Experimental Drug Shows Promise for MS

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January 01, 2003

By STEPHANIE NANO ASSOCIATED PRESS

An experimental drug shows promise as an effective new approach for treating multiple sclerosis and the intestinal ailment Crohn's disease.

In preliminary tests, the new drug Antegren dramatically reduced the number of new brain lesions in patients with MS and cut the number of relapses in half. In Crohn's patients, it increased the rate of remission and improved the patients' quality of life.

Both were early studies, and researchers stressed that more definitive results will come from larger, longer studies that are now under way.

"At this stage, these are very promising results," said one of the MS researchers, Dr. David H. Miller of the Institute of Neurology in London. "One hopes that these will be confirmed ... and then one will have an additional effective treatment for people with MS."

The findings were reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The studies were funded by the two companies developing the drug, Elan Corp. and Biogen Inc. Some of the researchers have received grants from the companies or worked as consultants for them. More

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2003


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