Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) presented results from its phase III ADAGIO trial at a European conference. The ADAGIO trial studied Teva's Azilect drug for Parknison's disease. The study showed that patients with Parkinson's disease who took Azilect (rasagiline) 1 mg tablets once-daily upon entry into the trial, demonstrated a significant improvement compared with those who initiated the drug 9 months later.
The study was presented during the congress of European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) in Madrid, Spain. The study was conducted among patients with very early Parkinson's disease. The 1mg dose met all three primary endpoints, as well as the secondary endpoint, with statistical significance.
Main results were presented at the congress by Professor Olivier Rascol, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Toulouse, France, one of two principal investigators of the trial. Professor Rascol said, "The successful outcome of the study provides further rationale for the early use of Azilect among Parkinson’s disease patients".
"Delaying disease progression is the most important unmet need in the management of Parkinson's disease," stated Prof. C. Warren Olanow, professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, and ADAGIO co-principal.
Parkinson's disease is an age-related degenerative disorder of the brain. Symptoms can include: tremor, stiffness, slowness of movement, and impaired balance. An estimated four million people worldwide suffer from the disease, which usually affects people over the age of 60. In 2007, the market for Parkinson's treatments was $3.7 billion. Global sales of Azilect reached $120 million, double the 2006 figure.
Teva Group VP Global Innovative Resources Moshe Manor told "Globes" in June, following completion of the trial, that the trial results would "make a dramatic change in Azilect's potential", however, he declined to give any numbers. He said, "Patients will be treated earlier, since early treatment slows down the pace of deterioration of the disease. Additionally, there is an importance to staying with the drug for the entire lifespan of the patient."
Shares in Teva are up 0.49% in Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) trading today.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 26, 2008
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