FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Biogen's Avonex (Interferon beta-1a) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an early treatment for multiple sclerosis, the company announced today.
Up to now, standard practice had been to wait until a person experienced two or more attacks of the disease. Now, the drug may be prescribed after a single "event" and an MRI scan that suggests multiple sclerosis, the company says.
MS, a chronic disease of the nervous system, produces symptoms including vision problems, loss of balance, numbness, difficulty walking, and paralysis. Mostly a disease of young adult women between ages 20 and 40, it affects about 400,000 people in North America and about 1 million people worldwide, Biogen says.
The new approval is based on clinical trials involving 383 patients found to be at high risk of having a second MS "event." Compared to those who received a non-medicinal placebo, patients on Avonex experienced a 44 percent decrease in the rate of developing a second attack.
The drug's common side effects include flu-like symptoms, fever, fatigue, headache, chills, nausea and vomiting. Avonex should not be taken by pregnant women, and should be used with caution in people with mood disorders, seizures, and heart disease.
Here is the Biogen press release announcing the approval. For more information about multiple sclerosis, visit the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
