The first news we've heard on laquinimod for a while-- this is an ORAL immunomodulatory treatment being studied for MS. Having Copaxone's Teva behind the drug is a very positive sign as they have the resources to bring this drug through trials and to market.  Also interesting is the mention regarding an oral form of Copaxone! Interesting...

"Teva Pharmaceuticals has entered an agreement to develop and commercialize a drug called laquinimod, a novel immunomodulatory compound developed by the Swedish company Active Biotech AB...The Swedish company's immunmomodulator has the potential to be an orally available disease-modifying treatment of multiple sclerosis, Teva explains...

Teva is well-versed in multiple sclerosis, having developed a block-buster drug of its own in Copaxone, the only non-interferon treatment available today. Teva has been working on an oral version but Copaxone is currently administered through injection."

And from a study on laquinimod released this April: "Results from a study of the oral immune-modulating drug laquinimod were presented by Dr. Magnhild Sandberg-Wollheim (Lund, Sweden) on behalf of colleagues in Amsterdam and Sweden...The drug was well tolerated, and those on the higher dose had significantly fewer new active MS brain lesions during the 24 weeks of testing.

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Full Article Text

Israel's Teva developing oral treatment for multiple sclerosis with Swedish firm

Teva Pharmaceuticals has entered an agreement to develop and commercialize a drug called laquinimod, a novel immunomodulatory compound developed by the Swedish company Active Biotech AB. Immunomodulators are substances that can modify or regulate immune functions. MS is most probably, at the heart, an autoimmune disease, in which the body's natural immune system goes haywire, identifying innocent body tissue as foreign and attacking it. Whether or not the immune system is the source of the incurable disease, it certainly is responsible for much of the damage. The Swedish company's immunmomodulator has the potential to be an orally available disease-modifying treatment of multiple sclerosis, Teva explains. Teva is well-versed in multiple sclerosis, having developed a block-buster drug of its own ? Copaxone, the only non-interferon treatment available today. Teva has been working on an oral version but Copaxone is currently administered through injection. The agreement between Teva and Active Biotech is contingent on the approval of U.S. regulators. "Results from a study of the oral immune-modulating drug laquinimod were presented by Dr. Magnhild Sandberg-Wollheim (Lund, Sweden) on behalf of colleagues in Amsterdam and Sweden...The drug was well tolerated, and those on the higher dose had significantly fewer new active MS brain lesions during the 24 weeks of testing."

Original article can be found here