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Biogen, Elan Unveil New Tysabri Data


Posted on 2006-09-28 17:16:00



Drug developers Biogen Idec Inc. and Elan Corp. said Thursday data from a late-stage study of Tysabri showed it was effective in reducing cognitive degeneration in multiple sclerosis patients.

The drug was relaunched in June, 17 months after being pulled from the market after three cases of a rare and often fatal brain inflammation occurred in three patients. Two of the patients died. The drug is now prescribed by doctors in a program called Touch Prescribing, and patients are monitored for the brain inflammation.

In the latest study, which included 942 patients worldwide, treatment with Tysabri reduced the risk of sustained cognitive worsening by 43 percent when compared to placebo.

The drug has previously shown a 68 percent reduction in the relapse rate of patients and a 42 percent reduction in the relative risk of disability progression.

Areas affected by cognitive dysfunction include memory, ability to process information and learning. The drug reduced the risk of cognitive dysfunction by 43 percent, the study showed.

The company presented the data at the 22nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in Madrid, Spain.


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