Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:BIIB) has received European approval on an injectable pen that delivers its top-selling multiple sclerosis drug Avonex.
Avonex is used as a treatment for relapsing forms of MS. The drug slows the progression of physical disability and reduces relapses. Weston, Massachusetts-based Biogen Idec makes Avonex at a manufacturing facility in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. The company designed the pen to make administration of Avonex easier for the patient. Douglas Williams, Biogen Idec’s executive vice president, research and development, said in a statement that the pen will make Avonex therapy more convenient and ease anxiety some patients feel about injections.
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Biogen Idec already has an approved prefilled syringe. The pen’s features include a shorter needle, a protective shield and a safety lock to prevent injection error. Prior to approval, Biogen Idec took the pen through a multicenter clinical study that evaluated the pen’s safety and efficacy.
Biogen Idec is carving a niche in MS products. Avonex is the company’s biggest product and generated more than $2.5 billion in 2010 revenue. The company’s second biggest product is Tysabri, an intravenous MS drug that is also made in RTP. The company is developing a new MS drug that would be available as a pill. That drug candidate, BG-12, has shown positive results so far in clinical trials.