Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) said Friday that data from a 16-year follow-up study of 174 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients demonstrates significant clinical benefits on both disability and relapse rates in patients continuously treated with Copaxone for an average of 8 years. Teva Pharmaceutical, headquartered in Israel, markets Copaxone In Europe, and Teva Neuroscience Inc. markets the product in North America. The company said that data shows the majority of patients in the ongoing cohort, who continuously received Copaxone showed either unchanged or improved disability scores. In contrast, more than half of patients who discontinued treatment after an average of 3.7 years showed accumulated disability. In addition to improved disability scores, Teva said that patients who continuously received Copaxone and were adherent to therapy experienced significantly reduced annualized relapse rates compared to baseline (less than one relapse every 4.7 years), with more than half of patients remaining relapse-free while on treatment.
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