ZURICH: 's investigational the of in patients with a tough-to-treat form of the versus a , the Swiss company said on Saturday, citing a new of a late-stage trial.
is testing BAF312 against secondary (SPMS), which includes patients whose relapsing-remitting MS moves to a new phase characterized by a worsening of neurological function.
The Basel-based drugmaker joins crosstown rival in targeting MS with new drugs. 's investigational Ocrevus has shown efficacy against relapsing-remitting MS as well as primary MS, for which there is now no approved treatment.
Some analysts contend 's BAF312 is an under- appreciated part of its pipeline that promises to help the company shake off recent challenges including the sluggish launch of its Entresto and a sales slump at its Alcon eye care and surgical instruments division.
"We think BAF312 now has a 60 percent chance of US$3 billion peak sales. An effective in SPMS would have a huge impact," wrote David Evans, of Kepler Cheuvreux, in a note to investors this month after flagged the positive study in late August.
On Saturday, the company presented more-detailed findings at the Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in in .
There, it told neurologists and other attendees that BAF312 demonstrated "a consistent reduction in the of confirmed across predefined subgroups, including patients without relapses."
According to 's , BAF312 reduced the of three-month confirmed by 21 percent compared with , with reduction even greater after six months.
BAF312 also helped reduce the annualized relapse rate and compared favorably with the in measures including the percent change in brain volume as well as volume of brain lesions, said.
The difference in change from baseline in the timed 25-foot walk test, a measure for MS patients to assess , was not significant, said.
"These data are a positive stride forward in an unserved area, and we look forward to evaluating next steps with health authorities,” said Vasant Narasimhan.
In its , lists BAF312's planned regulatory filing date as 2019.
The trial, called Expand, included 1,651 people in 31 countries, with an average participant age of 48.
The said the , while still at an early stage, was welcome news for MS sufferers and their families searching for new options.
“This is hugely encouraging news for people with MS," said Dr. Emma Gray, the 's interim assistant research director, in a statement. "There are 100,000 people with MS in the UK, the majority of whom will develop secondary MS... for which there are no effective treatments to stop it worsening."
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