At last someone recognises that the real test of the interferons should relate to disability progression not relapses:
Defining the response to interferon-beta in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients.
Rio J, Nos C, Tintore M, Tellez N, Galan I, Pelayo R, Comabella M, Montalban X.
Unitat de Neuroimmunologia Clinica, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
OBJECTIVE: Many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are currently receiving treatment with interferon (IFN)-beta. Early identification of nonresponder patients is crucial to try different therapeutic approaches. We investigated various criteria of treatment response to assess which criterion better identifies patients with a poor response. METHODS: We studied relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients treated with IFN-beta and followed them up for at least 2 years. Expanded Disability Status Score was scored every 3 months and relapses were recorded. We analyzed various criteria based on relapses, disability progression, or both.
RESULTS: Three hundred ninety-three patients were included. After 2 years of treatment, we observed a proportion of nonresponders, ranging from 7 to 49% depending on the stringency of the criteria used. Criteria based in disability progression had higher sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The hazard ratio for the development of marked disability after 6 years of treatment was 39.6 (95% confidence interval, 16.6-94.4) among the patients who fulfilled the criterion based only in disability progression. INTERPRETATION: Criteria of response to IFN-beta therapy in RRMS using disability progression are more clinically relevant than those based only in relapse rate. This finding may be important for the counseling and care of RRMS patients treated with IFN-beta. Ann Neurol 2006;59:344-352.
PMID: 16437558 [PubMed - in process]
Effectiveness of interferons
I have to give you some data observation from Copaxon. I know it is not an interferon, but it does affect you in different ways. I believe it does play a role in immune suppression. What I am about to say has NO professional data to back it up, it is mine and Gary's opinion ONLY. I am not making a recommendation to doing what we are doing to anyone. Copaxon is a daily shot. We bumped it down to every other day, then Mon, Wed, Fri, and then Mon and Fridays. Gary had been taking it faithfully as dosed for over 4 years. There was nothing noticable with the every other shot. He may have felt a little better. The Mon Wed Fri there was a noticable feeling better. With Mon Fri shots, his body began to heal itself, as it had done in the earlier stages of his MS. All of his symptoms are having slight changes to the better. MY OPINION is that the Copaxon was also keeping his body from healing as before. Gary did not have any bad symptoms from the Copaxon when he started it. We have been pleasantly surprised by all of this. Yes, it could be remission. He had one for 8 years before. I might add that he was on NOTHING at that time. Betaseron had not come out yet. So where are we with all of the CRAB's? Is there something to this with Gary or just happy luck?