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Drug reduces brain damage in multiple sclerosis
Researchers have now found that a drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) can successfully reduce the damage to the brain. The treatment showed positive results in the treatment of a particularly aggressive form of the disease.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found in their study that treatment with the drug ocrelizumab slows down damage to the brain of MS patients. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "New England Journal of Medicine".
A multiple sclerosis disease causes loss of mobility, blurred vision, fatigue, agonizing pain and brain damage. But there is hope for those affected. The drug ocrelizumab slows brain damage and improves mobility. (Photo: Zerbor / fotolia.com) Decreased brain damage
The researchers found that over the course of time, only 33 percent of patients treated experienced worsening of their brain. In contrast, treatment with a placebo was 39 percent.
Physicians examine more than 700 subjects
For their study, the researchers examined more than 700 patients in Europe and the US. Two other studies also demonstrated the ability of ocrelizumab to treat relapsing MS. Ocrelizumab is given as an intravenous drug.
Effects of ocrelizumab
This is the first drug to have a significant effect in slowing the progression of disability in a Phase 3 study in primary progressive multiple sclerosis, say the authors. This is really a big news for people with the primary progressive form of multiple sclerosis. In addition to slowing down the damage to the brain, the intake would lead to improved mobility and the engaging subjects needed less time to walk 25 feet, the experts report.
In the UK alone, 50 cases of MS are diagnosed each week
Multiple sclerosis can be challenging and unpredictable in treatment, the doctors explain. For 15,000 people in the UK alone with primary progressive MS, there are currently no effective treatments available to slow the onset of deterioration. Every week about 50 cases of MS in the UK would be newly diagnosed.
Negative effects of multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is twice as likely to affect women as men. The disease causes a loss of mobility, blurred vision, fatigue and agonizing pain, explain the doctors. The disease often gets progressively worse with age or expresses itself in periodic relapses. Many sick people rely on the use of wheelchairs.
How does Ocrelizumab work??
The disease is caused by a malfunction of the body's immune system. Instead of warding off diseases, the immune system turns against the body's own nerves, explain the authors. Immune cells called B-cells attack the so-called myeline, which surround the nerve fibers as a protective shell. Treatment with ocrelizumab slows this process by preventing B cells from attacking the myeline, researchers add. (As)