Elan revenue up on sales of MS drug

Better-than-expected sales of multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri boosted first-quarter revenue at Irish drug company Elan by 17% to over $288m (€218m).

The year-on-year revenue rise was driven by a strong 14% increase in sales of the drug to $399m, which was ahead of market expectations.

Tysabri now has nearly 67,000 users, worldwide, and Elan’s management is confident of doubling that number over the course of the next five years.