Novartis says FTY720 reduces multiple sclerosis relapses by 50%

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Sept. 13 - Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. said clinical trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that FTY720 (fingolimod), a novel once-daily oral compound, demonstrated significant benefits in the treatment of various relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

The phase 2 data show that during the initial six months of treatment, oral FTY720 taken once-daily reduced the rate of inflammatory disease activity measured by magnetic resonance imaging by up to 80% compared to a placebo and also reduced the rate of clinical relapses by more than 50%, according to a company news release.

Based on the positive study results, the Hanover, N.J.-based pharmaceutical company said it has begun a phase 3 pivotal study program to further evaluate FTY720's benefits. The international program will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the drug in more than 2,000 patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis at more than 100 sites.

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