Ireland-based Elan Corp. (ELN) and U.S.-based Biogen Idec (BIIB) said Tuesday they welcome the U.K. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommendation for the use of their drug Tysabri, the first NICE approval for any multiple sclerosis drug.
The companies said Tysabri represents a significant advance in MS treatment, offering hope of delaying the progression of disability and reducing the frequency of relapses.
According to the companies, treatment with Tysabri over two years leads to a 68% relative reduction in clinical relapses and a 54% relative reduction in the risk of sustained disability progression compared with placebo.
As of late May, the treatment was being used in about 12,000 patients in both commercial use and clinical trials in the U.S., Germany, France, Ireland and other countries.
However, said one analyst who follows the sector, a key approval for the drug is still awaited from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"This has to be seen in that context," he said, though he added that approval in the U.K. clearly bodes well for the drug.
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