Doctors now have another treatment option – if needed – to discuss with women with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis who are trying for a family, or are pregnant
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands I April 3, 2017 I Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that it has received a positive outcome through the variation procedure to remove the pregnancy contraindication from the European label for (glatiramer acetate injection) COPAXONE® 40 mg/ml 3 times weekly. The product was originally authorized through a decentralized procedure in Europe. An equivalent change has already been approved for COPAXONE® 20 mg/ml in December 2016.
According to the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) around 700,000 people in Europe are affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS), with a 2:1 ratio between women and men. MS is more common among women of childbearing age compared with any other age group with the average age of diagnosis approximately 30 years, with ~43% of the women starting a family after diagnosis.
The removal of the pregnancy contraindication follows a Positive Variation Assessment Report issued by the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA; Reference Member State), and agreed by all Concerned Member States (CMS) in Europe, that were involved in the procedure. Granting of national approvals by all involved EU Member States will happen in the near future. COPAXONE® is indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS).
The variation approval was granted based on an analysis of prospective pregnancy cases with known outcome and confirmed exposure to COPAXONE® 40 mg/ ml 3 times weekly, from Teva’s Glatiramer Acetate (GA) Pharmacovigilance Database. This further strengthens the conclusion of the robust analysis of COPAXONE® 20 mg/ml pregnancy data, based on more than 2,000 pregnancy cases. To date, this is the largest analyzed dataset of pregnant women with MS who were exposed to disease modifying therapies (DMTs) during pregnancy.
The Label Now Reads: Studies in animals have not shown reproductive toxicity (see section 5.3). Current data on the use of Copaxone 20 mg/ml in pregnant women indicate no malformative or feto/neonatal toxicity. Data on the use of Copaxone 40 mg/ml are consistent with these findings. To date, no relevant epidemiological data are available. As a precautionary measure, it is preferable to avoid the use of Copaxone during pregnancy unless the benefit to the mother outweighs the risk to the foetus.
“At Teva, we are committed to helping women with RMS lead the complete lives they desire,” said Rob Koremans MD, President and CEO, Teva Global Specialty Medicines. “While it is still preferable not to use any MS treatments during pregnancy, it is now possible for women to consult with their doctor and consider taking COPAXONE® during pregnancy if appropriate and depending on their individual circumstances. For those women who can’t stop taking the medication, who were previously discouraged from having children, the removal is excellent news and further underlines the established safety, efficacy and tolerability profile of COPAXONE®.”
About Pregnancy and Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more prevalent among women of childbearing age compared with any other age group. MS treatments are generally discontinued when a woman is trying to conceive, or in the case of an unintended pregnancy, once the pregnancy is confirmed. However, for pregnant women with severe or highly active MS, the benefit of treatment may outweigh the unknown risk to the fetus, and this is a decision to be made by the treating physician.
About COPAXONE®
COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) is indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. The most common side effects of COPAXONE® are redness, pain, swelling, itching, or a lump at the site of injection, flushing, rash, shortness of breath, and chest pain. See additional important information at: www.CopaxonePrescribingInformation.com. For hardcopy releases, please see enclosed full prescribing information. The COPAXONE® brand is approved in more than 50 countries worldwide, including the United States, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Israel, and all European countries.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE:TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company that delivers high-quality, patient-centric healthcare solutions used by approximately 200 million patients in 100 markets every day. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world’s largest generic medicines producer, leveraging its portfolio of more than 1,800 molecules to produce a wide range of generic products in nearly every therapeutic area. In specialty medicines, Teva has the world-leading innovative treatment for multiple sclerosis as well as late-stage development programs for other disorders of the central nervous system, including movement disorders, migraine, pain and neurodegenerative conditions, as well as a broad portfolio of respiratory products. Teva is leveraging its generics and specialty capabilities in order to seek new ways of addressing unmet patient needs by combining drug development with devices, services and technologies. Teva’s net revenues in 2016 were $21.9 billion. For more information, visit www.tevapharm.com.
