[September 08, 2016] |
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Biogen Demonstrates Commitment to Improving Patient Outcomes with Study on Burden of MS and New Clinical Data from Its Leading MS Portfolio
New research collected from more than 16,000 multiple sclerosis (MS)
patients across Europe, in the largest study to capture the widespread
impact of the disease, along with updated clinical findings from the
company's broad portfolio of MS therapies will be presented at the 32nd
congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in
Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in London, 14-17 September 2016, Biogen
(NASDAQ: BIIB) announced today.
The Biogen-sponsored MS Cost of Illness (COI) study further builds on
the highly influential and frequently cited 2005 European COI study,
which examined the burden of MS on patients and their caregivers in
Europe. Gisela Kobelt, PhD, President, European Health Economics, the
author of both the 2005 research and the new study, will present the
data during the congress and share insights in a workshop attended by
patient groups and the study's clinical advisors.
"We look forward to hearing from the patient community in our upcoming
ECTRIMS workshop on the burden of illness in MS. We encourage an open
discussion about how the community can apply the main findings of the
study to engage and educate researchers, governments, and policy makers
around the issues most critical to patients, and, ultimately, identify
new ways to improve outcomes in the treatment of MS," said Ralph Kern,
M.D., senior vice president, Worldwide Medical, Biogen.
Additional data to be presented at ECTRIMS will highlight Biogen's
industry-leading portfolio including TECFIDERA® (dimethyl
fumarate), the world's most-prescribed oral MS treatment, and ZINBRYTA™
(daclizumab), a new once-monthly, self-administered, subcutaneous
treatment recently approved in the United States and the European Union:
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Real-world data and new clinical evidence that demonstrate TECFIDERA
consistently delivers strong, sustained efficacy in reducing disease
activity among newly diagnosed and previously treated patients with
relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Additional data affirm
TECFIDERA's well-characterized safety profile in patients who have had
up to nine years of treatment.
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A new analysis from the pivotal DECIDE study that further supports the
positive impact of ZINBRYTA on no evidence of disease activity (NEDA),
and the first interim results from the ongoing EXTEND study, providing
up to five years of efficacy and safety data.
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Detailed results evaluating opicinumab (anti-LINGO-1) in people with
relapsing forms of MS from the Phase 2 SYNERGY study, the largest
study investigating remyelination conducted to date.
Highlights of Biogen's ECTRIMS Data: MS
Cost of Illness
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Cognition, Fatigue and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with
Multiple Sclerosis: Results from a European-Wide Study - Poster
Session 2 (P871) - Friday, 16 September - 15:30-17:00 PM BST
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Inability to Work and Need for Social and Family Support Drive Costs
in Multiple Sclerosis - Poster Session 2 (P908) - Friday, 16
September - 15:30-17:00 PM BST
TECFIDERA
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Annual Relapse Rates in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with
Different Disease-Modify Therapies - Findings from a Real World
Setting - ePoster EP1481
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Seven-Year Follow-Up of the Efficacy of Delayed-Release Dimethyl
Fumarate in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple
Sclerosis: Integrated Analysis of DEFINE, CONFIRM, and ENDORSE - Poster
Session 1 (P631) - Thursday, 15 September - 15:45-17:00 PM BST
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Comparative Analysis of MS Outcomes in Dimethyl Fumarate-Treated
Patients Relative to Propensity Matched Fingolimod, Interferon,
Glatiramer Acetate, or Teriflunomide - Poster Session 2 (P1157) -
Friday, 16 September - 15:30-17:00 PM BST
ZINBRYTA
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Interim Report on the Safety and Efficacy of Long-Term Daclizumab
Treatment for up to Five Years (EXTEND Trial) - Poster Session 1
(P653) - Thursday, 15 September - 15:45-17:00 PM BST
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Achievement of No Evidence of Disease Activity by Time Interval with
Daclizumab vs. Intramuscular Interferon Beta-1a Treatment in DECIDE -
Poster Session 1 (P664) - Thursday, 15 September - 15:45-17:00 PM BST
TYSABRI
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Functional and Survival Outcomes of Asymptomatic Progressive
Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy in Natalizumab-Treated Multiple
Sclerosis Patients: 2015 Update - ePoster EP1528
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Long-Term Real-World Effectiveness of Natalizumab: Treatment Outcomes
from the TYSABRI® Observational Program (TOP) Stratified by
Baseline Disability - Poster Session 2 (P1228) - Friday, 16
September - 15:30-17:00 PM BST
