CureOrBust wrote:Please note, ALL of the below are just my thoughts and not from a thorough investigation.
1. rebif has an effective rate quoted at 30%. Which is slightly less than 1/3.
2. rebif from my understanding hasnt got the history of improvements that we hear people on tovaxin supposedly have reported.
3. rebif requires 3 injections per week. I am guessing the tovaxin trial will require less
4. rebif can cause many side effects while tovaxin appears to be better tollerated
Under the above assumptions, i would personnally chose the tovaxin trial over rebif. Which is suprising for me, as I would kick and scream like all h%$£ if i found out i was on placebo.
If i had ANY signs of a relapse, i would fairly quickly make noise also. Dont forget, at the end of the year, you get it for sure. But one year can be a long time in MS. It would depend on how bad my relapses were in the past.
And dont forget, you can always pull out of the trial. Even though this wont be good for the general MS public, i think you need to look after yourself first.
Just my thoughts.
Thanks, CureOrBust. Those are some good thoughts and my thinking has been along the same lines. In regards to your points:
1. Yup. Rebif's effectiveness rate is *very* underwhelming, especially when you consider the $$$ it costs.
2. I've heard that Tovaxin has a higher rate of effectiveness, but are there any other stories out there other than Tim's...? I just seems like there should be other people telling a similar tale by now.
(Naturally, if I'm accepted into the trial, I'll tell all y'all EVERYTHING!
I'll put it all into my blogspot.)
3. So true. And I, not being a sadist, would be grateful to reduce my time spent as a human pincushion.
4. I've just started the Rebif, so I am definitely feeling these side effects. I've heard that they get better & go away eventually, but Tovaxin seems like a safer, more comfortable way to fly...
So far my MS isn't too wicked or progressive. I have vertigo, a numb left hand, fatigue... I think I could hang in there for a year on the placebo, as long as I knew I'd be getting The Real Thing after that... I think I'd say "yes" if they accepted me. I wonder what my neuro would say.
Guess I'll just have to wait & see what happens. Probably nothing will. I shouldn't get my hopes up too high.
If anyone has any more Tovaxin info, please post it... I appreciate it all.