New MS drug shows promise

Rachelle Reagan was diagnosed four years ago with multiple sclerosis, which destroys myelin, a protective sheath that surrounds neurons.

There is no cure for the auto-immune disease which is marked by flare-ups that have a cumulative, damaging effect on the body.

Reagan, 35, of Herrin, Ill., has had three flare-ups. So she was excited to recently learn that her physician, Dr. Florian Thomas, professor of neurology and psychiatry at St. Louis University School of Medicine, will be taking part in studying a new drug, Teriflunomide. It reduced the number of new brain lesions in people with MS in earlier studies, and as a bonus, it comes in pill form. Most existing treatments require injections or infusions. The hope is that Teriflunomide will also reduce the frequency of flare-ups.

Each year, about 10,000 people nationwide are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. About 400,000 are living with the disease today.

Reagan's left eye went blind during one flare-up when her immune system attacked the myelin surrounding her optic nerve cells. She estimates that 90 percent of her sight came back, but her vision is not as good as before. She still has problems controlling her legs since another flare-up attacked the myelin surrounding nerves in her spinal cord. Sometimes she experiences a sensation that feels like lightning bolts shooting through her body, she said.

There are no known cures for multiple sclerosis though existing drugs do help with symptoms, decrease the frequency of relapses and slow progression of the disease. But all of them have side effects, some worse than others.

For example, the drug Tysabri, which is given by monthly infusions, is considered the gold standard because it's so effective, said Thomas. But it's also very expensive and can only be administered at infusion centers approved by its maker, Biogen Idec. That can often mean a long commute for rural patients.

Plus, Thomas notes, Tysabri was taken off market for a while because a handful of patients died from a viral infection in the brain, so patients must be carefully monitored.

After being diagnosed, Reagan received weekly injections of a drug called interferon beta for a year. It prevented relapses, but left her exhausted, aching and nauseated, as if she had the flu. Now, she uses Copaxone, but it is difficult to inject herself and causes a strange dimpling around the injection site.

CUTTING SIDE EFFECTS

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New MS drug shows promise