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Long-Term Safety of Natalizumab Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
in Clinical Practice: Results from the TYSABRI Global Observational
Program in Safety (TYGRIS) - Poster Session 2 (P1229) - Friday, 16
September - 15:30-17:00 PM BST
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New Algorithm to Estimate Risk of Natalizumab-Associated Progressive
Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) in Anti-JCV Antibody Positive
Patients: Analyses of Clinical Trial Data to Provide Further Temporal
Precision and Inform Clinical Practice - Poster Session 2 (P1249) -
Friday, 16 September - 15:30-17:00 PM BST
PLEGRIDY
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SC Peginterferon Beta-1a Every Two Weeks Demonstrated Better Clinical
Outcomes than SC Interferon Beta-1a TIW in Patients with RMS, Using a
Matching-Adjusted Comparison of Seven Phase 3 Trials - ePoster
EP1486
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Peginterferon Beta-1a Every Two Weeks Increased Achievement of NEDA
over Four Years in the ADVANCE and ATTAIN Studies in Patients with
RRMS - Poster Session 2 (P1171) - Friday, 16 September -
15:30-17:00 PM BST
FAMPYRA
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Sustained Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Walking Ability with
Prolonged-Release Fampridine: Results from the Placebo-Controlled
ENHANCE Study - Parallel Session 14: Late Breaking News (#254) -
Saturday, 17 September - 9:30-9:42 AM BST
OPICINUMAB (ANTI-LINGO-1)
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MRI Biomarkers of Opicinumab (Anti-LINGO-1) Repair in Relapsing MS:
Results from the Phase 2b SYNERGY Trial - Poster Session 1 (P588) -
Thursday, 15 September - 15:45-17:00 PM BST
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Safety and Tolerability of Opicinumab in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis:
the Phase 2b SYNERGY Trial - Poster Session 1 (P675) - Thursday, 15
September - 15:45-17:00 PM BST
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Efficacy Analysis of Opicinumab in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: the
Phase 2b SYNERGY Trial - Parallel Session 9 Remyelination:
Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches (#192), Hall B - Friday, 16
September - 11:25-11:37 AM BST
About Biogen Through cutting-edge science and medicine,
Biogen discovers, develops and delivers worldwide innovative therapies
for people living with serious neurological, autoimmune and rare
diseases. Founded in 1978, Biogen is one of the world's oldest
independent biotechnology companies and patients worldwide benefit from
its leading multiple sclerosis and innovative hemophilia therapies. For
more information, please visit www.biogen.com.
Follow us on Twitter.
About TECFIDERA® TECFIDERA is an oral
therapy for relapsing forms of MS, including relapsing-remitting MS, the
most common form of MS. TECFIDERA is currently approved in 24 countries
including United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and
Switzerland. Through a robust clinical trial program and commercial
launches starting with the United States in March 2013, more than
215,000 patients have been treated with TECFIDERA worldwide.1
TECFIDERA has been proven to reduce the rate of MS relapses, slow the
progression of disability, and the number of MS brain lesions, while
demonstrating a favorable benefit-risk profile in a broad range of
patients with relapsing forms of MS.2 In clinical trials, the
most common adverse events associated with TECFIDERA were flushing and
gastrointestinal (GI) events. Other side effects included a decrease in
mean lymphocyte counts during the first year of treatment, which then
plateaued. TECFIDERA is contraindicated in patients with a known
hypersensitivity to dimethyl fumarate or any of the excipients of
TECFIDERA. Rare cases of PML have been seen with TECFIDERA patients in
the setting of prolonged moderate to severe lymphopenia.
The efficacy and safety of TECFIDERA have been studied in a large,
global clinical program, which includes an ongoing long-term extension
study. It is believed that TECFIDERA treats MS by activating the Nrf2
pathway, although its exact mechanism of action is unknown. This pathway
provides a way for cells in the body to defend themselves against
inflammation and oxidative stress caused by conditions like MS.
For additional important safety information, and the United States full
prescribing information, please visit www.tecfidera.com.
About TYSABRI® TYSABRI is a disease modifying
therapy (DMT (News - Alert)) approved in more than 80 countries including the United
States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. In the
United States, TYSABRI is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of
patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). In
the European Union, it is indicated as a single DMT in highly active
relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) for adult patients who have high disease
activity despite treatment with a beta interferon or glatiramer acetate
or patients with rapidly evolving severe RRMS. TYSABRI is proven
effective, with 10 years of experience in treating RRMS, and more than
149,000 people treated worldwide and 475,000 patient-years of experience.
