Avonex plus Doxycycline trial preliminary results

[Shayk]

Yes Arron and Viper-- that's the million dollar/pound question.

In addition to the MMP action Arron pointed out, that is similar to lipoic acid as NHE noted, here are some other broad "indicators" that minocycline may be quite neuroprotective.

From the Department of Neurobiology, University of Kuopio in Finland:

To date, minocycline has been demonstrated to have a benefical effect in a wide variety of models of neuropathological conditions, including brain and spinal cord trauma, hemorrhagic stroke, Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), ALS, Huntington’s disease (HD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), neonatal hypoxia-ischemia, ototoxicity, glaucoma, HIV, encephalopathy, prion disease and pain. Phase III clinical trials of minocycline are in process for MS, ALS and PD.

Here's another abstract Minocycline for Short Term Neuroprotection

As a neuroprotective agent, the drug appears more effective than other treatment options. In addition to its high penetration of the blood-brain barrier, minocycline is a safe compound commonly used to treat chronic infections. Its several mechanisms of action in neuroprotection-antiinflammatory and antiapoptotic effects, and protease inhibition-make it a desirable candidate as therapy for acute neurologic injury, such as ischemic stroke. Minocycline is ready for clinical trials of acute neurologic injury.

Neuroprotection in Brain and Spinal Cord Trauma

Various experimental animal investigations suggest that potential therapeutic agents include estrogen, progesterone, minocycline, erythropoietin, and magnesium.

Notice I didn't emphasize estrogen and progesterone. In the absence of a definite "cause" of MS, I lean toward neuroprotection, but it would be really nice to know what's what. Let's hope someone has that on their research agenda.

Sharon

[SarahLonglands]

Now, Viper, I was taking doxycycline and azithromycin, both neuro-protective for certain, but this neuro-protection would not be enough to suddenly make my progressive MS stop dead in its tracks and give me the amount of recovery which then ensued. I have had no new disease activity since starting treatment, which is not the normal course of events for SPMS. I now only take "booster doses" of these antibiotics plus five days of tinidazole for two weeks every two months or so. In between times I take nothing. One might think that the neuro-protective effect of the antibiotics would wear of in that period, but in actual fact, I feel no difference between when I am taking them and when I am not, apart from the fact that in the five days I am taking tinidazole I feel marginally more fatigued and slightly depressed. This tends to happen with that particular drug, even more so with flagyl. So would I swap to Paratek? Absolutely not because I want more than just neuro-protection. I want to be free of a disease which left me unable to use my right arm and therefore unable to paint (my profession) when I was only in my prime. So I will stick with the cheap, readily available, out of patent antibiotics because they gave me back my life.

Sarah

edit: Hello Sharon, I wasn't ignoring you - you just snook in while I was typing

[LisaBee]

Arron

I'm jumping back in way down the thread from when this was mentioned, but I'm confused. When was there a copaxone + minocycline trial where the antibiotic only was administered to people? I followed the link to the Canadian study on minocycline, but is this the same as the copaxone + minocycline study you were talking about? Did the Canadian human study ever get published in a journal?

[Arron]

hi Lisa,

there was a minocycline only trial, which led to (?) the Copaxone + minocycline trial. I have not seen the results of that trial, nor do I know whether they compared it to antibiotics only, Copaxone only, or placebo.

[ljm]

The study that just used minocycline (and then added copaxone for its phase II) was published in Annals of Neurology, May 2004. I happen to have contacted the researcher who had so many inquiries that she put together a PDF document on her findings and on using minocycline off label. Unfortunately, being PDF, and very long, I can't post, but anyone interested can PM me with an email address and I'll forward the document.

[Arron]

ljm, if you send the file to me (arron AT thisisms.com) I'll post it in the resources section so you won't have to keep fielding e-mails.

[ljm]

Done. If there is any problem posting this document without permission then please advise and I can go back to emailing out directly to anyone who requests.

[Arron]

Thanks...I'll take a look and see If they were willing to send it out to people publicly, then it should be OK.

[LisaBee]

Thanks. I'm very interested!

Lisa