SAFETY ASPECTS WITHOUT LOSS OF EFFECTIVENESS IN THE SWITCH OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FROM THE ORIGINAL DRUG GLATIRAMER ACETATE COPAXONE-TEVA ON THE BIOSIMILAR TIMEXON

Abstract

The article presents the results of safety fi ndings during international multicenter randomized double-blind, active and placebo-controlled, comparative phase 3 trial. 158 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis were randomly assigned into 3 groups: Timexon (glatiramer acetate, manufactured by JSC «BIOCAD», Russia), copaxone-Teva (Teva Pharmaceutical Enterprise Co., Ltd., Israel) and placebo, at a ratio of 2:2:1, respectively. At the second group 63 patients received Copaxone-Teva, after 48 weeks of therapy they received Timexon. Switching between therapy was not associated with adverse eff ect frequency. There was no clinically signifi cant diff erences in profi le and frequency of adverse eff ects between the groups of Copaxone-Teva and Timexon. Also, effi cacy analysis of therapy demonstrated no diff erences between timexone group and Copaxone-Teva group in both MRI parameters and frequency of relapses. The data obtained from the present study confi rm the equivalence in safety of Timexon (CJSC BIOCAD, Russia) and Copaxone-Teva, that is important for further implementation of glatiramer acetate generic in the clinical practice of multiple sclerosis therapy.