September 30, 2022 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD IFN-beta Therapy Found to Help Blood Vessels in Brain Dilate in MS Treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) ā a disease-modifying therapy that lowers inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) ā was found to restore the ability of blood vessels in the brain to dilate following a stimulus. A new study suggests that this ability, called cerebrovascular reactivity or CVR, is reduced…
April 6, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Biogen’s Plegridy or Avonex Use Possible in Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, FDA Says Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) and Avonex (interferon beta-1a), both by Biogen, may be used ā if necessary ā by women with relapsingĀ multiple sclerosisĀ who are pregnant or breastfeeding, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in updating prescribing informationĀ for these MS treatments. Due to the limited…
April 3, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Headache a Common Side Effect of Interferon-beta Treatment, Study Finds New or worsening headaches are a more common side effect of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) treatment in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) than previously appreciated, a new study suggests. The study, “Interferon-Beta-Induced Headache in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Frequency and Characterization,” was published in theĀ Journal of Pain Research.
January 8, 2020 News by Catarina Silva Using Interferon-beta While Pregnant Does Not Influence Child Size at Birth, MS Study Finds Treatment with interferon-beta therapy during pregnancy in women withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) does not influence childrenās gestational age, birth weight, length, or head size, researchers report. The study with those findings, āThe association between exposure to interferon-beta during pregnancy and birth measurements in offspring of women with…
November 12, 2019 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Long-term IFN-Beta Treatment Normalizes Immune Balance in RRMS, Study Shows Long-term treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) corrects the defective immune balance characteristic of people withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), a study has found. The study also identified more than 200 genes with significantly different activity between complete and partial responders to IFN-beta treatment, which could be used to identify which…
January 10, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Stem Cell Combo Therapy Shows Efficacy in MS Mouse Model, Korean Study Shows A combination therapy of low-dose methylprednisolone and interferon (IFN)-beta-secreting stem cells is effective in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new Korean study suggests. The research, āEffective combination of methylprednisolone and interferon Ī²-secreting mesenchymal stem cells in a model of multiple sclerosis,ā appeared in the…
July 12, 2017 News by Janet Stewart, MSc Allergy Medicine Fails to Reduce Flu-Like Syndrome in Relapsing-remitting MS Patients, Study Shows According to a new clinical trial, the allergy treatment cetirizine fails to alleviate a flu-like condition that interferon-beta treatment generates in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The results, which surprised researchers, apply to flu-like syndrome, or FLS. Cetirizine is an over-the-counter medicine sold under the brand names Zirtec, Zyrtec, Reactine, and Triz. FLS affects roughly 75 percent of patients who take interferon-beta, also known as IFN-beta. It can cause fever, chills, muscle pain, weakness, and headache. The symptoms commonly occur three to six hours after an IFN-beta injection and last up to 24 hours. Although FLS usually subsides in the first three months of IFN-beta therapy, it persists in some patients, causing them to miss doses or even discontinue the treatment. Cetirizine is an antihistamine for hay fever and allergies. The purpose of the clinical trial was to determine whether cetirizine could alleviate RRMS patients' FLS. In order to determine study results, patients did self-assessments of how much discomfort their FLS caused them. There were no significant changes in the two groups' average self-assessment scores at four and eights weeks of treatment, suggesting that cetirizine does not offer significant benefits to RRMS patients with FLS. āThe addition of a [cetirizine] to the standard of care for IFNĪ²-induced FLS in patients with RRMS does not seem to improve symptoms significantly compared with placebo," the team wrote. "FLS continues to be inadequately treated in many RRMS patients. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of IFNĪ²-induced FLS and develop adequate strategies for prevention and treatment."