(Reuters) – Biogen Idec Inc said on Wednesday sales of its big-selling new multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera fell short of Wall Street’s lofty expectations, and the company confirmed a serious brain infection in a patient who took the oral medication, sending its shares 7 percent lower.
Biogen reported the first case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in a Tecfidera patient, who had been part of a clinical trial and was taking the drug for 4-1/2 years.
The patient, who died of pneumonia, had been suffering severe lymphopenia, a low white blood cell condition, for more than three years, which Biogen said was a risk factor for developing PML.
Biogen, which has notified health regulators of the PML case, said 100,000 patients have taken Tecfidera.
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