Pfizer Inc. (PFE), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ADR) (TEVA): Decision Looms on New Multiple Sclerosis Drug

Cart before the horse?
Is all this talk getting the cart before the horse, though? Tecfidera still hasn’t been approved either in the U.S. or Europe. The FDA delayed its decision on the drug by three months back in October to “allow additional time for review of the application.” Murphy’s Law has raised its ugly head before with promising drugs.

Like most observers, I don’t expect there will be any roadblocks with approval for Tecfidera either in the U.S. or in Europe. CHMP’s positive recommendation last week was definitely a good sign. The FDA delay was a standard extension and not particularly unusual. The agency didn’t ask for any additional information from Biogen, so no new concerns were raised about Tecfidera’s chances of approval.

Anything can happen with regulatory approval processes, but I look for more good news for Biogen this week. I also expect that Tecfidera will live up to the high expectations held by many. The drug should be a great addition to Biogen’s already-strong MS portfolio. The cart might still be in front of the horse for now, but I suspect that we’ll see plenty of horsepower from Biogen and Tecfidera over the years to come.

The article Decision Looms on New Multiple Sclerosis Drug originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Keith Speights has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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