Stock-World Media AG
04.09.2003 12:00
PRNewswire
Encouraging News About Treatment for Advanced Parkinson's Disease
Research Shows Rasagiline Reduces 'Off' Time
HELSINKI, Finland, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Rasagiline added to levodopa therapy reduced the total time when Parkinson's
symptoms are not adequately controlled ("off" time) by 1.2 hours daily or 21 percent, a significant portion of the day,
according to an abstract presented at the 7th Conference of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) in
Helsinki.
"The data presented on rasagiline is good news for patients and neurologists. This treatment may offer the advantage of
a well tolerated, once-daily therapy that reduces 'off' time and increases motor function," said Dr. Warren Olanow,
professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
The 18-week LARGO trial conducted in Europe, Israel, and Argentina included 687 patients and compared the effects of
once-daily rasagiline to placebo and Comtan(R) (entacapone). As part of the trial, dosing of levodopa was optimized for
each patient before initiation of treatment.
"Until now, many physicians would have been surprised that an MAO-B inhibitor would be potent enough to reduce 'off'
time comparably to entacapone, but this study indicates that rasagiline may offer a new treatment alternative for
adjunct therapy in this population," said Dr. Olivier Rascol, lead author of the study. "I have great hope that
rasagiline may help ease the burden of Parkinson's disease for a broad spectrum of patients."
Rasagiline significantly improved motor function and activities of daily living based on the Unified Parkinson's
Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in both the "on" and "off" states. The UPDRS measures a patient's ability to perform
simple motor tasks and activities of daily life. Comtan(R) taken with each dose of levodopa, improved the UPDRS scores
similarly to rasagiline in the "on" state, but did not impact the UPDRS scores in the "off" state.
Patients who used rasagiline and those taking entacapone also experienced significant reductions in levodopa dose, even
though the protocol restricted dosing adjustment to the first six weeks only. Patients who used rasagiline experienced
side effects similar to those of patients using placebo. Adverse events more common with rasagiline than with placebo
(at least 2% difference) included postural hypotension only.
The development of rasagiline -- a novel, potent, selective, second-generation irreversible monoamine oxidase type B
(MAO-B) inhibitor -- is part of a long-term strategic alliance for global co-development and European marketing between
Teva and H. Lundbeck A/S. Rasagiline was developed in cooperation between Teva and the Technion Research and
Development Foundation.
A new drug application is expected to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on these and other
trial results later this quarter.
Teva also anticipates submitting an application to market rasagiline as a treatment for PD in the European Union later
this year.
Teva Neuroscience, Inc. and Eisai Inc. will co-promote rasagiline in the United States once approved by the FDA as part
of a long-term strategic alliance between Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Eisai Co., Ltd.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. [Kurs/Chart] , headquartered in Israel, is among the top 30 pharmaceutical
companies in the world. Close to 90 percent of Teva's sales are in North America and Europe. The company develops,
manufactures, and markets generic and branded human pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Teva's
innovative R&D focuses on developing novel drugs for diseases of the central nervous system.
Teva Neuroscience, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Eisai Inc. is a U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., a research-based human health care (hhc) company
that discovers, develops, and markets products in more than 30 countries. Established in 1995, Eisai Inc. began
marketing its first product in the United States in 1997 and has rapidly grown to become an integrated pharmaceutical
business with sales of nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2002 (year ending March 31, 2003). Eisai focuses its efforts
in four therapeutic areas: neurology, gastrointestinal disorders, oncology, and acute care.
This release contains forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of management.
Such statements are based on current expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties
that could cause Teva's future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause
or contribute to such differences include Teva's ability to successfully develop and commercialize additional
pharmaceutical products, the introduction of competitive generic products, the impact of competition from brand-name
companies that sell their own generic products or successfully extend the exclusivity period of their branded products,
Teva's ability to rapidly integrate the operations of acquired businesses, the availability of product liability
coverage in the current insurance market, the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and pending legislation that
could affect the pharmaceutical industry, the difficulty of predicting U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") and
other regulatory authority approvals, the regulatory environment and changes in the health policies and structure of
various countries, acceptance and demand for new pharmaceutical products and new therapies, uncertainties regarding
market acceptance of innovative products newly launched, currently being sold or in development, the impact of
restructuring of clients, reliance on strategic alliances, exposure to product liability claims, dependence on patent
and other protections for innovative products, fluctuations in currency, exchange and interest rates, operating results
and other factors that are discussed in Teva's Annual Report on Form 20-F and its other filings with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are
made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a
result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Quelle: Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
SOURCE: PR Newswire / Stock-World Media AG
http://www.stockworld.de/msg/570689.html
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