As we had suspected, the so-called "4th case" of PML has turned out to be much ado about nothing. According to a New York Times article published today, the 4th patient was "out shopping" when she heard news from the Boston Globe that she had PML (and had consequently died!).
"A Biogen Idec official has sent an e-mail message to neurologists suggesting that a suspected fourth case of a brain infection in a patient taking the drug Tysabri was a false alarm, according to two doctors who received the message. The e-mail message said the patient was shopping when she heard news reports last week that she had the potentially fatal infection.
"Dr. Michael A. Panzara, a medical official at Biogen, sent an e-mail message to some neurologists casting doubts on the [4th PML case] report. Dr. Norman Kachuck of the University of Southern California, one of those who received the e-mail message, said it quoted from a message sent by the doctor treating that fourth suspected patient.
"I just spoke to my patient's daughter, 11:50 a.m., and she is alive and out shopping," the treating doctor wrote, according to Dr. Kachuck. Dr. Kachuck said he thought the patient had had another type of inflammation."
As such, the number of PML cases remains at 3.
Click 'read more' for the link to the NYT article.
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