.
“This is a condition that patients have to think about every single day of their lives to ensure they have the right levels of protein to function correctly. Portability, taste and digestion of medical foods are all important considerations that we are proud to have addressed for the community with our novel microtabs.”
