Novartis’s Mundel Says New Pill Gilenya Has Yet to Show ‘Full Potential'
By Eva von Schaper - Apr 27, 2011 5:50 AM ET
Novartis AG (NOVN)’s multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, which faces a threat from a rival product under development by Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB), has yet to show its full potential, the Swiss drugmaker’s head of development said.
Gilenya, approved by U.S. regulators last year as the first pill against relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, may also work in patients with a more severe form of the disease called primary progressive, Novartis’s Trevor Mundel said yesterday in a telephone interview. “We haven’t seen the full potential with Gilenya,” according to Mundel.
Biogen last week reported advanced clinical test results on its own experimental pill, called BG-12, that suggested it may become patients’ best treatment option and prompted some analysts to slash their sales forecasts for Gilenya.
By Eva von Schaper - Apr 27, 2011 5:50 AM ET
Novartis AG (NOVN)’s multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, which faces a threat from a rival product under development by Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB), has yet to show its full potential, the Swiss drugmaker’s head of development said.
Gilenya, approved by U.S. regulators last year as the first pill against relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, may also work in patients with a more severe form of the disease called primary progressive, Novartis’s Trevor Mundel said yesterday in a telephone interview. “We haven’t seen the full potential with Gilenya,” according to Mundel.
Biogen last week reported advanced clinical test results on its own experimental pill, called BG-12, that suggested it may become patients’ best treatment option and prompted some analysts to slash their sales forecasts for Gilenya.