Martin Gilligan
Analyst · Stifel. Ms. Samimy, your line is open
Thanks, Terrie, and hello, everyone. I'd like to start by echoing Terrie's comments that we're pleased with our third quarter results. Following VOQUEZNA's approval for non-Erosive GERD and increased market access coverage, our teams have been working diligently to realize the expanded market opportunity. Today's results are clear evidence of the progress we've made. As we have done previously, I will begin with sharing updates on our launch data and follow with additional color on the efforts that have helped drive our successful third quarter. Now turning to our metrics. I'd like to note that we are no longer reporting total demand, defined as the number of scripts written even if not filled, as one of our quarterly data points. As we've mentioned in the past, demand was only meant to be an early launch metric. It was intended to serve as an indicator of market interest for VOQUEZNA, while we work to establish commercial coverage. Now, given our widespread commercial access, we believe the fill prescriptions metric is an accurate measure of usage amongst prescribers and patients. With that being said, we have now surpassed 143,000 prescriptions filled by patients from launch through October 25. This has more than doubled since our last report, displaying a growth of nearly 140%. In the third quarter specifically, we recorded approximately 69,000 filled VOQUEZNA prescriptions, also just about doubling the amount we reported for the second quarter. We believe the recent label expansion for non-Erosive GERD was the key driver of this growth. In fact, filled prescriptions for 10 milligram, the approved dose for non-Erosive GERD, increased by over 230% between Q2 and Q3. As a reminder, these figures include volumes filled through retail pharmacies, which are captured by IQVIA, as well as those filled through BlinkRx, one of our patient assistant programs. Consistent with our previous updates, as VOQUEZNA's commercial coverage expanded, we expected the proportion of volume flowing through retail pharmacies to increase. As such, for the prescriptions filled in Q3, approximately 70% were filled through retail pharmacies and captured by IQVIA. In parallel, the total number of physicians who have written the filled script increased to over 13,600 as of October 18, compared to over 8,200 as of our last report. We are pleased that the growth in VOQUEZNA writers continues to indicate strong adoption. Through the end of Q3, about 12,400 cumulative prescribers have written a filled VOQUEZNA prescription, up approximately 70% compared to Q2. Our data shows that repeat writing is growing, meaning those that prescribe VOQUEZNA are doing so often. Therefore, one of our key objectives has been to generate new writers with the aim that they will join those who write more frequently once they see VOQUEZNA benefit their patients. I'm happy to report that this strategy is working and we're excited by the early results. All of this encouraging data stems from the widespread commercial access we have secured for VOQUEZNA. Early in Q3, we announced that CVS Caremark included VOQUEZNA on its national formularies with utilization management according to strategy, requiring only a single step through a generic prescription PPI. In the months following, downstream health plans have assigned VOQUEZNA similar positioning on their formularies. Since the start of third quarter, VOQUEZNA has been added to formularies responsible for covering over 42 million commercial lives. And importantly, we see the significant growth in prescriptions for 10 milligram as evidence that access is available for non-Erosive GERD patients. With major payer wins secured, we're proud of the availability and affordability that we set forth for commercial patients. In less than a year, we have successfully negotiated access for all approved indications with appropriate utilization management across the majority of plans for which VOQUEZNA is covered. As a result, VOQUEZNA's total covered population now captures over an estimated 120 million people, or more than 80% of all U.S. commercial lives. On the promotional front, we remain focused on increasing awareness with target physicians. In the early days of launch, gastroenterologists were first to embrace VOQUEZNA as they were largely aware of the new mechanism coming to the market. Since then, and accelerating with non-Erosive GERD, we've been focused on growing the primary care prescriber base. In fact, Q3 was the first quarter since launch where the majority of new VOQUEZNA prescribers were primary care physicians. These doctors are responsible for most GERD patient management decisions, so our aim is to make VOQUEZNA a leading treatment option amongst this group. As for consumers, we know that positive feedback and direct requests can often impact physician prescribing choices. Fortunately, patient sentiment has been terrific, and we believe that patients taking VOQUEZNA quickly notice the benefits and relay their experience back to their prescriber. In tandem, we continue to encourage patients to ask their physician about VOQUEZNA through further investment in our VOQUEZNA Can Kick Some Acid DTC campaign, which is expanded to include non-Erosive GERD messaging. While the data is still maturing, our preliminary analysis have confirmed that the campaign is reaching the appropriate audience and that exposed consumers are converting to VOQUEZNA. As we approach the first anniversary of VOQUEZNA's initial launch for Erosive GERD in H. pylori, I'm confident in the foundation we've built and the momentum that has followed in these recent months. We continue to be excited by our quarterly progress, and I believe we are poised to continue delivering outstanding results. With the non-Erosive GERD indication having launched not even four months ago, we believe there is opportunity for significant growth as we work toward displacing PPIs and getting VOQUEZNA into patients' hands. I'll now pass it off to Molly to walk through our financial results. Molly?