Teva (Nasdaq: TEVA) said today that its multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Copaxone was beneficial to patients taking the drug for over six years.
Teva’s announcement followed publication of a study on Copaxone in this month’s Journal of the Neurological Science. The study evaluated the short-term and long-term effects of Copaxone on the immune systems of people with relapsing-remitting MS to see if the disease-modifying immune activity noted in the first months of treatment continued in patients treated with the drug for up to nine years.
Dr Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine said the study showed that both patients treated for only a few months as well as those treated for six to nine years showed an increase in Copaxone-reactive Th2 cells. "The sustained response to Copaxone remains based in inducing Th2 cells, the T-cells that can reduce the inflammation linked to relapses in MS,” Dr. Dhib-Jalbut stated.
"The exact mode of action of Copaxone is not completely understood but this study and others that preceded it provide insight into how Copaxone affects the MS disease course," Teva said.
In relapsing-remitting MS, the body's immune system attacks the myelin proteins surrounding the nerves. Both the destruction of the myelin and the resulting inflammation cause the damage that occurs in people with MS. The goal of therapy is to stop or slow down the frequency of attacks, and the areas of damage occurring in the brain.
According to Teva, once Copaxone is injected in the body, it modifies the T-cells and allows them to enter the brain where the MS attack is occurring. The Copaxone-modified cells can then "tell" the cells attacking the myelin to stop, or regulate the inflammatory activity.
This study compared 10 relapsing-remitting patients treated for up to nine years as part of a Copaxone trial in the 1990’s, to 10 patients tested before treatment and after one to 10 months of treatment with Copaxone.
Teva believes studying a larger group of patients would help it understand the mechanism of action of Copaxone.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on 25 September, 2002