SCHERING AG'S BETAFERON APPROVED IN EUROPE

Schering AG has announced that Betaferon (interferon beta-1b) has been granted marketing authorization by the European Commission for an extension of its indication to include the treatment of patients with a first clinical event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) in all 25 European member states, as well as Iceland and Norway.

With this approval, Betaferon becomes the only high-dose high-frequency therapy approved for the treatment of the earliest stages of MS. The approval provides an important treatment option for patients to reduce the risk of developing clinically definite MS, and the chance to delay the progression of the disease. The new label now allows for treatment of the majority of patients at risk for MS -- those with a first clinical event (an attack) suggestive of MS.