IVAX, SERONO TO INITIATE PHASE III CLINICAL TRIAL OF MYLINAX IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

IVAX and Serono will initiate a Phase III study with Mylinax in the first quarter of 2005.

This multicenter, multinational study is designed to assess the effectiveness of Mylinax (a proprietary oral formulation of cladribine) in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

Endpoints will include assessments of clinical relapses, disability progression and magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. The trial will be a two-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving more than 1,200 patients.