| Jelinab-mswalk.net MS treatments page 1 |
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| There are currently 60 different agents in the clinical trial stage. Fifteen years ago there was only one and it was still not approved for use but undergoing trial studies for final FDA approval. Current FDA approved for use in treatment of MS: 1) Interferons: betaferon/Betaseron,Avonex,Rebif.( see bottom of this page) 2) Glatmirer acetate(Copaxone) 3)Mitoxantrone ( Novantrone) Each of the above is covered more in depth on its use, doseage etc on seperate pages see the links to the left. FDA approved , not specifically for treatment of MS 1) Intravenous methylprednisone (steroid) 2) Azathioprine (Imuran) an immuno suppressing agent 3)Methotrexate (ametorpetrin)(Folex) a chemo therapy drug 4)Cyclophosamide(Cytoxin)(Neosar) another chemo therapy drug 5)Cyclosporine (Sandimmune,Neoral) Anti imflammatory 6)Alemtuzumab (Campath) An antibody New Drugs recently highlighted in the news: 1)Natalizumab (Antegren) currently in phase 3 trials 2)Statins (Zocor,Lipitor) formerly approved for treatment of high cholesterol 3)Estriol (Ovestin 250 mcg) A hormone mimicking a protective agent present in pregnant women. An estimated 80% of patients with MS benefit from appropriate use of any of the above medications. Although none of these drugs can stop or reverse the disease and the damage it has done so far they are highly effective in slowing its progression. Current Treatments:The most common approach is to regulate the activity of the immune system. This has been shown to be best accomplished thru the use of immuno modifying agents such as Interferons and Copaxone as well as chemo therapy Cytoxin. |
| Interferon beta:Betaferon/Betaseron,Avonex,and Rebif commonly referred to as the "ABC drugs" are engineered protiens which mimick the bodies protiens formed which are formed within the body in response to foreign substances. They have been shown to decrease the attack rate by about a third as well as decreasing the attack severity while increasing the time between attacks. By decreasing the severity of attacks they decrease the damage to the central nervous system. Interferons should be considered early for those with clinically isolated symptoms who have a high risk of developing MS. The down side to the use of is there is some concern that the body ends up manufacturing anibodies which neutralize the interferon agents over a long period of time. This theory is still under study however. The 3 Different interferon beta Drugs: Avonex: is 30 mcg of interferon beta-1a which is injected once weekly. It is different from the other 2 interferon betas in that it is injected inner muscularly meaning that there are fewer shot site locations to rotate shots between. It is manufactured from a mammalian cell which is identical to human interferon. Rebif: is 44 mcg of interferon beta-1a which is injected subcutaneously(just below the skin in fatty tissue) three times a week. It is produced from ovarian cells of the chinese hamster which is identical to human interferon. And you thought the only good use for hamsters was as a childs first pet. Beta Seron: was the first treatment drug approved for use in treatment of MS by the FDA. Itis 250 mcg of Interferon 1-b injected subcutaneously every other day and is manufactured from E-coli and differs from human interferon by 2 amino acids. Shelley experienced the worst flu like symptoms with beta seron of the 3 treatment drugs she has been on. ( Beta Seron,Avonex and currently copaxone) How Interferon beta works: Interferons change the behavior of the immune system by reducing the number of T-cells which are transported from the blood stream to the Central Nervous System (CNS). This reduces the number of inflammatory T-cells (TH-1) while at the same time allowing the TH-2 cells which reduce inflammation to dominate the central nervous system. Side effects of Interferon beta: The Interferon drugs have a number of potential side effects some, all or hopefully none of which may be experienced. An abnormal decrease in white blood cell count, anemia or the decrease in the number of platelets in the blood. The following 5 possible side effects may be manageable with, topical creams, liver enzymes, mood changes, increased spasticity, flu like symptoms and shot site reactions such as slight swelling and itching. The most common side effects are the flu like symptoms and shot site swelling and itching. Patients who either do not respond to the interferon medications or who stop responding to them may either have a neutralizing anti body or present or may have started manufacturing one. Sometimes the answer is as simple as switching from one to another of the Interferons or possibly switching to Copaxone which is not an interferon agent. |
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