FDA Approves Elan's Zanaflex For Spasticity

9 December 1996

Elan subsidiary Athena Neurosciences has been granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for its alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonist Zanaflex (tizanidine hydrochloride). It is the first new oral treatment for spasticity to reach the US market in more than 20 years.

The approval is a major development for Elan, which is moving away from its traditional focus of drug formulation and delivery towards a marketing and drug discovery business. Elan and Athena completed their merger on July 1, and since then Elan has also exercised its option to acquire Advanced Therapeutic Systems (Marketletter September 16). Importantly, Zanaflex represents the first New Chemical Entity which Elan will self-market in the USA, although subsidiary Athena has marketing experience with some specialist drugs such as Permax (pergolide).

The product is indicated for "the management of increased muscle tone associated with spasticity," which can occur as a result a number of central nervous system disorders, notably multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free.  A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Login to your account

Become a subscriber

 

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now
  • Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
  • Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
  • Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
  • Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
  • Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK



Companies featured in this story

More ones to watch >


Today's issue

Company Spotlight