Teva's laquinimod enters Ph III study

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries says that patients are being enrolled for the BRAVO Phase III trial designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the oral multiple sclerosis drug laquinimod versus placebo, and to provide risk-benefit data for laquinimod vs US biotechnology firm Biogen Idec's injectable MS drug Avonex (interferon beta-1a).

The global, 24-month, double-blind study, which was initiated in April this year, is aiming to enroll approximately 1,200 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. A second global trial of laquinimod including 1,000 patients, ALLEGRO, is also ongoing and recruiting patients globally, the firm noted.

"All currently-approved multiple sclerosis treatments are administered via injection or infusion. The ability to provide a safe and effective oral treatment option would be a significant advancement for the treatment of MS," said Timothy Vollmer, principal investigator of the BRAVO study. "Additionally, the mode of action for laquinimod is unlike any other MS compound, existing or experimental. We are hopeful that this research will expand our abilities to combat the disease through novel targeting," he added.