Interferon labeling

Executive Summary

Avonex (interferon beta-1a) marketer Biogen expects to meet with FDA in the second quarter regarding the agency's proposal for an interferon class black box warning. "Alpha interferon is used at different dosing ranges and is used to treat patients with different diseases than multiple sclerosis, so it is conceivable that the safety profile will differentiate from that of the beta interferon," VP-Medical Research Burt Adelman, MD, said April 12. FDA notified alpha and beta interferon manufacturers that the warning should be similar to that found in labeling for Schering-Plough's Peg-Intron (1"The Pink Sheet" March 5, In Brief)