Teva, Active Biotech plan third MS drug trial

JERUSALEM — Drug makers Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Active Biotech will start a third late-stage clinical trial of an experimental drug for treating multiple sclerosis, the companies said Wednesday.



Israel-based Teva and Sweden-based Active Biotech said they would start a phase-3 trial of laquinimod for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, also known as RRMS, following an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration.



"The results achieved in the previous phase-3 trials of laquinimod support the clinical utility of this compound as a unique treatment option for multiple sclerosis," Teva president of global research and development and chief scientific officer Michael Hayden said. "We are encouraged by the FDA's agreement on the trial design and planned analysis and look forward to further developing laquinimod as a potential treatment option for RRMS patients."



The trial, dubbed "CONCERTO," will evaluate the once-daily oral drug in the 0.6-mg and 1.2-mg doses, enrolling about 1,800 patients for up to 24 months.

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