27.02.2007 13:00:00
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Post-Hoc Data Analyses Published in Annals of Neurology Found COPAXONE(R) Significantly Delayed Accumulated Disability in Male Patients with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS)
Data from the full cohort of the PROMiSE study showed that treatment
with COPAXONE®
(glatiramer acetate injection) did not reach a significant effect on the
primary endpoint of accumulated delay to disability versus placebo in
the entire population of patients with primary progressive multiple
sclerosis (PPMS) (39.6 percent versus 45.2 percent respectively, p =
0.1753). However, post-hoc analyses demonstrated that COPAXONE®
significantly delayed time to progression of accumulated disability in
male patients in the study (n=455) who received treatment versus those
who received placebo (p = 0.0193). Results of the randomized,
double-blind study of over 900 patients were published in a recent issue
of Annals of Neurology.
In the study, treatment differences in male patients emerged early and
were maintained over time; 61.6 percent of male patients receiving
COPAXONE® remained
progression-free as opposed to only 49.1 percent of those in the placebo
group. Data from the entire population also showed that COPAXONE®
reduced the burden and activity of lesions in the brain as measured by
T2-weighted and gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced magnetic resonance images (MRI).
"COPAXONE®
in this trial demonstrated a trend towards slowed disease progression
versus those patients left untreated, which was only statistically
significant in male patients in the post hoc analysis,”
said Dr. Jerry Wolinsky, Bartels Family and Opal C. Rankin Professor of
Neurology, interim Dean, The University of Texas Health Center at
Houston and the lead investigator of the trial.
PPMS is a degenerative form of multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic,
progressive, degenerative disorder that affects nerve fibers in the
brain and spinal cord. PPMS patients experience near continual
progression of disease over their lifetimes without any discernable
relapses or remission of neurologic disability. Compared with
relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, PPMS affects a
higher proportion of men than women, and data suggest that men with PPMS
may progress faster than women. Currently, there are no proven effective
treatments for PPMS.
"The results of the PROMiSe study may warrant
additional trials surrounding the effect of COPAXONE®
on PPMS, given the fact that there are no other treatments currently
available. The lack of a statistically significant treatment response in
women in the study does not mean that COPAXONE® doesn’t hold promise for further study
in this population,” said Wolinsky.
About the Study
The PROMiSe trial followed 943 patients who were randomized for
treatment with COPAXONE®
(n=627) or placebo (n=316) in a two-to-one ratio. A pre-planned interim
analysis of 935 patients, of whom 757 had completed at least two years
or had terminated the study early, projected that no significant
treatment effect could be reached for the primary endpoint, which was
time to progression of Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores
(defined as change of 1.0 EDSS point or greater for entry EDSS of 3.0 -
5.0, or 0.5 for entry EDSS of 5.5 - 6.5). As a result, the study was
terminated prematurely and study medication was discontinued.
Despite the termination of the PROMiSe study, patients were offered the
opportunity to continue to be followed. An intent-to-treat (ITT)
analysis at three years was conducted to determine whether different
outcomes occurred in subgroups of patients because of an unexpected
on-trial slow rate of disease progression among participants and
abbreviated exposure to COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) therapy, both of which made
detecting a treatment effect challenging. The post-hoc analysis
demonstrated a trend toward delaying disease progression which was
significant in the male subgroup of patients (n=455) who experienced a
slowing disease progression to sustained disability in favor of COPAXONE®. Post-hoc analyses are intended to re-examine an existing data set
to determine potential patterns or trends that may not have been
apparent based on the initial review of the data as set forth by the
study design. The Kaplan Meier survival curve indicated delayed disease
progression for males assigned to COPAXONE®
diverged from a placebo-assigned patient curve within a year of study
entry, and the gap widened over time.
"Currently there have been no clinical trials
in PPMS as large or comprehensive as the PROMiSe trial, nor are there
any comparable sized studies currently being undertaken,”
said Wolinsky. "Because of this trial, we
probably know more about the natural history of PPMS than we did before,
which is of immeasurable value to the field.”
Initial data from the PROMiSE trial were previously reported at the 2004
Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
About COPAXONE®
Current data suggests COPAXONE®
(glatiramer acetate injection) is a selective MHC class II modulator.
COPAXONE® is
indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in RRMS. The
most common side effects of COPAXONE®
are redness, pain, swelling, itching, a lump or an indentation at the
site of injection, weakness, infection, pain, nausea, joint pain,
anxiety, and muscle stiffness.
COPAXONE® is now
approved in 44 countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada,
Mexico, Australia, Israel, and all European countries. In Europe,
COPAXONE® is
marketed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and sanofi-aventis. In
North America, COPAXONE®
is marketed by Teva Neuroscience, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Teva
Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (NASDAQ:TEVA). COPAXONE®
is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., headquartered in Israel, is among
the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world and is the leading
generic pharmaceutical company. The company develops, manufactures and
markets generic and innovative human pharmaceuticals and active
pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as animal health pharmaceutical
products. Close to 90 percent of Teva’s sales
are in North America and Europe. Teva’s
innovative R&D focuses on developing novel drugs for diseases of the
central nervous system.
See additional important information at http://www.copaxone.com/pi/index.html or call 1-800-887-8100 for electronic releases. For hardcopy
releases, please see enclosed full prescribing information.
Safe Harbor Statement under the U. S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains
forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and
expectations of management. Such statements are based on management’s
current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known and
unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause Teva’s
future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from
the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or
contribute to such differences include risks relating to Teva`s ability
to successfully develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical
products, the introduction of competing generic equivalents, the
competition from brand-name companies that are under increased pressure
to counter generic products, or competitors that seek to delay the
introduction of generic product, Teva's ability to generate revenues and
profits closely tied to our success in obtaining U.S. market exclusivity
for generic products, the impact of consolidation of our
distributors and customers, regulatory changes that may prevent Teva
from utilizing exclusivity periods, potential liability for sales of
generic products prior to a final resolution of outstanding patent
litigation, including that relating to the generic versions of Allegra®,
Neurontin® and Wellbutrin XL®
, the effects of competition on our innovative products, especially
Copaxone® sales, the impact of pharmaceutical
industry regulation and pending legislation that could affect the
pharmaceutical industry, the difficulty of predicting U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, European Medicines Agency and other regulatory authority
approvals, the regulatory environment and changes in the health policies
and structures of various countries, Teva’s
ability to successfully identify, consummate and integrate acquisitions,
potential exposure to product liability claims which are not covered by
insurance, dependence on effectiveness of our patents and other
protections for innovative products, significant operations worldwide
that may be adversely affected by terrorism, political or economical
instability or major hostilities, the difficulty of complex
manufacturing of our products and supply delays, environmental risks,
fluctuations in currency, exchange and interest rates, operating results
and other factors that are discussed in Teva’s
Annual Report on Form 20-F and its other filings with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date on which they are made and the Company undertakes no
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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