mediarelease

Biogen
Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) today issued the following statement regarding
the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of
AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine) to improve walking in patients with multiple
sclerosis (MS). This was demonstrated by an increase in walking speed.
The U.S. FDA approval was granted on January 22, 2010.

AMPYRA will be marketed in the U.S by Acorda
Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOR). AMPYRA is an extended release
tablet formulation of the investigational drug dalfampridine
(4-aminopyridine and called fampridine outside the U.S.). Biogen Idec
will commercialize fampridine as a prolonged release tablet in markets
outside of the U.S.

“For people with MS, impaired walking ability is one of the most common
and concerning aspects of the disease,” said Alfred Sandrock, MD, PhD,
senior vice president, Neurology Research and Development, Biogen Idec.
“AMPYRA may be an important therapy in reducing the impact of this
debilitating condition.”

“We congratulate our partner, Acorda Therapeutics, on this important
achievement and look forward to working with regulators outside of the
U.S. to make this therapy available to all people living with MS.”

On 12 January 2010, Biogen Idec announced the submission of a Marketing
Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency for
prolonged release fampridine tablets for the improvement of walking
ability in adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The company also
has filed a New Drug Submission (NDS) to Health Canada.

About AMPYRA

AMPYRA is an extended release tablet formulation of the investigational
drug fampridine (4-aminopyridine or 4-AP). Extended release fampridine
tablets act by blocking the potassium channels in demyelinated nerves,
which reduces the leakage of current from the axons, restoring neuronal
conduction, and action potential formation.

This tablet formulation was developed and commercialized in the U.S. by
Acorda Therapeutics. Biogen Idec will commercialize fampridine as
prolonged release tablets in markets outside of the U.S.

About Biogen Idec

Biogen Idec creates new standards of care in therapeutic areas with high
unmet medical needs. Founded in 1978, Biogen Idec is a global leader in
the discovery, development, manufacturing and commercialization of
innovative therapies. Patients in more than 90 countries benefit from
Biogen Idec’s significant products that address diseases such as
lymphoma, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. For product
labeling, press releases and additional information about the company,
please visit www.biogenidec.com.

Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements about the anticipated timing of regulatory filings.
Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those that we
expect, including the uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approval, the
occurrence of adverse safety events with our products, our dependence on
collaborations over which we may not always have full control, and the
other risks and uncertainties that are described in Item 1.A. Risk
Factors in our annual report on Form 10-K and in other reports we file
with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date
of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to
publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.

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