New Sermo Event Report assesses physicians' perception of multiple sclerosis drugs

SermoJan 7 2010

Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the world's largest online physician's community, today announced a new Sermo Event(TM) Report assessing physician perception of FDA's "refuse to file" (RTF) letter on EMD Serono's Cladribine tablets and its potential impact, if any, on Novartis' oral MS agent in development; Fingolimod. Cladribine is expected to be one of the first oral agents to be approved for the treatment of relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis.

According to the findings, most Neurologists are anxious for an oral MS agent and believe Cladribine will ultimately be approved. Physicians also indicate that patients are eagerly awaiting an oral agent even if it comes with higher side effects. However, the majority of Neurologists express the need for more long-term safety data and are apprehensive to increase adoption after deaths from PML associated with Tysabri.

Highlights of key findings include:

• The opportunity for oral MS drugs remains significant. Patients are aware of both new agents and are asking about their progress.
• Success at promoting early adoption of both drugs will likely be driven by educating physicians around safety profiles.
• Neurologists are closely following the clinical trials and appear to distinguish between Fingolimod and Cladribine.

The report covers a variety of areas, including:

• Anticipated physician prescribing and usage patterns.
• Physician perception of the RTF letter on Cladribine and the impact, if any, on Fingolimod.
• Necessary safety-data required by physicians before adopting Cladribine.
• How physicians would use both drugs for relapsing and remitting MS.
• Percentage of relapsing-remitting MS patients that would choose an oral administration over injectable.

About Sermo Event Reports and Physician Respondents

Sermo Event Reports rapidly assess physician reaction to major events impacting the US pharmaceutical market. The new report titled "Cladribine/Fingolimod: Estimating the Impact of Oral MS Agents" polled 300 US Neurologists. All respondents are verified and credentialed, ensuring they have valid, active licenses to practice medicine in the United States. Reports are available for purchase at http://www.sermo.com/cladribine or by calling 877-778-3963.