This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Avonex sales up and hoping to see a return of Tysabri next year. The deal with Protein Design Labs is (I think) for Dacluzimab.

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?j412664438&w=464753

Ian,

Kellogg said Avonex is doing "very well," but acknowledged that growth in the U.S. multiple sclerosis market has slowed due to the lack of new treatments.

In find this comment interesting. The number of new MS patients in the US alone is estimated at around 10,000+ per year. So while the "MS market" in numbers is increasing, the drug market, according to Kellogg, is slowing down. I'm thinking it has more to do with a lack of drug efficacy as opposed to lack of new treatments.

Harry

Harry,

I think the manufacturers of the CRAB drugs are hanging on as long as they can - as Dignan said in an earlier post they are continuing trials on these drugs (head to heads etc) which tie up triallists for other possible therapies. Much of the recent research (funded by the CRAB manufacturers) has (unsurprisingly) concluded that those diagnosed should start as early as possible and continue even when RR has moved to SP (and that doses / frequencies should increase). $4 - $5 billion a year from these moderately effective drugs is big bucks which the manufacturers aren't going to let go of easily.

I mentioned the limited efficacy of the CRABs (c.30% reduction in attacks) to one of the neurologists I saw. He said that this was an average and that some people did much better (I pointed out that some must get even less that a third effectiveness)! Would they sell headache tablets that only got rid of 30% of the headache?

The Boston Cure Project posted an article recently about how MS was diagnosed much quicker than had been in the past. These early cases must be a dream for the CRAB manufacturers (if they can get them on the trials) as they are likely to be milder for a reseaonable period of time - and the CRAB drugs will claim that it is due to their efficacy.


Ian

Ian,

I hope you are sitting down when reading this because I just happen to agree with everything you just said

The CRABs are a cash cow to the pharmas who make them and like you said, they spend millions trying to prove their drug is better than the competition's. Open label, head-to-head trials....boy can you see what they can do to the stats that evolve from that!!

I found it interesting earlier this year when Tysabri started to get used in January and February. One reader (I believe it may have been on the Brain Talk MS Forum) compiled a number of comments made by several MS patients' neuros with respect to using Tysabri and stopping the CRABs. They stated that the CRABs were difficult to take, had several nasty side-effects, had very limited efficacy and were finally glad to rid their patients of them. Then bam...Tysabri got pulled and these same patients are back on the CRABs!

Take care.

Harry