Teva CEO Israel Makov
Photo: Chen Mika
FDA approves Teva Parkinson's pill
Israeli drug maker gets FDA approval for Azilect tablet to treat Parkinson's disease
Drug maker Teva Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday the FDA approved its Azilect tablet to treat Parkinson's disease.
The company says Azilect, which is administered once-daily to patients in both early and moderate-to-advanced stages of the disease, will be available in the US in eight to 10 weeks.
The Israeli company also said it recently started a large clinical study to investigate Azilect's effect on slowing the progression of Parkinson's.
Parkinson's is a chronic, degenerative disease affecting about a million people in the US around 4 million people suffer from the disease around the world.
Teva said global sales of drugs to treat Parkinson's amounted to about USD 3 billion last year.
Shares of Teva Pharmaceuticals rose 8 cents to USD 38.35 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.
