When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) there were basically a small handful of injection medications and one infusion medication. A government cost versus benefit analysis ranked MS drugs as being the costliest medications with the least return value.
The infusion medication, while effective, had killed a number of patients and had just returned to the market with a black box warning.
There were no drugs for progressive forms of MS leaving those patients living with the unbridled natural course of the disease.
Patients were begging for the elusive "cure," without even agreeing on what a cure would be. Would a cure: prevent the disease, stop the progression of damage, and/or repair already accumulated damage.
A few "cures" like bee sting therapy, Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI), Coimbra Protocol, the Wahl's Protocol, etc.all reared up with varying degrees of success, but none were cures.
New medications came to market based on rodent embryos, Asian fungus and even a leather preservative.
The most promising treatment based on stem cell therapy remained walled off in trials for well-curated patients and celebrities. Average patients scraped up tens of thousands of dollars and went overseas for stem cell treatment.
Other promising treatments attempting to promote remyelination have failed during clinical trials.
A little over a decade since my diagnosis and we now have over 2 dozen medication options. There are now medications for progressive forms of the disease.
Some of the newer medications are even putting patients in a state of "No Evidence of Disease Activity " where no disease progression is realized, no relapses and no new lesions are found. To some people this is close to a "cure" by stopping increased damage and further disability.
Many patients are convinced "Big Pharma" would never let a cure come to market because MS patients are cash cows. Well, hepatitis C was effectively cured, so why not multiple sclerosis?
There's new hope about not only stopping the disease, but also the possibility of repairing existing damage. Two new medication candidates (ATA188 and NVG-291) are early in the trial phase, but showing remyelination might be possible. New and larger trials are being scheduled ASAP.
We're still a few years away from knowing the outcome of these compounds, but again there's new hope on the horizon.
Scientists are mostly convinced the cause of MS IS Epstein-Barr (EBV) virus that causes mononucleosis. With a probable cause new therapies and even a vaccine might be forthcoming.
Exciting times.
"I Want a New Drug" was a Huey Lewis song was released in January 1984.
I want a new drug, one that won't make me sick
One that won't make me crash my car
Or make me feel three-feet thick
I want a new drug, one that won't hurt my head
One that won't make my mouth too dry
Or make my eyes too red
One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
The infusion medication, while effective, had killed a number of patients and had just returned to the market with a black box warning.
There were no drugs for progressive forms of MS leaving those patients living with the unbridled natural course of the disease.
Patients were begging for the elusive "cure," without even agreeing on what a cure would be. Would a cure: prevent the disease, stop the progression of damage, and/or repair already accumulated damage.
A few "cures" like bee sting therapy, Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI), Coimbra Protocol, the Wahl's Protocol, etc.all reared up with varying degrees of success, but none were cures.
New medications came to market based on rodent embryos, Asian fungus and even a leather preservative.
The most promising treatment based on stem cell therapy remained walled off in trials for well-curated patients and celebrities. Average patients scraped up tens of thousands of dollars and went overseas for stem cell treatment.
Other promising treatments attempting to promote remyelination have failed during clinical trials.
A little over a decade since my diagnosis and we now have over 2 dozen medication options. There are now medications for progressive forms of the disease.
Some of the newer medications are even putting patients in a state of "No Evidence of Disease Activity " where no disease progression is realized, no relapses and no new lesions are found. To some people this is close to a "cure" by stopping increased damage and further disability.
Many patients are convinced "Big Pharma" would never let a cure come to market because MS patients are cash cows. Well, hepatitis C was effectively cured, so why not multiple sclerosis?
There's new hope about not only stopping the disease, but also the possibility of repairing existing damage. Two new medication candidates (ATA188 and NVG-291) are early in the trial phase, but showing remyelination might be possible. New and larger trials are being scheduled ASAP.
We're still a few years away from knowing the outcome of these compounds, but again there's new hope on the horizon.
Scientists are mostly convinced the cause of MS IS Epstein-Barr (EBV) virus that causes mononucleosis. With a probable cause new therapies and even a vaccine might be forthcoming.
Exciting times.
"I Want a New Drug" was a Huey Lewis song was released in January 1984.
I want a new drug, one that won't make me sick
One that won't make me crash my car
Or make me feel three-feet thick
I want a new drug, one that won't hurt my head
One that won't make my mouth too dry
Or make my eyes too red
One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
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