Biogen Idec gets fast track status for MS drug

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Biogen Idec Inc., a Cambridge company known for its multiple sclerosis drugs, said that US Food and Drug Administration has granted it Fast Track designation for a potential treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis.

The company refers to its drug candidate as PEGylated interferon beta-1a, or BIIB017, and it noted in a press release that the "FDA's Fast Track program is designed to expedite the review of new drugs that are intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs."

Biogen Idec said it is currently enrolling patients in a global Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of either biweekly or once-monthly injections ofPEGylated interferon beta-1a.

A recent Bloomberg News story noted Biogen Idec's top-selling MS medication, Avonex, generated $2.2 billion last year. Biogen Idec also makes the MS drug Tysabri, which generated 2008 sales of $589 million for the company. The company markets Tysabri with Dublin-based Elan Corp. About 2.5 million people worldwide have MS, including 400,000 in the United States.