New Treatments Bring Hope to Multiple Sclerosis Sufferers
Two separate studies examined the usefulness of the experimental drug oral fumarate, and the leukemia drug alemtuzumab, in treating multiple sclerosis, reported Forbes magazine.
The standard leukemia drug alemtuzumab, or Campath, in particular may be “the most promising and most significant MS treatment yet discovered,” reported Voice of America, as it seems to halt the disease in its early stages and repair damaged functioning in patients.
“The ability of an MS drug to promote brain repair is unprecedented,” said Alasdair Coles of Cambridge University, who worked on the alemtuzumab study, according to Forbes. “We are witnessing a drug which, if given early enough, might effectively stop the advancement of the disease and also restore lost function by promoting repair of the damaged brain tissue.”
Multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system, affects about 300,000 people in the United States. The disease causes the body’s immune system to attack the insulating layer of tissue that protects nerve fibers in the spinal cord and brain. Symptoms of the disease include muscle weakness, blurred vision, impaired walking, depression and paralysis.
In a three-year study involving 334 subjects at Cambridge University, alemtuzumab was found to be about 70 percent more effective in treating the disease than interferon beta, the standard MS drug already in wide use. But patients also suffered serious side effects, such as bleeding disorders, an increased risk of thyroid disease and infections, and scientists say more research must be done before it can be prescribed to treat the disease. The drug temporarily depletes white blood cells and is part of a group of drugs called monoclonal antibodies.
The study found that the treatment caused brain lesions to disappear and brain volume to grow, according to MRIs performed on study participants. Tony Johnson, a patient in the study, was able to continue playing professional golf after the treatment and is now winning tournaments, reported New Scientist.
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