Added Features and a Fresh Look Mark Improved Avonex.com
Biogen, Inc. (NASDAQ/BGEN) announced today that it has enhanced and improved Avonex.com (http://www.avonex.com) the Internet web site for its blockbuster multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a). The site serves the tens of thousands of Americans who take AVONEX therapy, as well as their friends and families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and others whose lives are touched by MS.
“Biogen prides itself on keeping Avonex.com up-to-date with the most current information on MS treatment and research,” said Robert Perez, Biogen’s Vice President, CNS Business Unit. “With the enhancement of the site, Avonex.com is one of the most valuable online resources for those currently on AVONEX and those considering treatment.”
The “Research Corner” section of Avonex.com has undergone the most significant transformation, as it now contains even more valuable information on clinical trials and the process by which drugs become approved for use with patients. This section defines all aspects of the clinical trial process, including medical and legal jargon, as well as some suggested questions people may want to ask doctors if they are considering enrolling in clinical trials.
The site has also become even more user friendly, especially certain special features that are available to registered site members. Members of Avonex.com have free, unlimited access to a growing interactive community, including message boards and the “Ask a Mentor” program, which allows members to communicate one-on-one with a mentor. Enrolling as a site member takes less than one minute and is free.
In addition to the added features and fresh look of Avonex.com, the site’s valuable original features still remain intact. Information on the site spans detailed medical descriptions of the disease, upcoming events in the MS community, and tips for living with multiple sclerosis. Frequently visited sections of the site include: The Avonex Alliance™, a support program for people on therapy, and the MS Learning System, an interactive MS curriculum.
Anyone touched by MS is encouraged to visit the site and become a member and to take advantage of the information and resources that Avonex.com provides.
About AVONEX® (Interferon-beta 1a)
The most common side effects associated with AVONEX treatment are flu-like symptoms, muscle ache, fever, and chills. Other common side effects seen, but not statistically different between AVONEX and control groups, were headache, pain and asthenia (weakness). These side effects usually go away within a day after the injection and occur less often as the treatment continues.
AVONEX should be used with caution in people with depression and people with seizure disorders. AVONEX should not be used by pregnant women. People with cardiac disease should be closely monitored. Routine periodic blood chemistry and hematology tests are recommended during treatment with AVONEX. Please see complete prescribing information available at www.avonex.com.
AVONEX is the leading treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis worldwide, with more than 121,000 patients on therapy. It was launched in the U.S. in 1996 and later in Europe for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS to slow the progression of disability and reduce relapses. AVONEX is marketed internationally in more than 65 countries.
About Biogen
Biogen, Inc., winner of the U.S. National Medal of Technology, is a biopharmaceutical company principally engaged in discovering and developing drugs for human healthcare through genetic engineering. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, the Company’s revenues are generated from U.S. and worldwide sales of AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a) for treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, and from the worldwide sales by licensees of a number of products, including alpha interferon and hepatitis B vaccines and diagnostic products. Biogen’s research and development activities are focused on novel products to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, cancer, fibrosis and congestive heart failure. The Company maintains active clinical research programs in protein therapeutics, small molecules, genomics and gene therapy. For copies of press releases and additional information about the Company, please consult Biogen’s Homepage on the World Wide Web at http://www.biogen.com.