Biogens new oral drug seems to have nice results so far but probably the worst news was Novartis's Gilenya seems to have nice data in the previously treated patient. These two items will pressure Teva's new oral drug (data late this week) but also could effect copaxones sales.
4:20 am ET 04/11/2011-
Novartis AG , the Basel health-care major, said Monday that Gilenya, its drug taken by mouth to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, delayed the progression of the disease in patients who had been previously treated for MS as well as those who had not. Novartis said it would present a Phase III analysis of the findings at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting currently in progress. Novartis licenses the drug from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. , an Osaka, Japan, subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. Separately, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. , the Jerusalem drugmaker, said on Monday that on Thursday, after the U.S. market closes, it would unveil, via audio webcast, the results of a Phase III study of laquinimod, an oral MS treatment it and Active Biotech AB are developing. Active is the Lund, Sweden, drugmaker.