All of the drugs approved to treat multiple sclerosis are given by injection, which is less comfortable and less convenient than taking a pill. Novartis is one of several drug makers working on pills to treat the disease, and the company said today that its experimental medicine, fingolimod, fared well in a late-stage study that included more than 1,000 patients. The company plans to apply for approval for the drug in the U.S. and Europe by the end of the year. Merck KGaA (a German company not connected to the U.S. Merck) has already applied for approval of its own oral M.S. drug in Europe, and said earlier this month that a U.S. application is imminent. That drug is called cladribine. That means that one or both drugs could be on the market some time next year — but given the FDA’s cautious stance on approving new drugs, it’s anybody’s guess when or if the drugs will make it to market.

Novartis said today that over the course of two years, patients who took fingolimod were 54% less likely than those who took placebo to have an M.S. flare-up of the disease. In an earlier study, patients who took fingolimod, also known by the catchy name FTY720, were less likely to have flare-ups than patients who took interferon, a drug commonly used to treat multiple sclerosis. It’s worth noting that today’s results come in the form of a press release from Novartis, not in the form of a peer-reviewed publication. It’s common for companies to announce results as soon as they have them, then follow with a full journal article or conference presentation. Biogen Idec also has an M.S. pill, BG-12 , in late-stage trials. Update : EMD Serono, a Merck KGaA subsidiary, said today that it filed for FDA approval of its oral M.S. drug.

Originally posted here:
Race for Multiple Sclerosis Pill Continues With Novartis Results