Elan reports NICE approval for Tysabri

Elan has welcomed the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to recommend the use of Tysabri (natalizumab) in patients with highly-active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, with the compound becoming the first treatment for multiple sclerosis to be recommended by the institute.

The company reports that Tysabri is also the first drug to receive a license specifically for the treatment of highly-active relapsing-remitting multiple-sclerosis, with previous studies showing administration with the compound resulting in a 68 per cent relative reduction in clinical relapses.

Furthermore, patients receiving Tysabri exhibited a 54 per cent relative drop in the risk of sustained disability progression compared to those administered with placebo.

Professor Gavin Giovannoni, of The Royal London Hospital, said: “This decision offers people with highly active relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis hope of regaining control of their disease.”

He added that the compound marks major progress in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, with patients offered a genuine hope of reduced frequency of relapses of the condition and a stay in the progression of the disease.

Biogen Idec has also welcomed this approval from NICE.

In May 2007, Elan and Biogen Idec announced that two regulatory committees were poised to initiate a review of Tysabri as a treatment for Crohn’s disease.