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"To turn its new multiple sclerosis treatment Antegren into ablockbuster drug with more than $1 billion in annual sales, Biogen Idecand its partner, Elan Pharmaceuticals, might not have to persuadedoctors that it is superior to existing interferon treatments. Partialdata released by the companies appear to confirm the treatment'soutstanding clinical performance."____________________________________________________________To see this recommendation, click on the link below or cut and paste itinto a Web browser:http://www.boston.com:80/business/technology/biotechnology/articles/2004/11/15/change_of_habit_might_be_key_to_drugs_success

Aricept May Help Memory in Multiple Sclerosis Alzheimer's Drug Outperformed Placebo in Small Study

By Miranda HittiWebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MDon Monday, November 08, 2004

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Nov. 8, 2004 -- Aricept, a drug used in treating Alzheimer's disease, might improve memory and mental function in some people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study.

The report, published in the Nov. 9 issue of the journal Neurology, focused on 69 patients with multiple sclerosis who suffered from mild declines in mental function.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Roughly half of all multiple sclerosis patients experience problems with memory and thinking, making problems with mental skills a leading cause of disability from the disease, which currently has no cure.

Multiple sclerosis can also impair muscle control, strength, vision, balance, and sensation.

Aricept is used to treat many of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, such as memory loss, confusion, and problems with thinking and reasoning. Aricept is made by Pfizer, a WebMD sponsor.

At the start of the new study researchers from the neurology department of the State University of New York at Stony Brook asked participants with multiple sclerosis-associated memory and mental impairment to perform memory and mental skills tests.

Next, they divided the participants into two groups. One group took Aricept for 24 weeks, starting with 5 milligrams per day and increasing to 10 daily milligrams in the study's fourth week. The other group took a placebo for 24 weeks.

At 24 weeks, participants were retested.

Aricept patients had greater improvements in memory testing than the placebo group. Memory test scores for the Aricept group improved almost 14% from their initial scores. The placebo group improved less than 3% on their memory test scores.

In addition, 66% of the Aricept group reportedly said their memory had gotten better, compared with only 32% of the placebo group.

No serious side effects were seen from Aricept, except for unusual or abnormal dreams, which were reported by 34% of the Aricept group and 9% of the placebo group.

Larger Aricept Trials Needed

The results are promising but require further study, say the researchers, who included Krupp, MD.

"Any treatment that would enhance the ability of persons with MS to meet the cognitive challenges of their daily lives would be very helpful," write Krupp and colleagues, calling for bigger studies.

"Multiple sclerosis patients are typically prescribed numerous medications to treat their disorder, so that before any new symptomatic treatment is added, its efficacy should be well substantiated," they write.

In a Neurology editorial, P. Murali Doraiswamy, MD, of Duke University Medical Center and Rao, PhD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, agree.

Praising Krupp's study as "a major advance," they suggest studying topics including length of treatment, long-term risks, and withdrawal effects in future research.

SOURCES: Krupp, L. Neurology, Nov. 9, 2004; vol 63: pp 1579-1585. Doraiswamy, P., Neurology, November 2004; vol 63: pp 1552-1553. WebMD Medical News: "Keeping Life Normal With Alzheimer's." News release, American Academy of Neurology.

