EC green light for Vumerity as oral therapy for relapsing MS

The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) to treat adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).

Developed and marketed by US biotech major Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB), Vumerity is a next-generation fumarate that offers the convenience of an oral medication with the established efficacy and well-characterized safety of Biogen’s Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate). Globally, an estimated 2.8 million people live with MS, with more than 1 million people in Europe living with the disease.

Vumerity generated sales pf $120 million sales in the third quarter of this year, up from $14 million in the like 2020 period. Sales of Tecfidera, which is now facing generic competition as a West Virginia federal court invalidated a key patent on the drug in June last year, were $499 million in the last quarter, down from $953 million.