Weston, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) announced today that it has received conditional approval from the European Commission to market the long-acting version of fampridine (Fampyra) to adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have walking disability. The drug was developed and commercialized in the United States by Hawthorne, NY-based Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACOR]]). As part of the approval, the agency has asked Biogen to perform a study to assess the drug’s benefits beyond improving walking speed—a request that’s consistent with post-marketing research plans already in place, the company says.
Author: Arlene Weintraub
Arlene is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences and technology. She was previously a senior health writer based out of the New York City headquarters of BusinessWeek, where she wrote hundreds of articles that explored both the science and business of health. Her freelance pieces have been published in USA Today, US News & World Report, Technology Review, and other media outlets. Arlene has won awards from the New York Press Club, the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Foundation for Biomedical Research, and the American Society of Business Publication Editors. Her book about the anti-aging industry, Selling the Fountain of Youth, was published by Basic Books in September 2010.
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