Betaferon

New Study Supports Hitting MS Fast and Hard

The question of how quickly to start a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) after a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis is one that I frequently see when I browse online. It goes hand in hand with questions about which DMT is best to start with. There are many things to consider when…

Patients with Stable Disease Who Switch to Another Interferon Therapy at Greater Risk of Flares, Study Reports

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who have been relapse-free while using an interferon-beta (IFN-Ī²) therapy but switch to anotherĀ IFN-Ī² are significantly more like to start experiencingĀ flaresĀ than patients who remain on their initial interferon treatment, a real-world study reports. Its results support letting patients remain on a current IFN-Ī² medication…

DMTs Are Cost-Effective and Help to Slow MS Progression, 10-Year Study from UK Reports

Four disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for Ā multiple sclerosisĀ ā€”Ā Avonex, Rebif, Betaferon, and CopaxoneĀ ā€” are cost-effective and reduce disease progression in MS patients, especially those with relapsing-remitting disease, according to 10-year, real-world results from U.K.ā€™s MS Risk Sharing Scheme (RSS). But the long-term benefits observed wane over…

4 Relapsing MS Treatments Added to UK Health Service After Cuts to Prices Agreed

After an agreement to lower their prices, four treatments for relapsing multiple sclerosis ā€”Ā Biogenā€™s AvonexĀ and Merck KGaA‘sĀ Rebif (both interferon beta-1a), Novartisā€™ ExtaviaĀ (interferon beta 1b), and Tevaā€™s Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) ā€” were recommended as cost-effective and long-term therapy options within the National Health Service…

Who Are You to Tell Me What MS Therapy I Need?

I’m used to seeing insurance companies here in the United States make decisions about MS therapies, including refusing to pay for certain treatments unless other, less expensive ones are tried first. These, of course, are decisions that should be made between patients and their doctors, not by insurers.

MS Progression Slower in People Who Begin Betaseron Therapy at First Signs of Disease, 11-Year Study Says

Relapsing multiple sclerosis patients who begin taking Betaferon/Betaseron (interferon beta-1b) immediately after the first MS-related neurologic symptoms appear mayĀ realize slower disease progression thanĀ those who delay treatment, according to aĀ study evaluating the therapy’sĀ effects over a decade in patients enrolledĀ inĀ aĀ Phase 3 clinical trial. The study, “The 11-year long-term follow-up…

Genentech Enrolling Relapsing MS Patients in Study of Mechanism of Action for Ocrevus

In addition to a new study sponsored by GenentechĀ to test the experimentalĀ MS therapyĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)Ā in RMS patients who have had a sub-optimal response to previous disease modifying therapies, the company is also currently recruiting patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis to understand the therapy’sĀ mechanism of action and B-cell biology…