Friday's Health Winners & Losers

Medical-equipment maker Urologix (ULGX) named a new chief financial officer.

Effective Friday, Elissa J. Lindsoe will head all treasury, investor relations, human resources, customer service, order management and information technology functions, the company said in a press release. Shares rose 4 cents to $2.84.

Biogen Idec (BIIB) and Elan (ELN) presented new data this week showing that Tysabri improved the cognitive function of multiple sclerosis patients and had a sustained effect on relapse rates.

A study of the drug's long-term effects estimated that patients on Tysabri would have an average of one relapse every 4.3 years. Separately, according to new data from the Affirm trial presented Thursday, treatment with Tysabri alone significantly reduced the number of MS patients experiencing worsening scores on certain tests measuring their cognitive abilities.

Biogen Idec's shares were down 10 cents, or 0.2%, at $44.64. Elan slipped 6 cents, or 0.4%, to $15.42.

European regulators cleared an antismoking pill made by drug giant Pfizer (PFE) about four months after it was given the green light in the U.S.

The approval of the drug, called Champix in Europe, was based on clinical trials involving 4,000 smokers who smoked an average of 21 cigarettes a day for an average of 25 years. Champix was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for smoking cessation in May under the brand name Chantix. Pfizer was up 20 cents to $28.50.

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