No new cases in Elan safety review
The Athlone-based drug company has been testing patients who took Tysabri, taken off the market in February when it emerged that two people who were taking the drug to treat multiple sclerosis died from the brain disease PML. A third patient contracted the disease but survived.
Elan and Biogen Idec, which is co-developing Tysabri, said yesterday that more than 1,000 patients with Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis participated in the safety evaluation. In total, 98% of the patients participating in the evaluation had a neurological exam by a consultant neurologist and an MRI scan. The review of patients who were using the drug for Crohn's disease and arthritis showed no signs of PML.
