Novartis's oral MS drug fingolimod shows first Phase III efficacy
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Novartishas released positive data from the first Phase III trial of its novel oral multiple sclerosis therapy fingolimod (FTY720), showing that it led to a lower relapse rate than Biogen Idec's injectable drug Avonex (interferon beta-1a) a standard of care in the disease. However, the safety concerns which have troubled the drug in earlier trials, including skin cancer, remained a worry in the trial.