Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Survey Shows Vast Majority of Neurologists Expect To Prescribe Emerging Drug BG-12 Against Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

As MarketWatch [1] and Decision Resources [2] have it:  "…Seventy-Four Percent of Surveyed U.S. Neurologists Indicate They Will Prescribe Biogen Idec's BG-12 for the Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.." We wrote about BG-12 in a recent post [3]. Clearly, the drug had "…high efficacy and reasonable safety profile.."

How does BG-12 work? According to MedicalNewsToday (MNT) [4], "…BG-12 is the first compound that has been shown to activate a transcription pathway, which previous studies have shown defends against oxidative-stress induced neuronal death, protects the blood-brain barrier, and supports maintenance of myelin integrity in the central nervous system.."

_In other words BG-12 compound enhances the body's normal cellular protection pathways._

74% is an enormous majority. Granted, this is just a survey by Decision Resources. But, according to MarketWatch, a DowJones company, Decision Resources carries some weight.

What would happen then to the other new MS medications?

* Sanofi's Aubagio,
* Teva/Active Biotech's oral laquinimod,
* Genzyme/Sanofi/Bayer HealthCare's intravenous anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody Lemtrada.

According to MarketWatch, the news about Gilenya is not that good: "….about one-third of Gilenya prescribers and one-quarter of payers believe Gilenya's annual cost is commensurate with its clinical value…"

_U.S. Physician & Payer Forum report shows U.S. neurologists prescribing those drugs substantially less frequently than BG-12_

Interestingly, Ocrelizumab, which is also a promising drug [3], is not mentioned in the MarketWatch article.

So, the race for the second generation MS drugs is not over until the prescriptions are actually filled

_This competition is actually very good news for the new MS patient._

_**Talk to your Doctor**_

_**Sources:**_

[1][ Marketwatch][1] ; "Seventy-Four Percent of Surveyed U.S. Neurologists Indicate They Will Prescribe Biogen Idec's BG-12 for the Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis"; Nov. 28, 2011

[2][ Decision Resources ][2]; "Multiple Sclerosis (Event Driven)

[3][ MediNewsDigest][3] ; "…New Drug Classes For Multiple Sclerosis Are Coming: Just In or Clinical Trials.." ; November 3, 2011

[4][ MedicalNewsToday][4] ; "BG-12, Biogen Idec's Novel Oral Compound Shown To Significantly Reduced Brain Lesions In Patients With Multiple Sclerosis"; 26 Oct 2008

[5] [Answers.com][5]

Technorati Tags: [BG-12][6], [Gilenya][7], [Lemtrada][8], [multiple sclerosis][9], [New MS Drugs][10], [Sanofi's Aubagio][11], [Teva/Active Biotech's oral laquinimod][12]

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[1]: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/seventy-four-percent-of-surveyed-us-neurologists-indicate-they-will-prescribe-biogen-idecs-bg-12-for-the-treatment-of-relapsing-remitting-multiple-sclerosis-2011-11-28?reflink=MW_news_stmp
[2]: http://decisionresources.com/Products-and-Services/Report?r=pcorcg0511
[3]: http://www.medinewsdigest.com/?p=3107
[4]: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/126804.php
[5]: http://www.answers.com/topic/transcription-factor
[6]: http://technorati.com/tag/BG-12
[7]: http://technorati.com/tag/Gilenya
[8]: http://technorati.com/tag/Lemtrada
[9]: http://technorati.com/tag/multiple+sclerosis
[10]: http://technorati.com/tag/New+MS+Drugs
[11]: http://technorati.com/tag/Sanofi%27s+Aubagio
[12]: http://technorati.com/tag/Teva%2FActive+Biotech%27s+oral+laquinimod
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