New Drug For Multiple Sclerosis Patients

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By nisya

Published: January 24, 2010

A recent study shows two new drugs for multiple sclerosis is proven to reduce the frequency of recurrence of disease that attacks the nervous system is.

One kind of medicine works even better than the standard of patient care, ie by injection beta interferon. However, according to two experts who did not join in the study, both drugs are very effective, but have dangerous side effects. Because of that, not yet known when the two drugs will be approved by the government or adopted by the medical community.

Two new drugs are Cladribine, made by Merck Serono. The drug is already sold to treat a rare blood cancer. For multiple sclerosis, may be used 8-10 days / year by the patient. While the second drug, Fingolimod, is a daily pill for patients with multiple sclerosis, which was developed by Novartis.

The research has been done by the University of North Carolina and published the Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine showed that patients taking both drugs, half did not show recurrence of such reactions of other patients receiving standard treatment.

However, the researchers also found that both drugs significantly lowered immune defenses, allowing the latent herpes virus attacked several patients in one study, two people died of herpes infection is not known. Dangerous side effects in this new study led some researchers pause this research.

Actually there are no drugs to cope with multiple sclerosis, but the steroid drugs can reduce the duration and severity of symptoms in the short term. In addition, seven phases commonly used treatments have been successful in reducing the symptoms of relapse. All of these daily treatment using injection drugs.

So, if there are pills found, of course it was interesting. Even healthy people may difficulty providing care itself so it can be a nightmare for patients with coordination and concentration of the weak.

( image : shands.org )

Tagged with: Multiple Sclerosis