Biogen's MS Drug FAMPYRA Granted Standard Marketing Authorization in EU

The European Commission (EC) has granted a standard marketing authorization for FAMPYRA (prolonged-release fampridine tablets) for walking improvement in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced today. The approval is based on the results of the Phase 3 ENHANCE study, which confirm the clinically meaningful benefits and safety of FAMPYRA over the long term in people with both relapsing and progressive forms of MS. The ENHANCE study was conducted following the EC’s conditional marketing authorization for FAMPYRA in 2011. FAMPYRA can be used alone or with existing MS therapies, including immunomodulatory drugs.

“Approximately 80 percent of people with MS experience walking impairment, one of the most common issues with the disease. We frequently hear from people living with MS that these walking challenges affect their independence, restrict their ability to work and negatively impact their overall quality of life,” said Jeremy Hobart, Ph.D., consultant neurologist at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and professor of Clinical Neurology and Health Measurement at the Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. “Results from the ENHANCE study provided additional evidence that FAMPYRA is an effective treatment for MS and echo what I and other clinicians have observed in treating people with MS: FAMPYRA provides a clinically significant improvement in walking ability as well as on broader aspects of quality of life.”

ENHANCE Results Reaffirm Clinically Meaningful Benefits of FAMPYRA 

Biogen initiated ENHANCE, the third Phase 3 study for FAMPYRA, to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of the therapy in walking improvement in people with MS who have walking disabilities (as measured by Expanded Disability Status Scores [EDSS] of 4.0 – 7.0). ENHANCE, the largest and longest randomized trial of FAMPYRA, included patients with primary-progressive, secondary-progressive, progressive-relapsing and relapsing-remitting MS. Results, first reported in 2016, show that over 24 weeks:

• Significantly more FAMPYRA patients achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in walking ability compared to patients taking placebo (43.2% vs. 33.6%, respectively; p=0.006), as measured by the self-reported 12-Item MS Walking Scale (MSWS-12), the primary endpoint.
• Significantly more FAMPYRA patients experienced improved mobility compared to those taking placebo, as measured by a mean improvement in the clinician-reported timed up and go (TUG) speed from baseline (43.4% vs. 34.7%, respectively; p=0.03).
• FAMPYRA patients demonstrated greater improvements in the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29 (MSIS-29) physical score, a self-reported measure of the physical impact of MS, than those treated with placebo (-8.00 vs. -4.68, respectively; p<0.001).
• The positive effects of FAMPYRA on improving balance and upper limb dexterity compared to placebo were also observed; however, these results were not statistically significant.
• The benefit-risk profile of FAMPYRA remains positive.

“FAMPYRA is a valued medication among MS patients and physicians that addresses one of the most prevalent and disruptive symptoms of the disease. For the past several years, Biogen has been focused on ensuring that FAMPYRA is available to MS patients in Europe who experience walking disability,” said Ferenc Tracik, M.D., vice president, EU+ Medical Affairs. “The approval of the standard marketing authorization for FAMPYRA is validation of the substantial difference this therapy has made on the lives of people with MS, and speaks to our deep, long-standing commitment to the MS community.”

This article has been republished from materials provided by Biogen. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.