Has anyone heard of this new experimental drug?

[aprij0908001]

The 3 days of IV steroids didn't relieve my relapse this time, so here I am, 3 weeks later, starting another 3 days of the stuff. I'm gonna look like a blow fish before this relapse ends. I hate the way they make you bloat. Plus the MS is effecting my blood pressure so I gotta start taking daily steroids to keep my blood pressure up. It's been falling as low as 73/55. Talk about feeling WEAK!
My MS doc told me about a new MS experimental drug called Daclizumab. The people making the drug need 150 MSers to test the drug & he thinks I would be a perfect candidate. Of course there are risks (which can be fatal) but if the drug does what it's supposed to do it could be a WONDERFUL breakthrough for MS. Someones gotta be the guinea pig to help ourself & others...RIGHT???
Any comments?

[Redwings]

Hi aprij:
Daclizumab isn't a new drug. It used to be on the market under the brand name Zenapax. It's a monocolonal antibody that was used primarily as an anti-rejection drug for organ transplants, particularly kidney transplants.

It never gained much market share. When it began to show some promise as an immunsuppressant for MS, it was withdrawn from the market by its manufacturer and sold to another company (Biogen Idec and Abbot are testing it together, but I don't know which of the two bought it). The new company is putting it through clinical trials to market it as an MS treatment drug.

Zenapax was used off-label for treating MS as well as other conditions. Since it's already been tested and used for other conditions, there's already a lot known about it. So if you're looking for a trial to get into, a daclizumab trial sounds like a good one. The effects of the drug are pretty well known, so going in, you'll already have a fairly good idea of what you're getting into.

[candycane]

thanks redwings

Thanks for the excellent answer Redwings (and for asking aprij) I had not heard of this drug beofre & want to read up on it.