BUDGET FOR INTERFERON BETA FOR MS SUFFERERS WOULD BE BETTER SPENT ON IMPROVED SUPPORTIVE CAREDecember 08, 1999Dr Raeburn Forbes from Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee along with colleagues from Argyll and Clyde Health Board and the Scottish Health Purchasing Information Centre studied 132 people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and the estimated effect of treating them with interferon beta-1b against existing best practice without this drug. Treating a patient with interferon beta-1b costs over £9,600 a year, say the authors and in their study they find that this cost would be high in the context of the duration and quality of life gained owing to the modest clinical effects of the drug. Forbes et al report that a recent trial showing the benefit from interferon beta-1b in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis sufferers has led to the call for the treatment to be made available to all patients with that form of the disease. The authors argue however that despite the need for improvement in the care of people with MS, their analysis shows that treatment with interferon beta-1b has a significant opportunity cost and resources could probably be better spent on other ways of improving quality of life for patients. AlphaGalileo Foundation |
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| Related Multiple Sclerosis Current Events and Multiple Sclerosis News Articles Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as "nature's antibiotic." Factors from common human bacteria may trigger multiple sclerosis Current research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. The related report by Nichols et al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity," appears in the December 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Drug studied as possible treatment for spinal injuries Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed. CSHL team solves structure of NMDA receptor unit that could be drug target for neurological diseases A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) reports on Thursday their success in solving the molecular structure of a key portion of a cellular receptor implicated in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other serious illnesses. Men leave: Separation and divorce far more common when the wife is the patient A woman is six times more likely to be separated or divorced soon after a diagnosis of cancer or multiple sclerosis than if a man in the relationship is the patient, according to a study that examined the role gender played in so-called "partner abandonment." The study also found that the longer the marriage the more likely it would remain intact. Neurologists Investigate Possible New Underlying Cause of MS Neurologists at the University at Buffalo are beginning a research study that could overturn the prevailing wisdom on the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). Scientists demonstrate link between genetic defect and brain changes in schizophrenia Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have found that the 22q11 gene deletion - a mutation that confers the highest known genetic risk for schizophrenia - is associated with changes in the development of the brain that ultimately affect how its circuit elements are assembled. Gentle touch may aid multiple sclerosis patients While gripping, lifting or manipulating an object such as drinking from a cup or placing a book on a shelf is usually easy for most, it can be challenging for those with neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's, or for people who had a stroke. For them, the tight gripping can cause fatigue, making everyday tasks difficult. Urate in blood and spinal fluid may predict slower decline in patients with Parkinson's disease Higher concentration of urate (an antioxidant) in the blood and spinal fluid of patients with early Parkinson's disease is associated with slower rates of clinical decline. Oxidized form of a common vitamin may bring relief for ulcerative colitis New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology finds retinoic acid may alleviate ulcerative colitis and similar irritable bowel diseases. More Multiple Sclerosis Current Events and Multiple Sclerosis News Articles |
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