According to Israeli drug manufacturer Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Copaxone is becoming the leading MS treatment in the United States. Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) is used for the reduction of relapses in multiple sclerosis patients.
The drug helps people who suffer from relapses of MS - episodes of impaired vision and movement disorders - followed by remission. These symptoms are caused by attacks on the myelin sheath, the covering which surrounds nerve fibers. Studies have indicated that Copaxone reduces the number of these episodes by an average of 29 percent.
The drug, co-discovered by Israeli researcher Dr. Michael Sela, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, is thought to work by modifying the immune system in such a way as to decrease the body's attack on the myelin sheath. Without protection, the myelin sheath is damaged by MS, affecting nerve transmission in the brain.
Teva president and CEO Israel Makov told Israel21c that according to IMS data, Copaxone was the market leader in the U.S. in terms of new prescriptions for MS patients for the second half of 2004 and reached an all-time high market share of 32.6% in December. "We are especially pleased with our growth in the US, where we are quickly becoming the leading MS treatment," said Makov.
The drug helps people who suffer from relapses of MS - episodes of impaired vision and movement disorders - followed by remission. These symptoms are caused by attacks on the myelin sheath, the covering which surrounds nerve fibers. Studies have indicated that Copaxone reduces the number of these episodes by an average of 29 percent.
The drug, co-discovered by Israeli researcher Dr. Michael Sela, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, is thought to work by modifying the immune system in such a way as to decrease the body's attack on the myelin sheath. Without protection, the myelin sheath is damaged by MS, affecting nerve transmission in the brain.
Teva president and CEO Israel Makov told Israel21c that according to IMS data, Copaxone was the market leader in the U.S. in terms of new prescriptions for MS patients for the second half of 2004 and reached an all-time high market share of 32.6% in December. "We are especially pleased with our growth in the US, where we are quickly becoming the leading MS treatment," said Makov.