Baxter International Inc. said Friday that a European committee endorsed a new use for the drug Kiovig as a treatment for a rare autoimmune disorder marked by progressive weakness in the limbs.
The Deerfield, Ill., company said the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended approval for Kiovig to treat multifocal motor neuropathy. The European Commission, which approves medicines for the European Union, usually makes a decision on these recommendations in two or three months.
Kiovig is already approved in Europe and the United States, where it is labeled Gammagard, as an injectable treatment for patients with weakened immune systems.
Multifocal motor neuropathy requires lifelong treatment. The limb weakness that marks the condition commonly starts with the arms and can result in significant difficulty with simple tasks, Baxter said. If left untreated, the condition can lead to muscle atrophy, involuntary twitching and cramps.
Baxter shares fell 49 cents to $58.50 in trading Friday, while broader trading indexes dropped about 1 percent.