Two rivals of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) and its branded multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone today presented positive results of studies on oral treatments for the disease at the 63rd American Academy of Neurology (AAN) conference in Hawaii. Teva Sweden's Active Biotech AB (Nasdaq; OMX: ACTI) are scheduled to present results of its oral treatment, Laquinimod, on Thursday.
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; LSE: NOV; SWX: NOVZ) said that its drug, Gilenya, operates across a range of multiple sclerosis patients. Gilenya was found to delay the onset of both patients who had received previous treatments, and new patients. Novartis said that it would present the results of the Phase III clinical trial at the conference.
Biogen Idec Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) said that its oral multiple sclerosis treatment, BG-12, showed favorable result in a Phase III clinical trial. The two year trial found statistically significant reduction in the onset of the disease compared with patients taking the placebo.
In December 2010, Teva reported success in the Phase III clinical trial of Laquinimod. Patients treated with 0.6 mg daily oral Laquinimod experienced a statistically significant reduction in annualized relapse rate compared to placebo. Additional clinical endpoints, including significant reduction in disability progression, as measured by Expanded Disability Severity Scale (EDSS), were also achieved.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 11, 2011
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