New Treatments for MS

From a Newsweek article by Jennifer Barrett on MSNBC:

At least 400,000 Americans have the neurological disease, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, but that's still a small sliver of the total population. And there's no "typical" patient. Multiple sclerosis-so named because the disease results in multiple scars (or scleroses) on the myelin sheath, which surrounds the body's neurons-affects the body's central nervous system. Symptoms and severity vary widely: from blurred vision to slurred speech to poor coordination and, in the worst cases, paralysis. In the last decade...at least half-a-dozen drugs have been approved that have helped many like Roehrich enjoy a relatively normal life. While new treatments still don't cure the disease, they are able to slow its progression and relieve the symptoms. Betaseron...requires an injection every other day, but he says it's become as habitual as brushing his teeth. Now 24, Roehrich says that, except for an occasional twitch in his eye or numbness, he is "virtually symptom free." Other drugs have since been approved-although not without some problems. Injections of Avonex, Rebif, and Copaxone reduce the frequency and severity of MS attacks by suppressing the immune system. (In cases of MS, patients' immune systems turn against their own bodies, attacking nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.) These drugs help limit the damage to the nerve cells. In addition, there's evidence that Avonex and Rebif may actually slow down the progression of physical disabilities. Another drug, Novantrone, has also been approved for people with a rapidly worsening form of MS. A chemotherapy drug, it's given intravenously and also helps to suppress the immune system so it stops attacking the cells. The drug may reduce new damage in the nerve cells; decrease relapses (or new attacks); and slow down the rate of disability. But it is not recommended for long-term use because heart damage is a potential side effect.