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| |  Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) Effective In Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Regardless Of Disease Severity KANSAS CITY, MO -- August 21, 2003 -- The first published meta-analysis on Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate injection) confirms the effectiveness of the drug on reducing disability accumulation and the relapse rate in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In addition, researchers validated that this effect remained regardless of whether the patients had mild, moderate, or severe RRMS when they entered the studies. "We wanted to see if the severity of a person's MS had any effect on how well Copaxone worked," said Filippo Martinelli Boneschi, M.D., Department of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University H. San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. "What we found was that Copaxone was effective on patients who entered clinical trials with higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores, as well as those who began with lower scores. In fact, Copaxone tended to have greater efficacy in patients with more severe disability and fewer relapses in the two years preceding clinical trial entry." The study was published in the August issue of Multiple Sclerosis. It evaluated data from three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (Bornstein et al., Johnson et al., and Comi et al.) that had shown Copaxone was effective in reducing relapses. A meta-analysis is an important study in determining whether the pooled data from several studies can still support the findings of single studies. There were 540 patients total in all three clinical trials included in the study. Researchers looked at two main clinical outcomes -- reduction of the relapse rate and slowing of accumulated disability. Approximately a one-third reduction of the total number of on-trial relapses was observed in patients receiving Copaxone who had a median time to the first relapse of 322 days vs. a median time to the first relapse of 219 days seen in those receiving placebo. This reflects a treatment effect of 32 percent (p = 0.01). "Individually, studies for the immunomodulating drugs showed a relapse rate reduction of about a third. This study confirms that finding in Copaxone," said Dr. Martinelli Boneschi. Copaxone is indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in relapsing-remitting MS. The most common side effects of Copaxone are redness, pain, swelling, itching, or a lump at the site of injection, weakness, infection, pain, nausea, joint pain, anxiety, and muscle stiffness. Copaxone is now approved in 42 countries worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Israel, and all the European countries. In Europe, Copaxone is marketed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and Aventis Pharma. In North America, Copaxone is marketed by Teva Neuroscience. Copaxone® is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
SOURCE: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
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