NEW MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS VACCINE
Multiple sclerosis short-circuits the wiring in the brain, causing loss of feeling, vision problems, fatigue and weakness for about 400,000 Americans. A new vaccine is showing promise.
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Sue Carlson works up to 12 hours a day helping others feel better.
Sue Carlson
"There's nothing I can't do."
But four years ago, Sue could barely muster enough energy to work a half day. Multiple sclerosis weakened the entire right side of her body.
Sue Carlson
Has Multiple Sclerosis
"I had to move a body part predominantly with my left side and prop it on pillows or towels or blankets in order to do the work I needed to do."
But after six months on an experimental vaccine called NeuroVax, her strength came back.
Sue Carlson
"And it just kept getting better and better and better."
Neurovax works by increasing the number of disease-fighting white blood cells in the immune system. It did that for all 40 patients who received it.
Unlike standard treatments, which have to be given daily or weekly, the vaccine only has to be given once a month, and it doesn't cause flu-like side effects.
Dennis Bourdette, M.D.
Neurologist
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, OR
"What patients want are treatments that are not only effective, but also aren't not impacting their quality of life because of side effects."
Researchers say the results are encouraging, but larger studies are needed before it can be approved.
Arthur Vandenbark, Ph.D.
Neurologist
Oregon Health & Science University/Portland V.A. Medical Center
Portland, OR
"We still have to have a large enough trial that goes on for a minimum of two years where we see a difference between the vaccinated patients and the control group or the placebo group."
After a year without an injection, Sue is waiting for a new trial to begin, hoping that another dose of the vaccine will give her even more strength.
Patients say the only side effect of the vaccine is a sore arm.
BACKGROUND: About 400,000 Americans are living with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis can range from relatively mild to somewhat disabling to devastating. Many researchers believe MS is an autoimmune disease -- meaning the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. In the case of MS, it is the nerve-insulating myelin sheaths that come under assault. This causes inflammation and injury to the sheath and ultimately to the nerves that it surrounds. The result may be multiple areas of scarring (sclerosis). Eventually, this damage can slow or block the nerve signals that control muscle coordination, strength, sensation and vision. Most people experience their first symptoms of MS between the ages of 20 and 40. Often, the first symptom is blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye. Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with coordination and balance. These symptoms may be severe enough to impair walking or even standing. In the worst cases, MS can produce partial or complete paralysis. About half of all people with MS experience cognitive impairments such as difficulties with concentration, attention, memory, and poor judgment. These symptoms are usually mild and are frequently overlooked. Depression is another common symptomof MS. There is no cure for MS.
NEW TREATMENT: An experimental drug therapy for multiple sclerosis could mean more years with better functioning for MS patients. The drug is called NeuroVax. Arthur Vandenbark, Ph.D., is a research scientist at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. He says NeuroVax works by stimulating the body's own immune system to regulate its own destructive activities on the nerve sheaths. Destructive cells gone haywire inside the body are causing the damage. "We're taking a part of the target, the destructive cell, and we're using it to stimulate a different part of the immune system to attack the destructive cell," says Vandenbark. It's much like waving a piece of clothing under a bloodhound's nose. Once the hound gets the scent ... watch out! He says, "What we're trying to do with this vaccination is increase the number of regulatory cells to a point where we can fully control an outbreak of the destructive cells." Vandenbark reports the drug causes very few if any side effects. The experimental injection is given every month, which differs from current treatments in that they must be administered weekly or daily. "The fact that we would not have to give the drug as often would be a definite benefit to the patients," Vandenbark says.
STUDIES: A phase III clinical study of NeuroVax shows the drug to be effective. A total of 20 subjects were included in the preliminary tests. Researchers compared responses to three different injections -- one being NeuroVax. The group of patients receiving NeuroVax showed significant response compared to the other two groups. It will be many years before this experimental drug would be available to the public. Larger studies will be needed before the FDA can consider it for approval.
Multiple Sclerosis Center of Oregon at OHSU
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland, OR 97239-3098
(503) 494-5759
msnews@ohsu.edu
www.ohsu.edu/ms
Copyright © 2005 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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