TYSABRI is a monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to a4-integrin
and is thought to interrupt the activity of inflammatory cells in MS
patients by blocking the interaction between a4ß1-integrin and vascular
cell adhesion molecule-1. Disruption of these molecular interactions
prevents transmigration of leukocytes across the endothelium into
inflamed parenchymal tissue. The specific mechanism(s) by which TYSABRI
exerts its effects in MS have not been fully defined.
TYSABRI has advanced the treatment of MS patients with its proven
ability to slow the progression of disability, reduce relapse rates, and
impact the number of MRI brain lesions with a well-characterized safety
profile. Data from the Phase 3 AFFIRM trial, which was published in
the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that at two years, TYSABRI
treatment led to a 68 percent relative reduction (p<0.001) in the
annualized relapse rate when compared with placebo and reduced the
relative risk of disability progression by 42 to 54 percent (12-24-week
sustained respectively, both p<0.001).
TYSABRI increases the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
(PML), a rare opportunistic viral infection of the brain which has been
associated with death or severe disability. Risk factors that increase
the risk of PML are presence of anti-JCV antibodies, prior
immunosuppressant use, and longer TYSABRI treatment duration. Patients
who have all three risk factors have the highest risk of developing PML.
TYSABRI increases the risk of developing encephalitis and meningitis
caused by herpes simplex and varicella zoster viruses and clinically
significant liver injury has also been reported in the post-marketing
setting. Serious, life-threatening, and sometimes fatal cases have been
reported in the postmarketing setting in MS patients receiving TYSABRI.
Other serious adverse events that have occurred in TYSABRI-treated
patients include hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis) and
infections, including opportunistic and other atypical infections.
Clinically significant liver injury has also been reported in the
post-marketing setting.
The overall benefit-risk profile of TYSABRI remains positive. For
additional important safety information and the United States
Prescribing Information which includes a full list of adverse events,
please visit www.tysabri.com or
your respective country's website.
About PLEGRIDY® PLEGRIDY is a subcutaneous
pegylated interferon dosed once every two weeks for relapsing forms of
MS,3 including relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form
of MS. PLEGRIDY is currently approved in the United States, the European
Union, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland. Biogen continues to work
toward making PLEGRIDY available in additional countries across the
globe.
The efficacy and safety of PLEGRIDY is supported by one of the largest
pivotal studies with interferons conducted in people living with RRMS.
In clinical studies, PLEGRIDY has been proven to significantly reduce
the rate of MS relapses, slow the progression of disability, and reduce
the number of MS brain lesions while demonstrating a favorable safety
profile for patients with relapsing forms of MS. In clinical trials, the
most common adverse events associated with PLEGRIDY were injection site
reactions and flu-like symptoms. Other side effects reported include
liver problems, including liver failure and increases in liver enzymes;
depression or suicidal thoughts; serious allergic reactions; cardiac
problems, including congestive heart failure; autoimmune disorders;
decreases in white blood cell or platelet counts; and seizures. A list
of adverse events can be found in the full PLEGRIDY product labeling for
each country where it is approved.
It is believed that PLEGRIDY modulates immune responses that are thought
to play a role in MS although its exact mechanism of action is unknown.
For additional important safety information and United States full
prescribing information, please visit www.plegridy.com,
or your respective country's website.
About ZINBRYTA™ ZINBRYTA is approved for the treatment of
relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) in the United States and the
European Union. The recommended dosage of ZINBRYTA is 150 mg,
self-administered subcutaneously on a monthly basis. ZINBRYTA is
currently under regulatory review in Switzerland, Canada and Australia.
In clinical trials, ZINBRYTA demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing
relapses and MRI lesions, compared to AVONEX® (interferon
beta-1a) intramuscular injection and placebo.
ZINBRYTA is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that selectively binds
to the high-affinity interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor subunit (CD25). CD25
is expressed at high levels on T-cells that become activated in people
with MS.
ZINBRYTA increases the risk of severe hepatic (liver) injury. It also
increases the risk of immune-mediated events including lymphadenopathy
(enlargement of the lymph nodes), cutaneous (skin) reactions and
non-infectious colitis, acute hypersensitivity (allergic reactions),
infections, depression and decreased lymphocyte (type of white blood
cell) counts.
