What is Oxbryta and what is it used for?

Oxbryta, alone or together with hydroxycarbamide (also known as hydroxyurea), is used to treat haemolytic anaemia in adults and children from 12 years with sickle cell disease. 

Oxbryta contains the active substance voxelotor. Voxelotor works on a protein in red blood cells called haemoglobin to help it take up oxygen that red blood cells can deliver throughout the body.

Patients with the condition called sickle cell disease have an altered form of haemoglobin called sickle haemoglobin which is different from the normal haemoglobin. When the sickle haemoglobin gives up oxygen to the tissues, it sticks together to form long rods and causes red blood cells to alter their shape to that of a crescent moon making these cells rigid and sickled shape. Sickle red blood cells cannot deliver oxygen as well as healthy red blood cells and are also broken down more quickly, leading to lowered levels of red blood cells (haemolytic anaemia). By improving the way the altered haemoglobin holds onto oxygen, Oxbryta improves the function of red blood cells and prolongs their lifespan.

Reference Information

Medicines in Northern Ireland fall under the remit of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) whilst medicines in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) fall under the remit of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) following the UK leaving the European Union. These agencies are responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines developed by pharmaceutical companies.

If you would like to see the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) or Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for Oxbryta these can be found at the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC).

▼ This medicine is subject to additional monitoring. This will allow quick identification of new safety information.
 

If you get any side effects when taking this or any other medicine, talk to your doctor or other relevant health professional e.g. pharmacist, nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the packaging leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk or search the Google Play or Apple App Store for MHRA Yellow Card. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

Pfizer is unable to provide advice on personal medical matters. Please consult your doctor or other relevant health professional for specific, health-related advice and support.