New (to MS) Drug Approved for Multiple Sclerosis: The Price of Recycling

Good news for multiple sclerosis patients this week as the 10th disease modifying medication for MS (and the 3rd oral drug) was approved by the FDA. It’s not a new drug as a form of the medication has been approved for treatment of some types of psoriasis for nearly two decades. For a while it wasn’t even a drug – it was used an anti-mold treatment for sofas and shoes before its use was discontinued due to skin irritations. This week, however, Tecfidera (the drug many of us have known as “BG-12” during the testing phases) was approved and its maker, Biogen, intends to release the drug “within days”. First blush has Tecfidera perhaps a little bit behind Gilenya (which cut relapse rates by 52%) with a reduction in relapse of either 44% or 53% (depending on which of the two Phase III studies you read). These numbers are a good bet higher than efficacy rates of the injectables (in the 30’s). What has excited many people with MS since information of these trials has begun to leak out is the safety of the med. No “black box” warnings have been suggested by the FDA (as there have been with other MS orals) and it has the aforementioned 19-plus years of use in Europe to show long-term tolerability. What may not surprise but will surely displease many of us is the expected pricing of Tecfidera. Biogen has not at the time of this writing released its wholesale price. Most analysts in the financial sector, however, are expecting a figure of $50,000-$60,000 per year. ...
Source: Life with MS - Category: Other Conditions Authors: Tags: MS treatment drug approval treatment cost Source Type: blogs