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Joined: Feb 19, 2006 Posts: 352 Location: suburb of Chicago, IL USA
Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 12:21 pm Post subject: Betaferon vs. Rebif for site reactions
Should make those of you on Betaseron happy, I happen to be on Rebif Either way I bet an oral medication will hurt even less
Betaferon Causes Less Injection Site Pain and Injection Site Reactions Than Rebif in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: Presented at ECTRIMS
By Bruce Sylvester
MADRID, SPAIN -- October 4, 2006 -- Interferon beta-1b (Betaferon or Betaseron) 250 mcg treatment causes less injection site pain and fewer injection site reactions than interferon beta-1a (Rebif) 44 mcg, report researchers from the (Betaferon versus Rebif InvestigatinG Higher Tolerability (BRIGHT study). for multiple sclerosis
"This was the first large-scale comparison of these 2 agents for these 2 endpoints," said lead investigator Karl Baum, MD, university lecturer, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany. "We saw highly significant differences for pain and skin reactions between these 2 agents."
The investigators reported their findings here on September 29th at the 22nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS).
The study was a multicentre, international, nonrandomised, prospective and observational trial of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Eligible subjects had begun treatment within 3 months prior to recruitment and had completed titration. Autoinjector use was recommended by the investigators.
The subjects self-injected the agents and self-assessed injection site pain for 15 consecutive injections of the same agent. After each injection, patients completed entries in a 0-100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) diary immediately after, at 30 minutes and at 60 minutes.
Study nurses checked for reported injection site reactions, and they were then confirmed by physicians.
The researchers questioned each subject about treatment satisfaction relative to pain at the injection site.
Investigators analysed evaluable data on 303 patients on Betaferon and 142 on Rebif. Baseline characteristics of both groups of subjects were comparable.
Significantly more patients were free from pain in the Betaferon arm compared with the Rebif arm at 30 minutes (42.6% vs 19.7%; P < .0001).
The mean proportion of pain-free injections at 30 minutes was greater with Betaferon than with Rebif (79.0% vs 53.3%; P < .0001).
The results were not affected by the needle size used. Autoinjectors were used by more than 92% of patients.
The Betaferon cohort had significantly more pain -free patients at 30 minutes (40.2% vs 16.2%, P < .0001).
The proportion of patients without injection site reactions was greater among with Betaferon subjects than Rebif subjects (51.8% vs 33.8% at the second visit; P < .0001).
Also, VAS scores taken immediately after the injection and after 30 minutes were lower for Betaferon than Rebif (0.9 vs 2.1 and 0.2 vs 0.8; P < .0001).
More Betaferon patients reported either no pain or satisfaction with their treatment compared with Rebif (76.9% vs 64.1%, P = .006).
"The results of the BRIGHT study demonstrate that Betaferon causes less injection site pain and injection site reactions compared with Rebif. Patient satisfaction with Betaferon therapy was also greater than with Rebif," the authors concluded in their poster presentation.
The study was supported by Schering AG of Germany.
[Presentation title: Evaluation of Injection Site Pain and Reactions During Interferon-Beta Treatment: Results From the BRIGHT (Betaferon versus Rebif InvestigatinG Higher Tolerability) Study. Abstract P693]
Joined: Jul 28, 2004 Posts: 128 Location: Michigan, USA
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:15 am Post subject: Site pain/reactions
It took a study tell us something many of us already knew.
I've been on Betaseron for 2+ years now. Have never had problems with site reactions or pain. Have had an occasional systemic reaction though(flu like symptoms). Never enough to even consider switching though.
The general consensus within the "MS community" has been that Rebif users tend to be more prone to site reactions and although relative, Rebif is somewhat more painful due to a ph difference.
I wonder if someone would do a study pertaining to site reactions with an oral med?! That would be money well spent!
Put the research $$$ where it really matters and lets find something significantly more effective (90% +) or a cure??
Joined: Feb 19, 2006 Posts: 352 Location: suburb of Chicago, IL USA
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject:
Yeah John, I noticed that too. Kind of made me doubt everything I had just read.
Treez I've only been on Rebif for 7 months now but I haven't had many problems. I may be in the minority though. Good to know that if I have site reaction probs I might be able to switch to Betaseron. But I don't think I will switch until they approve an oral med or I get worse or have more problems. We'll see what happens.
Don't forget that the new improved Rebif was also presented at ECTRIMS. This is supposed to be easier to take and result in less neuralising anti-bodies (stupid of us to think that they would actually invest in improving the efficacy). The manufacturers must really be feeling the heat from products like FTY720 and Tysabri. One of the presenters said that the world must move on from the 30% rut we've been stuck in. And I've still seen no definitive conclusion that the CRABS actually delay disability by any extent. At every ECTRIMS event the CRABs get better and better - pity the users don't see any difference. I would have though a real test was whether the CRABs delayed conversion from RR to SP. There must be natural history data on this for those who never used a CRAB. This could be compared with the data for those who started a CRAB after being dx for RR. But we never see the answers to the questions we really want answers to.
Joined: Feb 19, 2006 Posts: 352 Location: suburb of Chicago, IL USA
Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:23 am Post subject:
I agree also. I'm doing ok on Rebif for now and will use the new formulation but I will drop Rebif like a hot potato the minute they come out with a more effective treatment. Whether it be injection, infusion or pill. I'm not loyal to CRABs, they're just the best chance I've got available right now.
Joined: Jul 25, 2005 Posts: 10 Location: South Yorkshire,England.
Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:06 pm Post subject:
I was on Rebif for nearly a year and every injection was a will it won't it will it won't it and it usually did,hurt that is.Betaferon only hurts when i hit something,a nerve i suppose otherwise it's painless.Only thing Betaferon gives me is the bumpies when i use my stomach,looks like i've got a six pack.
Joined: Jul 25, 2005 Posts: 10 Location: South Yorkshire,England.
Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 3:34 am Post subject:
Hi Jude,give it a try,we might be on to something.Forget the Carl Lewis abs thingy just stick yourself every other day for the same effect.Although i'm probably 20 pounds underweight and the lumps just sit there for a week or two.The Carl Lewis thingy is probably also the cheaper option.
Talk later,Dave.
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Either way I bet an oral medication will hurt even less 