SOURCE: Teva Pharmaceutical Co
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Doctors now have another treatment option – if needed – to discuss with women with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis who are trying for a family, or are pregnant
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands I April 3, 2017 I Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that it has received a positive outcome through the variation procedure to remove the pregnancy contraindication from the European label for (glatiramer acetate injection) COPAXONE® 40 mg/ml 3 times weekly. The product was originally authorized through a decentralized procedure in Europe. An equivalent change has already been approved for COPAXONE® 20 mg/ml in December 2016.
According to the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) around 700,000 people in Europe are affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS), with a 2:1 ratio between women and men. MS is more common among women of childbearing age compared with any other age group with the average age of diagnosis approximately 30 years, with ~43% of the women starting a family after diagnosis.
The removal of the pregnancy contraindication follows a Positive Variation Assessment Report issued by the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA; Reference Member State), and agreed by all Concerned Member States (CMS) in Europe, that were involved in the procedure. Granting of national approvals by all involved EU Member States will happen in the near future. COPAXONE® is indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS).
The variation approval was granted based on an analysis of prospective pregnancy cases with known outcome and confirmed exposure to COPAXONE® 40 mg/ ml 3 times weekly, from Teva’s Glatiramer Acetate (GA) Pharmacovigilance Database. This further strengthens the conclusion of the robust analysis of COPAXONE® 20 mg/ml pregnancy data, based on more than 2,000 pregnancy cases. To date, this is the largest analyzed dataset of pregnant women with MS who were exposed to disease modifying therapies (DMTs) during pregnancy.
The Label Now Reads: Studies in animals have not shown reproductive toxicity (see section 5.3). Current data on the use of Copaxone 20 mg/ml in pregnant women indicate no malformative or feto/neonatal toxicity. Data on the use of Copaxone 40 mg/ml are consistent with these findings. To date, no relevant epidemiological data are available. As a precautionary measure, it is preferable to avoid the use of Copaxone during pregnancy unless the benefit to the mother outweighs the risk to the foetus.
“At Teva, we are committed to helping women with RMS lead the complete lives they desire,” said Rob Koremans MD, President and CEO, Teva Global Specialty Medicines. “While it is still preferable not to use any MS treatments during pregnancy, it is now possible for women to consult with their doctor and consider taking COPAXONE® during pregnancy if appropriate and depending on their individual circumstances. For those women who can’t stop taking the medication, who were previously discouraged from having children, the removal is excellent news and further underlines the established safety, efficacy and tolerability profile of COPAXONE®.”
About Pregnancy and Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more prevalent among women of childbearing age compared with any other age group. MS treatments are generally discontinued when a woman is trying to conceive, or in the case of an unintended pregnancy, once the pregnancy is confirmed. However, for pregnant women with severe or highly active MS, the benefit of treatment may outweigh the unknown risk to the fetus, and this is a decision to be made by the treating physician.
About COPAXONE®
COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) is indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. The most common side effects of COPAXONE® are redness, pain, swelling, itching, or a lump at the site of injection, flushing, rash, shortness of breath, and chest pain. See additional important information at: www.CopaxonePrescribingInformation.com. For hardcopy releases, please see enclosed full prescribing information. The COPAXONE® brand is approved in more than 50 countries worldwide, including the United States, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Israel, and all European countries.
About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE:TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company that delivers high-quality, patient-centric healthcare solutions used by approximately 200 million patients in 100 markets every day. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world’s largest generic medicines producer, leveraging its portfolio of more than 1,800 molecules to produce a wide range of generic products in nearly every therapeutic area. In specialty medicines, Teva has the world-leading innovative treatment for multiple sclerosis as well as late-stage development programs for other disorders of the central nervous system, including movement disorders, migraine, pain and neurodegenerative conditions, as well as a broad portfolio of respiratory products. Teva is leveraging its generics and specialty capabilities in order to seek new ways of addressing unmet patient needs by combining drug development with devices, services and technologies. Teva’s net revenues in 2016 were $21.9 billion. For more information, visit www.tevapharm.com.
SOURCE: Teva Pharmaceutical Co
Post Views: 102
