 |
|
Disease activity increases after MS patients stop drug
September 13, 2007ST. PAUL, Minn. - People with multiple sclerosis who stop taking the drug natalizumab may experience a rebound increase in disease activity, according to a study published September 12, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study involved 21 people who had MRI scans of their brains taken before taking natalizumab and again an average of 15 months after receiving the last infusion of the drug. The drug is given by IV infusion once a month. The participants were divided into two groups: one group took the drug for an average of three years, and the other group took the drug for an average of two months.
The participants developed more than three times as many brain lesions, or areas of damage in the brain that are a marker of MS disease activity, in the 15-month period after discontinuing the drug than they had developed before they started taking the drug. The results were most pronounced for those who took the drug for only a short time; they developed five times as many brain lesions after stopping the drug than they did before they started taking it.
More research needs to be done with larger numbers of patients before any recommendations can be made about use of the drug, according to study author Machteld Vellinga, MD, of VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. "For now the recommendations remain the same-patients and their doctors should choose the most applicable treatment for them," she said.
Vellinga said it's not clear why discontinuing the drug would lead to increased disease activity, although an earlier animal study showed a similar result when rats with an animal model of multiple sclerosis were given a drug that suppresses the immune system.
The study came about because use of natalizumab was suspended in 2005 after three people participating in clinical trials for the drug developed a rare, often fatal brain disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
"All of our patients had an MRI shortly after the drug was suspended, and our neuroradiologist noticed that in some patients a considerable number of new lesions developed on their MRIs in the following year," said Vellinga. "We decided to do a formal analysis to see if this was actually the case." Vellinga noted that the results need to be confirmed in independent groups of patients.
The drug was reintroduced in 2006 with specific guidelines for its use and to monitor patients for signs of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
American Academy of Neurology
More research needs to be done with larger numbers of patients before any recommendations can be made about use of the drug, according to study author Machteld Vellinga, MD, of VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. "For now the recommendations remain the same-patients and their doctors should choose the most applicable treatment for them," she said.
Vellinga said it's not clear why discontinuing the drug would lead to increased disease activity, although an earlier animal study showed a similar result when rats with an animal model of multiple sclerosis were given a drug that suppresses the immune system.
The study came about because use of natalizumab was suspended in 2005 after three people participating in clinical trials for the drug developed a rare, often fatal brain disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
"All of our patients had an MRI shortly after the drug was suspended, and our neuroradiologist noticed that in some patients a considerable number of new lesions developed on their MRIs in the following year," said Vellinga. "We decided to do a formal analysis to see if this was actually the case." Vellinga noted that the results need to be confirmed in independent groups of patients.
The drug was reintroduced in 2006 with specific guidelines for its use and to monitor patients for signs of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
American Academy of Neurology
Multiple Sclerosis Current Events and Multiple Sclerosis News RSSResearcher tricks immune system in diabetic mice
The body's immune system hates strangers. When its security patrol spots a foreign cell, it annihilates it.
In the war against diseases, nerve cells need their armor
In a new study, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, and the Université de Montréal have discovered an essential mechanism for the maintenance of the normal structure of myelin, the protective covering that insulates and supports nerve cells (neurons).
Intraspinal implant of mesenchymal stem cells may not heal the demyelinated spinal cord
Multiple sclerosis is a disease caused by the loss of the myelinated sheath surrounding the nerve fibers of the spinal cord.
Multiple sclerosis research charges ahead with new mouse model of disease
A new study highlights the role of a charge-switching enzyme in nervous system deficits characteristic of multiple sclerosis and other related neurological illness.
Lung airway cells activate vitamin D and increase immune response
Vitamin D is essential to good health but needs to be activated to function properly in the human body. Until recently, this activation was thought to happen primarily in the kidneys, but a new University of Iowa study finds that the activation step can also occur in lung airway cells.
Type-1 diabetes not so much bad genes as good genes behaving badly, Stanford research shows
Investigators combing the genome in the hope of finding genetic variants responsible for triggering early-onset diabetes may be looking in the wrong place, new research at the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests.
Phase IIb data show that BG-12 significantly reduced brain lesions in multiple sclerosis
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) today announced the publication of Phase IIb data showing that a 240 mg three-times-daily dose of the company's novel oral compound, BG-12 (BG00012, dimethyl fumarate), reduced the number of new gadolinium enhancing (Gd+) lesions by 69 percent in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) when compared to treatment with placebo (p<0.0001).
