Teva and Active Biotech to continue with the development of NERVENTRA® (laquinimod) for multiple sclerosis following confirmation of CHMP opinion

Jerusalem & Lund,Sweden, May 23, 2014 - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA) and Active Biotech (NASDAQ OMX NORDIC: ACTI) announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use's (CHMP) confirmed its January 23, 2014 opinion to recommend against approval for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in the European Union (EU) at this time.

Both companies remain committed to the NERVENTRA® (laquinimod) clinical development program for multiple sclerosis (MS) and are focused on evaluating the CHMP feedback to determine potential next steps.  

"We are disappointed with the outcome of the re-examination and will be working with the EMA to make NERVENTRA available to multiple sclerosis patients in the EU," said Michael Hayden, President of Global R&D and Chief Scientific Officer. "We believe NERVENTRA has a favorable risk-benefit profile and the potential to fulfill an unmet need for a treatment that decreases disability progression, and protects against brain volume loss, two important goals in the management of MS."

To further confirm the benefits of NERVENTRA on disability progression, Teva is conducting the CONCERTO trial, the largest MS trial with disability progression as the primary endpoint. The ongoing CONCERTO trial is the third Phase III study in RRMS and explores daily doses of NERVENTRA 0.6 mg and 1.2 mg. In addition, Teva is investigating the potential of NERVENTRA in progressive forms of MS. The first trial for this indication is planned to be initiated soon.

About NERVENTRA®
NERVENTRA is a once-daily oral, investigational, CNS-active immunomodulator with a novel mechanism of action being developed for the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and progressive forms of MS. In extensive non-clinical and clinical studies, NERVENTRA has demonstrated both anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties and effects that have been shown to provide clinically meaningful results. The global Phase III clinical development program evaluating NERVENTRA in MS includes two pivotal studies, ALLEGRO and BRAVO. A third Phase III NERVENTRA trial, CONCERTO, is evaluating two doses of the investigational product (0.6mg and 1.2mg) in approximately 2,100 patients for up to 24 months. The primary outcome measure will be time to confirmed disability progression as measured by the EDSS, making CONCERTO the largest MS clinical trial with disability progression as the primary endpoint.

The safety profile of NERVENTRA is based on 2,645 MS patients that have been exposed to NERVENTRA for a total duration of 7,491 subject years, with a maximal duration of seven years. Very common or important adverse reactions include headache, abdominal pain, back and neck pain, appendicitis, and mild, asymptomatic laboratory abnormalities, including liver enzyme elevations, hematological changes, and elevation of CRP or fibrinogen levels.

In addition to the MS clinical studies, studies are planned to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of NERVENTRA in other neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington's disease.

About Teva
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company, committed to increasing access to high-quality healthcare by developing, producing and marketing affordable generic drugs as well as innovative and specialty pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world's leading generic drug maker, with a global product portfolio of more than 1,000 molecules and a direct presence in approximately 60 countries. Teva's Specialty Medicines businesses focus on CNS, respiratory, oncology, pain, and women's health therapeutic areas as well as biologics. Teva currently employs approximately 45,000 people around the world and reached $20.3 billion in net revenues in 2013. 

About Active Biotech
Active Biotech AB (NASDAQ OMX NORDIC: ACTI) is a biotechnology company with focus on autoimmune/inflammatory diseases and cancer. In pivotal phase is laquinimod, an orally administered small molecule with unique immunomodulatory properties for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Also tasquinimod for the treatment of prostate cancer, with a unique mode of action, is in pivotal phase. In addition, laquinimod has concluded Phase II development for Crohn's and Lupus. The company has two additional projects in clinical development, ANYARA primarily for the treatment of renal cell cancer and the orally administered compound paquinimod (57-57) for systemic sclerosis. Please visit www.activebiotech.com for more information.

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This release contains forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products; competition for our innovative products, especially COPAXONE® (including competition from orally-administered alternatives, as well as from potential purported generic equivalents); the possibility of material fines, penalties and other sanctions and other adverse consequences arising out of our ongoing FCPA investigations and related matters; our ability to achieve expected results from the research and development efforts invested in our pipeline of specialty and other products; our ability to reduce operating expenses to the extent and during the timeframe intended by our cost reduction program; our ability to identify and successfully bid for suitable acquisition targets or licensing opportunities, or to consummate and integrate acquisitions; the extent to which any manufacturing or quality control problems damage our reputation for quality production and require costly remediation; our potential exposure to product liability claims that are not covered by insurance; increased government scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe of our patent settlement agreements; our exposure to currency fluctuations and restrictions as well as credit risks; the effectiveness of our patents, confidentiality agreements and other measures to protect the intellectual property rights of our specialty medicines; the effects of reforms in healthcare regulation and pharmaceutical pricing, reimbursement and coverage; governmental investigations into sales and marketing practices, particularly for our specialty pharmaceutical products; uncertainties related to our recent management changes; the effects of increased leverage and our resulting reliance on access to the capital markets; any failure to recruit or retain key personnel, or to attract additional executive and managerial talent; adverse effects of political or economical instability, major hostilities or acts of terrorism on our significant worldwide operations; interruptions in our supply chain or problems with internal or third-party information technology systems that adversely affect our complex manufacturing processes; significant disruptions of our information technology systems or breaches of our data security; competition for our generic products, both from other pharmaceutical companies and as a result of increased governmental pricing pressures; competition for our specialty pharmaceutical businesses from companies with greater resources and capabilities; decreased opportunities to obtain U.S. market exclusivity for significant new generic products; potential liability in the U.S., Europe and other markets for sales of generic products prior to a final resolution of outstanding patent litigation; any failures to comply with complex Medicare and Medicaid reporting and payment obligations; the impact of continuing consolidation of our distributors and customers; significant impairment charges relating to intangible assets and goodwill; potentially significant increases in tax liabilities; the effect on our overall effective tax rate of the termination or expiration of governmental programs or tax benefits, or of a change in our business; variations in patent laws that may adversely affect our ability to manufacture our products in the most efficient manner; environmental risks; and other factors that are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013 and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Active Biotech's Safe Harbor Statement in Accordance with the Swedish Securities Market Act:
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievement implied by the forward-looking statements. The company does not undertake any obligation to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release.

Active Biotech is obligated to publish the information contained in this press release in accordance with the Swedish Securities Market Act. This information was provided to the media for publication 08:30 a.m. CEST on May 23, 2014.