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COPAXONE¬Ć may repair nerve damage in Multiple Sclerosis patients
November 15, 2005Clinical research data published in the December issue of Multiple Sclerosis provided evidence that COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) may offer protection from axonal injury and induced neuronal metabolic recovery in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
In a pilot study of 18 RRMS patients using brain imaging techniques, COPAXONE® was found to produce significant increases in n-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratio, an indicator of neuron and axon integrity, compared to four untreated control patients after one year of treatment. This increase was maintained at two years of follow-up. Additionally, patients treated with COPAXONE® showed a significant 50 percent reduction in relapses compared to baseline (p<0.001) while relapse rate in the untreated group remained unchanged.
"The increases in NAA/Cr ratios with COPAXONE® suggested sustained beneficial effects on cerebral axonal recovery. We believe this indicates a potential for improved electrical conduction pathways in the brain, supporting the emerging concept that, centrally, COPAXONE® may be acting as a neuroprotective agent," said Omar Khan, M.D., associate professor of neurology and director of experimental therapeutics/clinical research, Multiple Sclerosis Center, Wayne State University. "This data is of critical significance because axonal transection is a well-known feature of active MS lesions and represents an irreversible stage of the disease process," said Dr. Khan.
Twenty-two treatment-naĂ-ve RRMS patients were included in the study. Baseline neurological assessments and magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) scans were performed. Eighteen patients were treated with COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) and followed for two years with neurological assessments every six months and MRSI scans annually. Due to needle phobia, four patients elected to remain untreated and were followed using the same assessment and MRSI schedule. NAA/Cr ratio measurements were obtained in a selected volume of interest (VOI) within the brain and included normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) within the VOI.
In the COPAXONE® group, the NAA/Cr levels within the VOI were significantly increased by 9.1 percent at year one and by 10.7 percent at year two, compared to baseline (p=0.03 for both assessments). Conversely, in the untreated group, a 5.5 percent decrease in NAA/Cr levels was observed in the VOI at year one (p=0.04) and an 8.9 percent decrease at year two (p=0.03). COPAXONE® patients also demonstrated a 5.4 percent and 7.1 percent increase in NAA/Cr ratios within the NAWM at years one and two, respectively (p=0.04 for both). Untreated patients had a two percent (p=n.s.) and 8.2 percent (p=0.03) decrease in NAA/Cr ratios within the NAWM at year one and two, respectively.
"We recognize our study contains limitations, such as the number of patients, open-label design, and the MRS technique of evaluating NAA levels," stated Dr. Khan. "However, our recently presented three-year data showed sustained improvements in NAA/Cr ratios which clearly demonstrated a long-term clinical benefit and showed that COPAXONE® treatment may lead to neuronal recovery," said Dr. Khan.
Ketchum
Twenty-two treatment-naĂ-ve RRMS patients were included in the study. Baseline neurological assessments and magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) scans were performed. Eighteen patients were treated with COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) and followed for two years with neurological assessments every six months and MRSI scans annually. Due to needle phobia, four patients elected to remain untreated and were followed using the same assessment and MRSI schedule. NAA/Cr ratio measurements were obtained in a selected volume of interest (VOI) within the brain and included normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) within the VOI.
In the COPAXONE® group, the NAA/Cr levels within the VOI were significantly increased by 9.1 percent at year one and by 10.7 percent at year two, compared to baseline (p=0.03 for both assessments). Conversely, in the untreated group, a 5.5 percent decrease in NAA/Cr levels was observed in the VOI at year one (p=0.04) and an 8.9 percent decrease at year two (p=0.03). COPAXONE® patients also demonstrated a 5.4 percent and 7.1 percent increase in NAA/Cr ratios within the NAWM at years one and two, respectively (p=0.04 for both). Untreated patients had a two percent (p=n.s.) and 8.2 percent (p=0.03) decrease in NAA/Cr ratios within the NAWM at year one and two, respectively.
"We recognize our study contains limitations, such as the number of patients, open-label design, and the MRS technique of evaluating NAA levels," stated Dr. Khan. "However, our recently presented three-year data showed sustained improvements in NAA/Cr ratios which clearly demonstrated a long-term clinical benefit and showed that COPAXONE® treatment may lead to neuronal recovery," said Dr. Khan.
Ketchum
Multiple Sclerosis Current Events and Multiple Sclerosis News RSSMultiple 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.
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