ELN. I think that news on Tuesday was good and it may break $23 again next week.
Elan shares gain after British regulators permit Tysabri on state health
service
LONDON, Jul 03, 2007 (AP Worldstream via COMTEX) -- Shares of drugmaker Elan
Corp. PLC rose Tuesday after British regulators approved the use of Tysabri to
treat sufferers of multiple sclerosis under the state-funded National Health
Service.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence reversed its original
decision not to permit MS sufferers to receive the drug in state-subsidized
services, citing its high cost. The U-turn followed strong campaigning by MS
sufferers in Britain.
Elan and its U.S. partner, Biogen Idec Inc., welcomed the decision. Dr. Menghis
Bairu, head of Elan International, said the British approval marked "a
significant milestone for patients suffering from MS."
The decision means Tysabri - which is administered by intravenous infusion every
four weeks and costs more than 14,000 pounds (EUR 21,000; US$28,000) annually -
will be provided in Britain to MS sufferers who have been afflicted by at least
two disabling relapses over the previous year.
Analysts said the decision would encourage quicker takeup of Tysabri in Britain,
which is the second-largest European market behind Germany.
Elan shares rose 2.4 percent to EUR 16.51 (US$22.40) on the Irish Stock
Exchange.
Tysabri was approved last year for use in the United States and European Union
to combat only the most advanced cases of multiple sclerosis. Its use was
restricted because of its link to a rare, usually fatal disease of the central
nervous system called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML.
Both Elan and Biogen Idec temporarily withdrew the drug from sale in February
2005 after three patients in clinical trials contracted PML; two died.
Copyright (C) 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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As of Friday, 06-29-2007 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend® Alert,
an automated pattern recognition system, indicated an UPTREND on
02-07-2007 for ELN @ $13.55.
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