1. Scrip
  2. >>Business

Biogen, AbbVie Withdraw Struggling MS Drug Zinbryta Due To Safety Issues

 
• By Joseph Haas

Antibody was approved in the US with a liver safety warning while EU regulators recently limited the drug's use. Now, EMA has begun an urgent review of reports of inflammatory brain disorders related to Zinbryta.

Clouds-Lightning-Storm_1200x675

There were indications during Biogen Inc.'s most recent earnings call in January that it was getting ready to pull the plug on struggling multiple sclerosis drug Zinbryta (daclizumab), but with the European Medicines Agency revealing it's begun an "urgent review" of cases of inflammatory brain disease in patients who've taken the drug, the decision became more clear-cut.

Biogen and its US marketing partner AbbVie Inc. announced on March 2 that they were voluntarily withdrawing worldwide marketing authorizations for Zinbryta, an antibody that targets both interleukin-2 (IL-2) and cluster of differentiation 25 (CD25). On the market less than two years, Zinbryta struggled to find a niche in the MS market and generated just $72

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Business

Copycats Compound Novo’s Wegovy Growth Problems

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

The US FDA has ordered compounders of the Danish firm's obesity drug semaglutide to shut up shop later this month, but competition from Eli Lilly is only increasing.

Stock Watch: Market Optimism Outshines Q1 Currency And Tariff Woes

 
• By Andy Smith

The weak US dollar helped some companies reporting first-quarter results and hindered others reporting in stronger currencies. But even the impacts of currencies and Medicare modernization on first-quarter revenues were overlooked when an end to the trade wars seemed possible.

Quick Listen: Scrip’s Five Must-Know Things

 
• By Ian Haydock

In this week's episode: AstraZeneca CEO cautions Europe; Pfizer CEO optimistic on US tariffs, pricing; Merck & Co reassures on pipeline; Merck KGaA buys SpringWorks; and Akeso explains ivonescimab overall survival data.

Vertex Sinks On Below-Consensus Revenue, Limited Sales From New Launches

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Vertex is in need of diversification, but in addition to its lower-than-expected Q1 revenue, sales of the company’s newest CF drug Alyftrek and pain medicine Journavx disappointed.

More from Scrip

In Brief: Positive New Data For Aptose’s Triplet Therapy In 1L AML

 
• By Sushmita Panda

Aptose’s tuspetinib triplet shows early mutation-agnostic promise in new data from Phase I/II program for frontline acute myeloid leukemia.

Chinese Firms Build Obesity Clinical Pipeline But Face Wider Hurdles

 
• By Xu Hu

Despite the ability to initiate clinical trials quickly and having strong manufacturing capacity, Chinese companies are facing multiple challenges in the obesity space.

Quick Listen: Scrip’s Five Must-Know Things

 
• By Ian Haydock

In this week's episode: AstraZeneca CEO cautions Europe; Pfizer CEO optimistic on US tariffs, pricing; Merck & Co reassures on pipeline; Merck KGaA buys SpringWorks; and Akeso explains ivonescimab overall survival data.