Has Rebif been studied against any other MS drug?
A. Yes. The EVIDENCE* Study compared Rebif (interferon beta-1a) and Avonex® (interferon beta-1a). During this 48-week study, Rebif was dosed at 44 mcg given three times a week by subcutaneous (under the skin) injection to a group of 339 people. Avonex was dosed at 30 mcg given once a week by intramuscular injection to a group of 338 people. The results at 24 weeks showed that the people taking Rebif had fewer relapses than the Avonex patients. These results enabled Rebif to be granted an exception to the Orphan Drug† status of Avonex based on efficacy. Follow-up data beyond 48 weeks is now available for the majority of the patients, and the average total follow-up time of this comparative phase was 64 weeks. The results from this final comparative phase of the EVIDENCE study are consistent with the 24- and 48-week findings, and show that Rebif is more efficacious than Avonex (interferon beta -1a) on relapse and MRI measures over an average of 64 weeks in patients with RRMS. Compared to
