Teva says study shows Azilect slows Parkinson's

COPENHAGEN, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.O) and Denmark's Lundbeck (LUN.CO) said on Tuesday a Phase III trial showed patients treated with their Azilect Parkinson's drug showed improvements compared to those who started taking the drug later.

The study of 1,176 patients showed that Parkinson's patients who took Azilect 1 mg tablets upon entry into the trial, demonstrated significant improvement compared to those who initiated therapy nine months later, the companies said in separate statements.

Teva's Nasdaq-traded shares were up 1.1 percent while Lundbeck was down 2.1 percent at 1426 GMT.

Lundbeck markets Azilect in Europe jointly with Teva in a number of countries. In addition, the Danish group markets Azilect in some countries outside Europe.

Teva presented the results during the Congress of European Federation of Neurological Societies in Madrid.

So far, Azilect has been indicated only to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's and not to slow the progression of the degenerative disorder.

In June, Lundbeck and Teva said a Phase III trial showed Azilect also slowed Parkinson's, and said they would file for U.S. approval for the new indication, boosting shares in both companies.

(Reporting by Kim McLaughlin; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)