MONTVILLE, N.J., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Berlex Laboratories, Inc.,  distributor of Betaseron(R) (Interferon beta-1b) for SC Injection, announced today that data from the recently completed North American Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) trial will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in San Diego, CA, May 1, 2000.

 These new findings, which advance the understanding of the clinical treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, will supplement data from the company's pivotal European SPMS study. The European Study is the basis for Berlex's pending application with the FDA to treat SPMS in the United States, and led to the approval of Betaseron(R) for SPMS in Europe and Canada. The European study was published in the November 1998 issue of The Lancet.

 The Betaseron(R) database now contains information from studies involving over sixteen hundred people with SPMS, making it the largest collection of information on the clinical treatment of that condition. When combined with data from the company's extensive Betaseron(R) relapsing-remitting MS study program, Berlex's database represents the world's most comprehensive body of clinical treatment data on this devastating disease. 

The North American study was conducted by 35 leading MS research centers in the United States and Canada. Recognizing the scientific importance of this study, investigators requested that results from the trial be presented in a peer-reviewed setting at the  annual meeting of the AAN. Committed to developing novel therapeutics that address unmet medical needs, Berlex Laboratories, Inc. researches, manufactures and markets ethical pharmaceuticals in four strategic areas: Diagnostic Imaging, Female Healthcare, Dermatology, and Therapeutics for life-threatening and disabling diseases. 

Berlex business divisions are located in Montville and Wayne, New Jersey, and in Richmond, California. For more information on currently marketed products, please visit http://www.betaseron.com.