A simple test blood could help doctors determine which multiple-sclerosis patients will respond to the top-selling MS drug, sparing patients not likely to benefit the cost and flu-like symptoms connected with the treatment.
A study led by Stanford researchers said that sorting between those likely and unlikely to respond to the drug beta-interferon was possible with the test that is slated to be submitted to the FDA for approval in a year or two, the WSJ says today. Stanford has already applied for a patent on the blood test.
Multiple sclerosis is a nervous-system disease that damages the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells, interferring with vision and causing muscle weakness. It affects 400,000 in the U.S., most of whom suffer from periodic bouts of the disease.
Interferon can help delay relapses of the disease for some MS patients. But the drug also causes side effects such as aches and fever, sometimes discouraging its use by patients who may not know for long periods if it is helping them or not. Injections of the drug also can cost $25,000 or more a year.
Interferon is a $4 billion a year drug made in various forms by companies including Biogen Idec, Bayer, Elan and Novartis. An official from Biogen quoted in the WSJ article described the work as “interesting but preliminary” and said it “could be a very useful advance for MS patients.”
The research was done first in mice, and then using blood samples from 26 MS patients. Here’s a summary of the article published online yesterday in Nature Medicine and a writeup on the study by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Image of human interferon molecule by iStockphoto