Researchers with Bayer AG state that findings from a study with multiple sclerosis (MS) patients has shown that giving their drug Betaferon (Betaseron in the U.S.) on the first signs of the disease is more effective by between 37 and 45 percent than if given later. Further details.

In a five year study involving 468 patients, Bayer´s multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Betaferon/Betaseron was shown to be more effective when given on the first sign of the disease than if treatment is delayed, researchers said in a presentation at the World Congress on

Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, being held in Montreal, Canada.
Compared to initial placebo treatment, early use of Betaferon/Betaseron delayed the onset of definite MS by 37 percent or 45 percent over a five-year period, depending which of two commonly used definitions of MS was used, the five-year study showed.

In the trial, one group was given the drug on the first symptoms pointing to MS, while the other group received a placebo at first and was switched to Betaferon as soon as a second attack occurred or after two years at the latest.

The study suggested that no time should be wasted after the first MS attack because some of the early nerve damage resisted repair by later therapy, stated Mark Freedman, professor of neurology and lead investigator of the study.

Further analysis showed that patients treated earlier had less severe disabilities and impairment of cognitive functions as the disease progressed than those in the control group.

Bayer bought Betaferon/Betaseron as part of its acquisition of German competitor Schering AG in 2006, in a $ 22 billion-dollar deal. The Betaferon/Betaseron injection earned Bayer and partner Schering Pharma $ 855 million dollars in the first half of 2008.

Last week, Germany´s Merck KGaA announced the launching of a new late-stage Phase III clinical trial of its experimental MS pill cladribine, also to explore the benefit of using the drug on the first signs of MS.

Merck is racing other drugmakers, including Novartis, to develop the world´s first MS drug that can be given by mouth, to take market share from the prevailing injections (such as Bayer´s Betaferon/Betaseron).

Cladribine tablets have already been granted a fast track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Merck has its own MS injection treatment, Rebif, with sales of over $ 1 billion dollars in the first six months of the year. The other strong competitors are Teva´s Copaxone, with earnings of $ 1.1 billion dollars in the first half of 2008, and Biogen´s Avonex, $ 1.06 billion dollars for the same period.

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