| Patients who are taking Interferon beta for Relapsing Remitting
Multiple Sclerosis who develop antibodies against the drug have
significantly higher relapse rates than patients who do not develop
antibodies to the drug, it was reported in the Lancet. According
to researchers in Denmark, "Relapse rates were significantly higher
during antibody-positive periods (0·64-0· 70) than they were during
antibody-negative periods (0·43-0·46; p<0·03)."
According to Prof P Soelberg Sorensen, Department of Neurology,
Institute for Inflammation Research, Copenhagen; "Time to first
relapse was significantly increased by 244 days in patients who were
antibody-negative at 12 months (log rank test 6·83, p=0·009)"
Sorenson et al, concluded; "Our findings suggest that the
presence of neutralizing antibodies against interferon beta reduces
the clinical effect of the drug. In patients [with Multiple
Sclerosis] who are not doing well on interferon beta, the presence
of such antibodies should prompt consideration about change of
treatment."
Lancet 2003; 362: 1184-91 |
