Relyvrio is delivering for Amylyx Pharmaceuticals’ topline growth, according to the company’s latest earnings report released this week. 

The recently approved amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drug generated net product revenue of $71.4 million during the quarter.

The cost of sales during that period was $5.3 million, while research and development expenses inched up to $24.2 million due to an increase in personnel-related expenses from boosting head count.

The official revenue numbers for Relyvrio come just over two months after Amylyx reported that the ALS drug generated full-year product revenue of $22.2 million in 2022. Relyvrio received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in September and is awaiting a decision from the European Medicines Agency for its Marketing Authorisation Application.

Earlier this year, the company acknowledged that the drug was experiencing higher-than-expected demand. This followed years of fundraising, most notably through the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge, which supported the development and testing of the drug.

“During the first quarter, we made significant progress on our commercial launches of Relyvrio in the U.S. and ALBRIOZA in Canada as we advanced our goal of ensuring efficient access for every eligible person living with ALS,” Amylyx co-CEO Joshua Cohen said in a statement. “We continue to see strong engagement and interest from physicians and the ALS community and are encouraged that the vast majority of payors who have published formal policy decisions are providing broad access to Relyvrio.”

Amylyx co-CEO Justin Kleen announced that the company is launching a Phase 3 study of Relyvrio in progressive supranuclear palsy later this year.

Cohen added that the company remains focused on driving awareness and educating payers on the promise of Relyvrio.

That last comment comes as Amylyx seeks buy-in from commercial insurers for Relyvrio following Cigna’s announcement in February that it wouldn’t cover the drug in a national formulary coverage policy.

The large payer called Relyvrio an “experimental, investigational or unproven” drug, citing a lack of clinical efficacy data and unclear clinical benefit.

In response to Cigna’s decision, Amylyx provided a statement to MM+M indicating that “people living with ALS and their families have no time to wait.”