Insmed has enlisted the Medicine Woman to help patients get the treatments they need. The biotech is working with actor Jane Seymour to raise awareness of “unseenism,” a form of gender and age bias that can leave patients feeling overlooked or unheard in healthcare.
Seymour, decked out in an elaborate cape and headdress, turned heads in the 1970s James Bond flick "Live and Let Die" and went on to star in a long list of successful movies and TV shows including "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." And yet, Seymour, who is now in her 70s, feels “unseen” in some situations. The actor has joined with Insmed to raise awareness of gender and age biases in healthcare.
Insmed, which is closing in on a critical phase 3 readout in the lung disease bronchiectasis, has surveyed more than 2,000 people to understand how the biases affect the health of people aged 40 years and up. More than 80% of respondents said they leave a doctor's appointment without getting all their questions answered and understanding all that was discussed. Two in 5 respondents have previously chosen not to speak up to a doctor when they have something to say, often because they were ignored in the past.
The survey included 83 people with bronchiectasis, a condition Insmed believes is underrecognized. Women account for around two-thirds of people with bronchiectasis, and the average age of patients is 68, suggesting the biases may contribute to missed and delayed diagnoses of the respiratory condition.
In the bronchiectasis survey subgroup, 57% of respondents said illness is the factor that has contributed most to them feeling unseen. More than two-thirds of the patients said being knowledgeable about their health makes them feel empowered to speak up with healthcare providers. Insmed is working to give patients that knowledge through its “Speak Up in BE” campaign.
The company is running the unbranded campaign with Seymour and Tina Lifford, a Black actor known for roles in shows such as "South Central" and "Parenthood," to lay the groundwork for the potential launch of its treatment for the respiratory disease. Insmed expects to publish phase 3 data on the DPP1 inhibitor brensocatib in the indication toward the end of the second quarter.
Talking at the TD Cowen 44th Annual Health Care Conference in early March, Insmed CEO Will Lewis set out expectations that a “clear win” in phase 3 would enable the company to “talk about a price point that is consistent with Fasenra as a floor; that's $40,000 a year for 1 million patients at the time of launch.” Insmed sees peak sales of $5 billion or more across its two lead indications.
There are around 450,000 diagnosed bronchiectatic patients in the U.S., and Insmed has data on them “down to the ZIP code and the doctor that treats them,” Lewis said. Insmed, which plans to have around 250 sales reps, sees a longer-term opportunity in undiagnosed bronchiectasis patients living with other respiratory conditions. Boehringer Ingelheim has a rival DPP1 inhibitor in phase 2 development.