Seven deaths linked to Neurocrine’s Prader-Willi drug Vykat raise safety concerns

Clinicians have warned that seven patients who received Neurocrine Biosciences' recently approved Prader-Willi syndrome therapy Vykat have died, prompting a new safety alert for the patient community.

The FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System lists those seven fatalities along with about 100 serious adverse events, including swelling, respiratory distress and cardiac problems, according to a STAT News report.

Neurocrine’s shares fell roughly 2% after the news, and analysts note that heightened physician caution and possible regulatory review could slow the drug’s market uptake in the coming quarters. The drug was acquired in a $2.9 billion purchase of Soleno Therapeutics last April.