Mixed bag regarding MS

Datamonitor: Good and bad news from EU regulators for major MS players

Despite Biogen’s resolve to maintain its leading position in the MS market, rejection of Fampyra (dalfampridine) today and Novartis’s Gilenya (fingolimod) recommendation for European marketing authorization will deal another blow to its franchise, says independent analyst Datamonitor.

Dr. Trung Huynh, healthcare analyst at Datamonitor, comments: “Gilenya’s recommendation comes as welcome news for European MS sufferers. However, the committee’s negative opinion of Fampyra is a surprise given that it was approved by the FDA.”

“Gilenya, which is widely regarded as a more convenient and effective alternative, will provide heavy competition for Biogen in the market and will lead to a decline in sales for the company. In the sort term though, Biogen will still see sales figures grow as a result of recent price rises on its leading therapies Avonex and Tysabri.”

“Novartis is now set to become the leading player in the multibillion-dollar market and can expect to generate annual revenues of around $2.5 billion by the end of the decade. However, Biogen’s strong pipeline suggest the company will not go down with a fight,” concludes Huynh.