FDA approves additional use of Teva's Copaxone

JERUSALEM The Food and Drug Administration has approved an additional use of a Teva Pharmaceutical Industries drug for treating multiple sclerosis.

The injected drug Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) can now be used to treat patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have magnetic resonance imaging features consistent with MS, Teva said. Twenty-four European Union countries mutually recognized the expanded indication last month.

“This milestone, along with the existing long-term safety and efficacy data, further position Copaxone as a cornerstone in MS treatment,” Teva VP global branded products Moshe Manor said in a statement.