Novartis receives EU approval for multiple sclerosis treatment

Novartis’ treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) – Extavia – has been granted approval for use in member states of the European Union by the European Commission, the company has announced.

The drug is the first in a new portfolio of therapies Novartis plans to develop to tackle the progressive disease, which currently affects around 2.5 million people worldwide.

Extavia is Novartis’ branded version of interferon beta-1b, a first-line disease-modifying therapy with more than 700,000 patient-years’ experience. The treatment, formerly known as NVF233, was the first beta interferon treatment to be used for MS.

The EU approval means Extavia can now be used to treat patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the disease involving relapses followed by complete or partial restoration of function.

It can also be used to treat patients with secondary progressive MS with relapses, those who experience single episodes involving loss of myelin, those with a severe and active inflammatory process, and those at risk from developing clinically definite MS.

Norvartis head of global development functions, Trevor Mundel MD, said: “The approval of Extavia means we are able to offer the MS community a current standard of care while preparing for the introduction of innovative therapies such as FTY720.”

According to the MS Society, around 85,000 people in the UK have MS.