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Trial InformationSummary: 5 year study to evaluate use of Novantrone(mitoxantrone) infusions in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients5 Year Study where subjects will be followed for any side effects from receving Novantrone. This is an approved medication for worsening forms of MS.No Compensation ProvidedPatient Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria:18-65 years oldChanges/worsening of your MSPregnancyAbnormal Heart FunctionAbnormal Blood testsContact:Michele Weber, Clinical CoordinatorMount Sinai Medical CenterOne Gustave L. Levy PlaceNew York, NY 10029Telephone: 212-241-4264Fax: 212-241-9771Email: michele.weber@... Provided byMapQuestIf you would like to learn more about participating in this study, please send an e-mail message using the form below.Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Trial InformationSummary: Open-Label Study of the Safety and Effectiveness of Combination Therapy with Mitoxantrone and interferon B1a or glatiramer acetate.This is an open label 13 month research study to follow subjects currently on interferon B-1a weekly or glatiramer acetate while adding mitoxantone. Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) is approved for worsening forms of MS. This medication will be given into the vein (intravenous) every 3 months. Subjects will receive 5 doses.No Compensation ProvidedPatient Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria:* Male and Female Subject 18-60 with Multiple Sclerosis* 1 MS attack over past year* Subjects must be on current therapy of interferon B-1a weekly or glatiramer acetate for 3 months at entry* Must meet entry criteria* Primary Progressive MS* Pregnancy or planning a pregnancy* Abnormal Heart FunctionContact:Michele Weber, Research CoordinatorMount Sinai Medical CenterOne Gustave L. Levy PlaceNew York, NY 10029Telephone: 212-241-4264Fax: 212-241-9771Email: michele.weber@... Provided byMapQuestIf you would like to learn more about participating in this study, please send an e-mail message using the form below.Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Email address: Message: Send Clear Form Please note: A number of commercial online services display an error message after you click on Send. Please be assured that your message has been received.This site is run by CenterWatch, a publishing company that focuses on the clinical trials industry. The information provided in this service is designed to help patients find clinical trials that may be of interest to them, and to help patients contact the centers conducting the research. CenterWatch is neither promoting this research nor involved in conducting any of these trials.Doctor's book offers hope < -8 for better MStreatments11/01/2004An Israeli writer once told Dr. L. Weiner thatthe disease he was studying, multiple sclerosis, was amonster. "You cut it here, it grows there," the writer told thedoctor. "You think it is down, but it rises again. Youbelieve you understand why it behaves the way it does,but you are wrong." MS is the No. 1 cause of paralysis in young people,"the polio of our age," as Weiner, a professor ofneurology at Harvard, puts it. Literally translated, multiple sclerosis means "manyscars," and although some of the half-millionAmericans who are afflicted respond to drug treatment,Weiner writes, many do not. In the disease, white blood cells called T cells goastray and attack protein structures in the sheath ofmyelin, which covers the nerve fibers in the brain andspinal cord. Everyone has T cells that can cause MS, but why theyattack in some people and not in others is not known,Weiner writes, adding, "It probably relates to commonviruses and how our immune system reacts to them." Weiner, who has spent nearly three decades studyingMS, has written a comprehensive account of the diseaseand his research, and he is optimistic in his outlook.While no cure has been found, a number of treatmentshelp, and Weiner believes that stopping theprogression will involve some treatment that must begiven over long periods. The bottom line, he says, is that the earlier thetreatment is started, the more likely it is to beeffective. Although this reflects the prevailing medical view, anew Mayo Clinic study questions it. Published in theAugust issue of ls of Neurology, the study notesthat rather than using medication to hold futureattacks at bay, patients and their doctors shouldfirst practice watchful waiting to see how the diseaseprogresses. Weiner writes that he is planning to test newcombination therapies, oral agents, drugs that affectdegeneration and drugs to induce immunologic tolerancethat do not have the potentially toxic side effects ofchemotherapy. He believes that in the future the firsttreatment that patients with MS will receive is animmune modulator, followed by long-term maintenancetherapy. But there is another possibility, Weiner says, an"ultimate MS experiment" that he admits he probablywill not live to see. "If MS is truly a disease of the immune system," hewrites, "and it begins by shaping the immune system inchildhood in people with a certain genetic backgroundand with a certain environmental exposure, we might beable to eradicate MS. We would understand who issusceptible, and we would treat them before they gotthe disease. We would vaccinate them like we vaccinateagainst polio; we would stop the monster from beingcreated." - Langone, New York Times =====moderator, MS_Community

R.I. Hospital develops multiple sclerosis centerRhode Island Hospital has developed a multiplesclerosis (MS) center as a result of a recentaffiliation with the National Multiple SclerosisSociety, the hospital announced in a release Friday.Through this affiliation, the Rhode Island Hospital MSCenter will now work directly with the National MSSociety to provide enhanced health care, educationalprograms and community services to individuals withmultiple sclerosis.Rhode Island Hospital is the only NMSS-affiliatedhospital in the area to participate in clinical trialsand the second hospital in the state to develop thisformal partnership. Following a review of the clinicaland referral services available through the hospital,the affiliation was approved by the NMSS localchapter's clinical advisory committee."This designation shows that we have the ability toprovide superior care in a multi-disciplinary approachto the more than 700 MS patients we see each year,"said Syed Rizvi, MD, director of the new MS center anda neurologist with the Rhode Island Hospital NeurologyFoundation. "We now have a partnership with theNational MS Society that will allow us to provideadditional services and a better quality of life tothose with multiple sclerosis."Rizvi is also the principal investigator for severaltrials currently being held locally, nationally andinternationally. The trials aim to improve treatmentsfor people suffering from MS. Rizvi, who largely ledestablishing the affiliation, recently received anaward in recognition of his efforts to establish theRhode Island Hospital MS Center during the annualmeeting of the local chapter of the National MSSociety.Published 11/12/2004Issue 19-30=====moderator, MS_Community

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