Beta-Interferon Therapy Has No Effect on Secondary Progressive MS Onset According to Study

Patricia Silva, PhD avatar

by Patricia Silva, PhD |

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shutterstock_162681911A team led by researchers at the University of British ColumbiaĀ in Canada recently published results in the European Journal of NeurologyĀ showing thatĀ treatment with beta-interferon has no effect on secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) disease onset. The study is entitled ā€œBeta-interferon exposure and onset of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.ā€ The findings further underscore the fact that interferon-based therapies used for relapsing-remitting MS are largely ineffective for treating SPMS, indicating the critical need for viable progressive MS drugs.

MS isĀ a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that results from anĀ attack onĀ the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optical nerves) by the bodyā€™s own immune system, causing inflammation and damage to the myelin layer that covers and protects neurons, leading to irreversible neurological disability. MS affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide.

Beta-interferons (IFNĪ²) are the most widely prescribed immunomodulatory drugs for the most frequent form of the disease, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). It is not completely understood how IFNĪ² acts in the context of MS, but it is thought to beĀ through itsĀ role in the immune system and by preventing inflammation and demyelination. Patients can, however, progress from RRMS to secondary progressive MS, which is characterized by a steady progression of disability leading to vision, motor and cognitive impairment. Patients with progressive MS usually have a poor response to treatment and there is little or no recovery.

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The goal of the study was to determine whether treatment with IFNĪ² couldĀ delay secondary progressive MS onset in patients with RRMS. The research team conducted a retrospective cohort study with data from the British Columbia (Canada) Multiple Sclerosis (BCMS) population-based study (1985ā€“2008) and compared disease progression in RRMS patients under IFNĪ² treatment and patients who had not been given IFNĪ².

Researchers found that 9.2% of the IFNĪ²-treated patients developed secondary progressive MS with a median disease onset of 3.7 years. After adjusting the results for parameters such as age, sex, disease duration, disability, comorbidities and socioeconomic status, researchers found that treatment with IFNĪ² was not associated with the risk of progression to secondary progressive MS when compared to the controls.

The research team concluded that IFNĪ² treatment in patients with RRMS does not delay the onset of secondary progressive MS. However, the authors adviseĀ that further studies should be performed to confirm these findings.

Innate Immunotherapeutics, a New Zealand-based drug development company, isĀ now enrolling patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) in AustraliaĀ for its experimental SPMS therapy.