UPDATE 1-UCB to decide on lacosamide tests by year end

BRUSSELS, June 24 (Reuters) - Belgian pharmaceutical group UCB (UCB.BR: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it would decide by year end whether to start more tests on its lacosamide drug to treat fibromyalgia syndrome.

UCB said results from a first batch of tests encouraged further analysis and that the drug was "generally very well tolerated."

"Signals are not clear enough to decide immediately whether to go to the next phase," a spokeswoman for UCB said, adding that fibromyalgia was a widespread disease which affects more than 14 million people in France, Spain, Britain, the United States, Japan, Italy and Germany.

Fibromyalgia is characterised by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain or sleep disorders and is associated with a number of other symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction or mood disturbances.

Lacosamide has already been filed with the United States and Europe for the treatment of epilepsy and diabetic neuropathic pain.

(Reporting by Julien Ponthus)