Bayer announces three-year alemtuzumab data at ECTRIMS

Bayer Schering Pharma has announced three-year data from its phase II clinical study comparing Rebif (interferon beta-1a) with alemtuzumab as a treatment for multiple sclerosis at the congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Prague.

The 334-patient trial showed that administration of two once-yearly treatment cycles of alemtuzumab provides a significant treatment affect lasting for at least three years, with a 73 per cent reduction in the risk of relapse compared to patients receiving Rebif.

Furthermore, patients taking alemtuzumab saw a 70 per cent reduction in the risk of progression of disability compared to those administered with Rebif.

Kemal Malik, Bayer Schering Pharma board member responsible for global development, said: “We are very pleased that these three-year results of the phase II trial confirmed all trends of the one-year and two-year analyses, especially the positive impact on disability.”

He added that these results indicate that two once-yearly treatment courses with the compound provide a long-lasting therapy for multiple sclerosis, with the firm anticipating the results of phase III studies of the drug.

Last month, Bayer Schering Pharma announced the initiation of the first phase III clinical trial for alemtuzumab as a treatment for multiple sclerosis together with Genzyme Corporation.