Novartis' Gilenya MS patient share growth in Europe likely driven by improved product satisfaction and efficacy-related

Swiss drug major Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) Gilenya (fingolimod) has captured 5.4% of those multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with disease-modifying agents (DMAs) in the EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK), according to the findings of a new report from Decision Resources’ BioTrends Research unit. This represents an increase from 2.3% share one year ago, with significant growth seen among relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), primary relapsing MS (PRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) patient segments.

Consistent with this growth in patient share, neurologists rate their overall satisfaction with Gilenya and its performance on efficacy-related attributes, such as relapse rate reduction, long-term, sustained efficacy and clinical data support, significantly higher compared to 2011. However, it is important to highlight that neurologists rate Biogen Idec/Élan’s Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly higher on overall satisfaction and performance than all other commercially available DMAs, likely due to positive perceptions of Tysabri’s performance on efficacy-related attributes.

TreatmentTrends: Multiple Sclerosis (EU) 2012 report also finds that the greatest percent of neurologists continue to voice a first-line preference for Biogen Idec’s Avonex or a high dose/high frequency interferon (Merck Serono’s Rebif [beta interferon beta-1a] for RRMS and Bayer’s Betaferon [interferon beta-1b] for progressive MS). However, compared to 2011, significantly more neurologists report a preference for Gilenya as a second-line therapy, drawing from Avonex (interferon beta-1a) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ Copaxone (glatiramer acetate). Over the next six months neurologists anticipate continuing to treat the greatest percent of their MS patients with Avonex, although patient share for this DMA, along with the other platform DMAs, are expected to contract significantly as Gilenya and Tysabri patient shares grow.