The latest data on Biogen Idec Inc.'s (BIIB) experimental multiple-sclerosis pill BG-12 show "favorable safety and tolerability" that support the drug's use as a front-line treatment for MS patients, the biotechnology company said.
Details from the "Confirm" study on BG-12 were set for presentation at an American Academy of Neurology conference Tuesday. The drug is currently under review with U.S. and European regulators and could be approved early next year.
Positive data and high expectations for the MS treatment have helped drive Biogen shares to around all-time high levels recently. Most treatments for the chronic, inflammatory and potentially disabling disease are delivered by needle, but BG-12 is an oral drug that will likely be taken twice daily.
The Biogen-funded Confirm study of about 1,400 MS patients showed the most common side effects for BG-12 patients at two years were flushing, or reddening of the skin, and gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhoea and nausea. These problems were more common with BG-12 than they were with a placebo, but the side effects "decreased substantially" for BG-12 patients after the first month of treatment, the company said.... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1679