title: Pegylated interferons: a nurses' review of a novel multiple sclerosis therapy.
abstract: Most multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies are injectable drugs, and the frequency of injections has been shown to be inversely proportional to overall compliance. One method of improving therapeutic compliance and thus clinical outcomes is to develop medications that require less frequent dosing. One of the most promising modification techniques to extend the bioavailability of a drug is poly(ethylene glycol) conjugation (pegylation), which increases the size of a molecule by attaching polyethylene glycol moieties to the parent compound, resulting in slower clearance and metabolism. This approach has been used to improve the efficacy of a number of therapeutic molecules, including interferons. Peginterferon beta-1a, a pegylated form of interferon beta-1a, is currently in phase III clinical trials for relapsing MS and has the potential to improve patient compliance by reducing the number of injections while maintaining clinical efficacy. The role of nurses in educating patients about the effective use of this new MS therapy is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Questions or comments about this article may be directed to Anne Howley, RN, at anne.howley@lhsc.on.ca. She is a Research Coordinator at the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada. Marcelo Kremenchutzky, MD, is the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic and a Consultant Neurologist at London Health Sciences Centre and an Associate Professor of Neurology at Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Howley
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kremenchutzky
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a