New hope for multiple sclerosis sufferers
A drug which was developed in Cambridge and initially designed to treat a form of leukaemia has also proven effective against combating the debilitating neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS).
Genetic analysis predicts whether liver cancer likely to recur
Researchers are poised to unlock the genetic secrets stored in hundreds of thousands of cancer biopsy samples locked in long-term storage and previously thought to be useless for modern genetic research.
Response to immune protein determines pathology of multiple sclerosis
New research may help reveal why different parts of the brain can come under attack in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). According to a new study in mice with an MS-like disease, the brain's response to a protein produced by invading T cells dictates whether it's the spinal cord or cerebellum that comes under fire.
More Multiple Sclerosis Current Events and Multiple Sclerosis News Articles
 | Exercises for Multiple Sclerosis: A Safe and Effective Program to Fight Fatigue, Build Strength, and Improve Balance (Exercises for) by Brad Hamler Fight the impact of MS through fitness with specially designed exercises.In the U.S. alone, approximately 400,000 people have multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. There are a variety of symptoms of MS and it affects people in different ways, but there is no cure.Fitness can help strengthen debilitated bodies, and make living with the... |
 | Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis: A Journey to Health and Healing by Loren Martin Fishman, B. Phil, Eric Small Yoga for people with multiple sclerosis? Absolutely! Studies show that after six months of practicing yoga, fatigue and other symptoms are significantly reduced. Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis: A Journey to Health and Healing is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to applying the principles of yoga to managing your MS. Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis contains information for people experiencing... |
 | Multiple Sclerosis Q & A: Researching Answers to Frequently Asked Questions by Beth Ann Hill An insightful, informative, and empathic resource for learning to live well with multiple sclerosis. This comprehensive yet accessible work provides authoritative and reassuring answers to the many questions that overwhelm those undergoing testing and treatment for multiple sclerosis. It discusses traditional and complementary therapies for MS; explains medical terminology and diagnostics; and... |
 | Healing Multiple Sclerosis: Diet, Detox & Nutritional Makeover for Total Recovery by Ann Boroch Multiple Sclerosis can now be healed and this book shows you how. Though MS is widely believed to be incurable, Boroch's breakthrough treatment protocol can dramatically restore patients to health. This landmark book describes her own tumultuous journey with MS: • Her quest for a cure • Case histories of those who have triumphed over MS • The real causes of MS • How to develop a... |
 | Multiple Sclerosis: Your Legal Rights by Lanny E. Perkins, Sara D. Perkins In the past seven years, since the publication of the last edition, significant legislative changes have taken place that affect the lives of anyone living with MS. Trying to decipher new laws can be overwhelming, even for the most educated individual. This updated edition of a comprehensive legal reference for MS patients incorporates recent legislative changes affecting MS patients. The book... |
 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis by Allen C. Bowling The first edition of this authoritative book quickly became the single source for accurate and unbiased information on complementary and alternative medicine approaches for the management of MS symptoms. The second edition, completely updated throughout, reflects advances in the field since the book’s initial publication in 2001. Therapies are organized alphabetically so that readers can easily... |
 | The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book by Roy Laver Swank, Barbara Brewer Dugan Hundreds of new recipes for dishes that taste terrific but stick to the diet rules so important for controlling M.S.--now completely revised to conform to the latest medical... |
 | The First Year: Multiple Sclerosis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (The First Year) by Margaret Blackstone One of the most widely recommended guides to living with multiple sclerosis, now completely revised and updated, including the latest research, the most recent information on treatments (including the news on Tysabri®), and new tips for managing MS. Multiple sclerosis is as much a mystery as it is a disease, but this chronic and often disabling condition of the central nervous system affects... |
 | Reversing Multiple Sclerosis: 9 Effective Steps to Recover Your Health: 9 Effective Steps to Recover Your Health by Celeste Pepe, Lisa Hammond Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating disease that has long been regarded almost beyond the possibility of successful treatment. For many patients a diagnosis of MS has meant the end of a normally functioning life. Not any longer.Celeste Pepe was a vigorous 42, a busy chiropractor and naturopath, when she got an MS diagnosis.What does an expert in alternative medicine do when she gets seriously... |
 | Multiple Sclerosis: The Guide to Treatment and Management by Chris H. Polman This completely revised edition of the best-selling Multiple Sclerosis: The Guide to Treatment and Management is a comprehensive, accessible guide to the present therapeutic options and their efficacy. Special features include expert opinion statements for each MS therapy; a unique guide to the wide diversity of therapeutic options available; a thorough discussion of the usefulness,... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |