AstraZeneca spinoff Viela Bio scored its first FDA nod. Can it face down heavyweight rivals?

Two years after launching, AstraZeneca spinoff Viela Bio has its first FDA approval in Uplinza following Friday's nod to treat certain patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. Analysts expect that the medicine, which won approval to treat patients who are anti-AQP4 antibody positive, can generate $586 million by 2026, according to Evaluate. But the competitive landscape could pose a challenge for the biotech's first launch. Doctors could prescribe Roche’s Rituxan or its biosimilars off label before trying Uplinza, Evaluate Vantage reports, or payers could require them to try the cheaper options first. Uplinza is a B cell depleter like Rituxan, so if those older options don’t work, docs might go another route and try Alexion’s Soliris rather than move on to Uplinza, Vantage said.