Last week, the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. approved a new drug for treating relapses of the debilitating disease multiple sclerosis. The medication known as Aubagio is taken once a day. Genzyme, a Sanofi Aventis subsidiary, manufactures Aubagio, which is intended for use in treating adults who have the disease.
Results from a clinical trial showed that the rate of relapse for patients taking Aubagio was nearly 30% lower than those patients who had taken just placebos. Multiple sclerosis impairs a person’s thinking, sensation and movement and a variety of different treatment options are needed to help patients.
The disease, referred to commonly as MS is an inflammatory, chronic autoimmune disease, which attacks the body’s central nervous system through blocking the communication between body parts and the brain. There are an estimated 400,000 people in the U.S. with MS and each week over 200 people are diagnosed with new cases of the disease. Across the globe, an estimated 2.1 million people live with MS. Most people experience their first symptoms of the disease between 20 and 40 years of age.
The disease is twice as common in women as in men. Most sufferers have relapses and then go through periods of very little or no symptoms, which is referred to as remission. However, over a period, the periods of remission shorten which leads to continual decline in some body functions and can result in partial or complete paralysis.
There currently is no cure for MS.