The most common adverse reactions that occurred in ZINBRYTA-treated
patients were nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the nose and a part of
the throat), upper respiratory tract infection, rash, influenza,
dermatitis, oropharyngeal (part of the throat) pain, bronchitis, eczema,
lymphadenopathy, pharyngitis (inflammation of part of the throat) and
increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT; a type of liver enzyme).
ZINBRYTA is only available through a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation
Strategy (REMS) Program in the U.S., and is under a Risk Management Plan
(RMP) in the EU.
AbbVie and Biogen are co-promoting ZINBRYTA in the U.S. Biogen is
responsible for commercialization in Canada, the EU and the rest of the
world.
About FAMPYRA FAMPYRA® is a prolonged-release
(sustained release) tablet formulation of the drug fampridine
(4-aminopyridine, 4-AP or dalfampridine). FAMPYRA is indicated in the
European Union for the improvement of walking in adult patients with
multiple sclerosis (MS) with walking disability (EDSS 4-7). In clinical
trials, the highest incidence of adverse reactions identified with
FAMPYRA given at the recommended dose was urinary tract infection,
although infection was often not proven by culture. Other adverse drug
reactions identified were mainly divided between neurological disorders,
such as insomnia, balance disorder, dizziness, paraesthesia, headache
and gastrointestinal disorders including nausea, dyspepsia and
constipation. In post-marketing experience, there have been reports of
seizure. Confounding factors may have contributed to the occurrence of
seizure in some patients. This prolonged-release formulation was
developed and is being commercialized in the United States by Acorda
Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOR) under the trade name AMPYRA®
(dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg. Biogen licensed rights
from Acorda to develop and commercialize fampridine in all markets
outside the United States.
For more information about FAMPYRA, please visit www.biogen.com
About Opicinumab (anti-LINGO-1) Opicinumab (anti-LINGO-1) is
a fully human monoclonal antibody being investigated as a potential
neuroreparative therapy in people with relapsing forms of multiple
sclerosis (RMS). Opicinumab targets LINGO-1, a protein expressed
selectively in the central nervous system (CNS) that is known to play a
central role in regulating axonal myelination and regeneration.
Two global Phase 2 trials, RENEW and SYNERGY, were designed to assess
the biological activity and clinical potential of opicinumab in acute
optic neuritis (AON) and relapsing forms of MS, respectively. In RENEW,
opicinumab was evaluated in patients following a first episode of AON.
Opicinumab demonstrated an improvement in recovery of optic nerve
latency (time for a signal to travel from the retina to the visual
cortex) relative to placebo. RENEW was the first clinical study to
provide evidence of biological repair in the CNS by facilitating
remyelination following an acute inflammatory injury.
SYNERGY was a separate Phase 2 study aiming to measure the impact of
opicinumab in combination with an anti-inflammatory therapy on improving
and slowing disease progression among participants with relapsing forms
of MS (both relapsing-remitting MS and secondary-progressive MS). In the
study, opicinumab missed the primary endpoint, a multicomponent measure
evaluating improvement of physical function, cognitive function, and
disability. Further study of the inverted U-shaped response seen in
SYNERGY suggested a clinical effect of opicinumab.
Safe Harbor This press release includes forward-looking
statements, including statements about the potential benefits and
effects of our products and programs. These forward-looking statements
may be accompanied by such words as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,"
"expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "will," and other words
and terms of similar meaning. You should not place undue reliance on
these statements. Drug development and commercialization involve a high
degree of risk and only a small number of research and development
programs result in commercialization of a product. There is a risk that
positive results in a clinical trial may not be replicated in subsequent
or confirmatory trials or success in early stage clinical trials may not
be predictive of results in later stage or large scale clinical trials
or trials in other potential indications. Other factors which could
cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations
include the risk that unexpected concerns may arise from additional data
or analysis, regulatory authorities may require additional information
or further studies, or may fail to approve or may delay approval of our
drug candidates, or we may encounter other unexpected hurdles. For more
detailed information on the risks and uncertainties associated with our
drug development and commercialization activities, please review the
Risk Factors section of our most recent annual or quarterly report filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based
on our current beliefs and expectations and speak only as of the date of
this press release. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly
update any forward-looking statements.
1 Combined post-marketing and clinical trials exposure to
TECFIDERA as of 30 June 2016. 2 TECFIDERA is approved in
the European Union for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. 3
PLEGRIDY is approved in the European Union, Canada, Switzerland and
Australia for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160908005289/en/
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