Interferon beta-1a for multiple sclerosis: old drug, new clothes

Abstract

The development of new drugs for treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis has been extremely successful. The oral drugs dimethylfumarate and teriflunomide and the monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab have enlarged the therapeutic armamentarium, which is presently composed of ten approved drugs. 1 Wingerchuk DM Carter JL Multiple sclerosis: current and emerging disease-modifying therapies and treatment strategies. Mayo Clin Proc. 2014; 89: 225-240 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (301) Google Scholar , 2 Oh J Calabresi PA Emerging injectable therapies for multiple sclerosis. Lancet Neurol. 2013; 12: 1115-1126 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar In The Lancet Neurology, Peter Calabresi and colleagues report the 48-week results of a phase 3 trial (ADVANCE) 3 Calabresi P Kieseier BC Douglas LA et al. Pegylated interferon beta-1a for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (ADVANCE): a randomised, phase 3, double-blind study. Lancet Neurol. 2014; (published online May 1.)http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70068-7 PubMed Google Scholar of an old drug in a new formulation: pegylated interferon beta-1a. Pegylated interferon beta-1a for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (ADVANCE): a randomised, phase 3, double-blind studyAfter 48 weeks, peginterferon beta-1a significantly reduced relapse rate compared with placebo. The drug might be an effective treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with less frequent administration than available treatments. Full-Text PDF