Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has unveiled plans to advance its branded portfolio at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) meeting in Lyon, France, with news on its blockbuster Copaxone and investigational pill laquinimod.

Speaking at a press briefing, Jon Congleton, senior vice president of Teva’s global medicines group, said that the company would be looking to make a worldwide submission for its three-times-a-week formulation of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) in the first quarter of 2013. The drug is currently administered by daily subcutaneous injections at a dose of 20mg and with the new formulation, the dose will be doubled to 40mg.

The full set of positive data from a Phase III trial presented at ECTRIMS of high dosage Copaxone found that it significantly reduced disease activity, and had a favourable safety and tolerability profile. In June, the firm noted that the 40mg dose significantly reduced annualised relapse rates by 34.4% versus placebo.

Turning to laquinimod, Michael Hayden, head of global R&D at Teva said that the company was currently refining plans for the oral drug developed with Sweden's Active Biotech and its potential for combination with other products. Of special interest is a Copaxone/laquinimod combo,  due to the "complementary modes of action of the two drugs", he said, adding that Teva hopes to begin clinical studies in 2013.