Pharmacological methods to overcome IFN-beta antibody formation in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Diminished efficacy in terms of clinical relapses and lesion load on magnetic resonance images for patients developing neutralising antibodies (NAbs) to recombinant IFN-beta may be found in multiple sclerosis. NAbs become detectable over the first few years of therapy, disappearing during the treatment course in some patients and persisting longer in some others. Therefore, the administration of concomitant therapies to recombinant IFNbeta to prevent the formation of NAbs could be indicated mainly in the latter group of patients at the early stage of the treatment. Among those therapies, steroids meet the best criteria in terms of either safety or impact on the development of NAbs, at the present time.
Bagnato
Francesca
F
Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institutes of Neurological Disease and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1400 USA. bagnatof@ninds.nih.gov
Pozzilli
Carlo
C
D000818:Animals; D019138:Antibodies, Blocking / Q000502:physiology*; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013256:Steroids / Q000627:therapeutic use
D019138:Antibodies, Blocking; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013256:Steroids