LINK TO FULL ARTICLESwiss drug maker Novartis AG's FTY720 pill to treat multiple sclerosis offers much promise but but trials will not begin until the fourth quarter. Studies so far have shown a reduction of more than 50 percent in relapses and a reduction of as much as 80 percent relative to a placebo in terms of brain lesions seen in scans
Switzerland-based Serono SA also is working on a pill to treat MS. Meanwhile, Britain's GlaxoSmithKline PLC plans to file for regulatory approval of a competing drug in 2008.