October 25, 2011, 2:54 pm
French drugmaker Sanofi said on Saturday that its experimental multiple sclerosis drug Lemtrada worked better than an older drug sold by competitor Merck KGaA at keeping patients free from relapses. New data from a late-stage trial showed that 78 percent of patients treated with Lemtrada remained relapse-free for two years, compared with 59 percent using Rebif, an older multiple sclerosis drug sold by Germany’s Merck.
Lemtrada is a key experimental product at Sanofi’s Genzyme unit. The fortunes of the drug are closely watched by holders of Genzyme Contingent Value Rights certificates issued to shareholders as part of the U.S. company’s takeover deal. CVRs represent an extra fee holders will receive if Lemtrada hits certain targets or when Genzyme meets other milestones.
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October 12, 2011, 4:57 pm
U.S. medical device reviewers said a Cook Medical stent coated with a common cancer-fighting drug was safe and effective for treating clogged arteries in the thighs. Zilver PTX, the first drug-coated stent to treat peripheral arteries, kept arteries free from plaque longer than bare-metal stents, the Food and Drug Administration reviewers said in documents released on Tuesday.
Privately held Cook Medical competes against Boston Scientific and Medtronic, which also make leg stents, in a stent market estimated at $5 billion worldwide. Stents are tiny mesh-like tubes used to prop open clogged arteries. Doctors slip such tubes into arteries after they have been opened with an inflated balloon. The Cook Medical stent is coated with paclitaxel, an anti-cancer drug, to help prevent re-clogging, a common problem with conventional bare-metal stents.
Continue reading ‘Cancer drug stent keeps leg arteries open’ »