Quote:
Originally Posted by pantos
Hi Harry,
You slipped in there while I was writing my post.
Well given that both MS and Crohn's patients are often prescribed immune suppressants, I would not think it was in Biogen's best interests to try to attribute the cases of PML to prior or current use of immunosuppressants. It doesn't make much financial sense given that so many patients HAVE used immunosuppressants (or immune modulators if Biogen wants to assert it was concomitant use of Avonex that caused PML). They'd be better off saying it was just an unknown and extremely rare result than blaming the use of immunosuppressants or modulators.
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You would think that but that's indeed what the family was being told. It was interesting to note that shortly after PML showed up and Tysabri was pulled, Biogen's CEO James Mullen stated that in hundreds of thousands of patient years of Avonex use, there had never been a known case of PML. He was obviously protecting Avonex at the time.
The main problem that Biogen had then and still has now is that there are no real answers as to why these patients ended up getting PML. I'm sure that the company execs are holding their breath and really hoping that they don't hear the word "PML" for a very long time in conjunction with Tysabri use.
Harry