Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

TEVA MNTA:

My question is whether there is likely to be any causation related to the volume of the injection and the site injuries so common in Copaxone-treated patients.

I would be willing to bet that the standard formulation of 20mg/1mL is better than the new formulation of 20mg/0.5mL from a medical standpoint. (If the reverse were true, Teva would presumably have launched Copaxone with the lower-volume formulation when the drug came to market in the mid 1990s.)

The only bona fide benefit of the low-volume formulation, as far as I can tell, is that it takes half as much time to infuse. Hence, the formulation issue boils down to whether the convenience benefit for the doctor and the patient justifies the risk that the new formulation is less safe.