GossipQueen
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- Joined
- Jan 20, 2007
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Early treatment of multiple sclerosis with beta interferon can hold back the disease and help prevent disablement, doctors have said.
The finding will fuel controversy over MS treatment which has centred on the drug, a natural protein that affects the immune system.
Many patients are currently denied beta interferon because there is no evidence that it reliably reduces long-term progression of MS.
The drug is expensive, costing around £10,000 a year per patient. In 2002 it became a symbol of NHS rationing after a final ruling from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which advises on the value for money of treatments, that it was not cost effective.
Nice found that beta interferon helped some patients but not others, and there was no way of predicting who would benefit.
Source
The finding will fuel controversy over MS treatment which has centred on the drug, a natural protein that affects the immune system.
Many patients are currently denied beta interferon because there is no evidence that it reliably reduces long-term progression of MS.
The drug is expensive, costing around £10,000 a year per patient. In 2002 it became a symbol of NHS rationing after a final ruling from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which advises on the value for money of treatments, that it was not cost effective.
Nice found that beta interferon helped some patients but not others, and there was no way of predicting who would benefit.
Source