Bayer Schering Pharma reports long-term efficacy of Betaferon

Bayer Schering Pharma has published new data from a 16-year follow-up study, which demonstrates the long-term efficacy of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Betaferon.

According to preliminary results published in the medical journal Neurology, patients trialled using Betaferon in a pivotal clinical trial showed improved rates of survival during the follow-up period compared to those on placebo.

It was also found that no new or unexpected adverse events occured as a result of Betaferon treatment in the long term, while previously observed side effects decreased over time.

Leslie Donato, vice-president of neurology at Bayer, stated that these findings support the drug’s benefit-to-risk profile, adding: “MS is a chronic condition that requires treatment with a medication that combines efficacy with a safety profile that is manageable and predictable even over the long-term.”

Further information on the drug will now be collected in a subsequent 20-year follow-up.

Last month, Bayer Schering Pharma commenced a new clinical trial involving nearly 700 patients to evaluate the efficacy of metastatic colorectal cancer drug regorafenib.