Multiple sclerosis: Early treatment slows progression

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

PARIS (AFP) — Early use of the drug interferon beta-1b can significantly delay progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in this Saturday's Lancet.

Swiss doctors conducted a trial among 468 patients diagnosed with early symptoms of MS, of whom 292 received the drug and 176 received a dummy, called a placebo.

Each volunteer was given an injection every other day for two years or until he or she was diagnosed with a clinically definite case of MS, a judgement based on worsening disability.

Using an internationally accepted scale of symptoms, the researchers found that among the "early treatment" group the drug reduced the risk of developing clinically definite MS by 41 percent.

In MS, the immune system attacks myelin, the...