title: Intramuscular interferon beta-1a is effective in Japanese patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a pre-treatment versus treatment comparison study of gadolinium-enhanced MRI brain lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Interferon beta (IFNβ) is standard therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS). The efficacy of intramuscular (IM) IFNβ-1a (AVONEX(®)) was assessed in 25 Japanese patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with RRMS not previously treated with IFNβ or other disease-modifying therapies were included in this 36-week study. The primary outcome was the average total number of gadolinium-enhanced lesions detected on four brain MRI scans during the last 12 weeks of 24 weeks' treatment with IM IFNβ-1a 30 μg once weekly compared with the number during the 12-week pre-treatment period. Lesions were counted by blinded investigators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IM IFNβ-1a significantly decreased the median number of gadolinium-enhanced lesions from 2.5 to 0.3 (p < 0.0001) compared with pre-treatment values. The median number of new gadolinium-enhanced lesions also decreased significantly from 2.0 to 0.3 (p = 0.0002). Serum neopterin was induced in a manner similar to that observed previously in a Caucasian RRMS population. No new adverse events occurred during the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This first study of IM IFNβ-1a in Japanese patients with RRMS demonstrated a level of efficacy similar to that reported in Caucasian patients based on an assessment of pre-treatment and post-treatment gadolinium-enhanced lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kyoto Min-iren Chuo Hospital, Kyoto, Japan. saida_takahiko@maia.eonet.ne.jp
authors.forename: Takahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saida
authors.forename: Yasuto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itoyama
authors.forename: Kunio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tashiro
authors.forename: Jun-Ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kira
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D019798:Neopterin / Q000032:analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D019798:Neopterin; D016899:Interferon-beta; D005682:Gadolinium; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a