Seems Patient #3 with PML (in the US) has died :

UPDATE:Patient On Biogen, Elan MS Drug Dies Of Brain Disease

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

By Thomas Gryta
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--A multiple sclerosis patient being treated with Tysabri, from Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB) and Elan Plc (ELN), has died of a previously disclosed occurrence of a rare brain infection.

Biogen originally reported the confirmed case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, in late October. Tysabri, key to the future growth of both companies, is very effective in fighting MS, but a suspected link to PML led to its withdrawal from the market for 18 months beginning in 2005.

Patients on the drug are now closely monitored and four cases of the often fatal infection have occurred since its July 2006 relaunch, but the death may quell hope that PML could be a treatable side effect of the drug.

Shares of Biogen were recently down $1.15, or 2.4%, to $46.86, while Elan dropped 32 cents, or 5%, to $5.96.
The patient who died was the third case and the only one in the U.S. The other three are in Europe and remain alive.

A Biogen spokeswoman said that the company was informed earlier this week of the death and wouldn't disclose more information out of respect for the patient and her family.

The patient received 14 monthly infusions of Tysabri as a monotherapy and was previously treated with Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Inc.'s (TEVA) Copaxone, Bayer AG's (BAY.XE) Betaseron and Biogen's Avonex. She also took methotrexate for a rheumatolgical condition.

All of the patients that developed PML were given plasmapharesis, a process that removes large molecules from the blood, speeding up Tysabri's removal and allowing the immune system to fight the PML infection.

When the drug is removed from the system, patients often experience an inflammatory response as the immune system reconstitutes itself, which can lead to their condition getting worse before any improvement is seen.

The death of the patient may temper arguments that the intricate distribution and monitoring program used for Tysabri, and use of plasmapharesis may ease the risk of PML for patients. Biogen has hoped that PML could eventually could be a "survivable adverse event."
But given the severity of PML, some believe that the death of a patient shouldn't be a surprise.

"We think the odds of surviving PML are still better than initially thought," said analyst Geoffrey Meacham of JPMorgan.

Tysabri's label implies that one in every 1,000 patients could get PML, but the actual number remain well below that ratio. As of Sept. 30, more than 35,500 patients use Tysabri, with 9,500 patients on it for at least 18 months and 3,700 for more than two years.

Steven Harr, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, writes that the recent death may demonstrate that Tysabri's risk is consistent with the label, to the disappointment of some investors and physicians that thought it might actually be lower.

-By Thomas Gryta, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2053; thomas.gryta@dowjones.com

http://www.djnewsplus.com/article/DN...Brain+Disease+