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NEW YORK — Novartis AG said Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its drug Extavia, a form of interferon intended to treat multiple sclerosis.
The FDA approved Extavia for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, which is the most common form of the disease. Patients with that type of MS have new symptoms that occur suddenly, or old symptoms that suddenly get worse. Extavia was also approved in patients who experience a first episode of the disease and have symptoms consistent with MS.
Extavia is a form of interferon beta-1b, and Novartis said that drug has been standard treatment for MS since the early 1990s. The Swiss drugmaker said about 400,000 people have multiple sclerosis in the U.S., and around 80 percent of patients have the relapsing-remitting type.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that causes the immune system to attack protective tissue around nerve fibers. That causes problems with muscle control and strength, vision, balance, sensation and mental function.
