Novartis, Merck KGaA spotlight new MS drugs

Novartis and Merck KGaA are leading a group of developers who are advancing a new generation of therapies for multiple sclerosis. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says it is tracking five new pills and two infusion therapies that could be approved by 2014.

Both Novartis and Merck will be in the spotlight later this week at the annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in Seattle with therapies that could be approved as early as next year. Novartis' FTY720 is designed to interrupt the movement of immune cells earlier than Tysabri while Germany's Merck believes that the cancer drug cladribine would work against MS as it depresses a person's immune system.

"In terms of stopping disease activity, there are more therapies coming onstream than ever before and many of these also appear to be more potent," John Richert, research director for the Society, tells Bloomberg. "While the whole idea of repairing the nervous system really seemed like science fiction five to six years ago, advances in the last year suggest this may well be within our grasp."

- reade the article from Bloomberg

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