Long-Term Data Demonstrated Significantly Better Patient Adherence to COPAXONE(R) versus Interferons in Multiple Sclerosis Treatment. A retrospective follow-up analysis of an ongoing prospective study of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients (n=285) taking immunomodulatory therapies (IMTs), found that after six years more than half of the patients (41/79) taking COPAXONE(R) (glatiramer acetate injection) had remained on treatment continuously, whereas less than thirty percent of patients (55/206) taking one of the interferon beta (IFN-(beta)) class of drugs remained in the study (pless than 0.0001). The study, which included patients receiving either COPAXONE(R), Avonex(R) (IFN-(beta)-1a IM), Betaseron(R) (IFN-(beta)-1b SC), or Rebif(R) (IFN-(beta)-1a SC), was presented last week at the 22nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), in Madrid, Spain.

The results of this follow-up analysis reinforced and extended the four-year results presented at the 15th Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in 2005, which demonstrated better adherence in COPAXONE(R) patients versus those taking interferon therapies.

"The significantly higher treatment adherence rate demonstrated by COPAXONE(R) patients in this study, coupled with a robust response to treatment, may be meaningful to clinicians when it comes to recommending an initial IMT to patients," said Dr. Judith Haas, Head of the Department of Neurology, Jewish Hospital, Berlin, Germany and lead investigator of this study. "Drop-out rates are an excellent surrogate marker of the long-term efficacy of IMTs, and an important consideration in treating RRMS."...