Biogen Idec seeks OK for no-needle MS treatment – The Boston Globe

JON CHASE FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Susan Cohn-Child said the pill would be a game changer, especially for patients who have difficulty injecting themselves.

For 15 years, Susan Cohn-Child has injected herself with a multiple sclerosis drug at least once a week to keep the disease in check. But Cohn-Child and thousands of other MS patients may soon be able to replace their needles with a pill being developed by Biogen Idec Inc.

Following promising clinical trial results that sent Biogen Idec shares soaring last spring, the Weston biotechnology company yesterday filed a new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration seeking approval to sell the oral treatment, now known as BG-12. Most existing treatments for the autoimmune disorder, which affects about 400,000 people in the United States, require regular injections or intravenous infusions. One other oral treatment exists, but there is hope that the new Biogen Idec drug will prove a more effective option.

Cohn-Child, 47, a financial manager who volunteers with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to raise awareness about the disease, said the pill would be a game changer, especially for patients who have difficulty injecting themselves. The Acton mother currently uses Avonex, also made by Biogen Idec.

This means youre opening up the possibility for a whole other group of people to receive treatment who wouldnt have considered it before, Cohn-Child said.

Biogen Idec, a leader in MS medicines and the largest biotech based in Massachusetts, lost a race with Swiss company Novartis AG to market the first MS pill, but that has not lowered expectations for the new treatment.

This has the potential to be a very important and a very big drug, said Douglas E. Williams, executive vice president for research and development at Biogen Idec.

While there is no head-to-head data comparing Biogen Idecs pill with the Novartis drug, called Gilenya, Biogen Idecs version proved extremely safe and effective in testing and, if approved, is projected to generate strong sales as patients abandon current MS drugs, including Biogen Idecs.

This is just one more drug we can make available to patients so that when they have conversations with their doctors, we have a variety of offerings, Williams said.

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Biogen Idec seeks OK for no-needle MS treatment - The Boston Globe