Biogen Idec today announced a global Phase 3b study, ASCEND, that is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Tysabri as a treatment for secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).

Merck KGaA said the European Commission or EC has approved extension of the indication of Rebif, a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis or MS. This EC approval, based on REFLEX study results, is for the use of Rebif 44 micrograms three times weekly in patients who have experienced a single demyelinating event, an early sign of the disease, and who are at high risk of converting to MS....

A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves, according to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists.

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a product label change for Tysabri that will help enable individual benefit risk assessment for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The new label identifies anti-JCV antibody status as a risk factor for developing an infrequent but serious brain infection known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).