Interferon and their use to fight Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

WHAT IS AN INTERFERON (INF's)?

An interferon or interferons are proteins that most vertebrates – including us, humans – are able to make and release via lymphocytes - a type of white blood cells - in the presence of external agents or pathogens — such as viruses, bacteria, parasites or tumor cells.

The primary role of these proteins is to facilitate and allow communications between cells to activate the defenses of the immune system.

The name Interferon was given after their capacity to “interfere” with a virus ability to replicate within a host cell. They can also activate natural killer cells and macrophages which increase detection of infection or tumor cells and they increase the ability of uninfected host cells to resist new infection by virus

Several types have been approved as therapies for diseases like chronic hepatitis, genital warts, multiple sclerosis (MS) , and several cancers.

In the case of multiple sclerosis (MS), interferon based meds have been shown to have about 18-38% reduction in the rate of relapses, and to slow the progression of disability.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF INTERFERON USED TO TREAT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS)

1. Interferon Beta-1a: Is used to treat Relapsing & Remitting forms of Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Beta-1a is produced by the mammalian cells which all mammals – including humans – are made up from.

   The best known drugs of this type are AVONEX and REBIF
   

2. Interferon Beta-1b: Is the other kind being used to treat Relapsing & Remitting forms of Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). It is produced in modified E. coli bacteria and the name of the drug used to treat MS is BETASERON.
   
   It is believed that Interferon Beta based drugs achieve their beneficial effect on multiple sclerosis (MS) progression via their anti-inflammatory properties. It has been determined that they are able to improve the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which generally breaks down in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, allowing growing amounts of undesirable substances to reach the brain. This strengthening of the BBB may be a contributing factor to Interferon-Beta's beneficial effects.

THE TWO MAIN SIDE EFFECTS ARE:

1. Flu-like symptoms: These tend to happen immediately following and injection and may last for up to 12 hours. Usually these symptoms are much stronger at the beginning. Normally they will diminish over time, but some folks continue to experience them over the long term.

   The use of a fever reducing, pain relieving over the counter drug like “Ibuprofen” is strongly recommended as well as administering the medication before bedtime. (That way, You will sleep off the side effects).

2. Injection-site or skin reactions: can be minimized by simply rotating injection sites and by applying ice to the injection site before and after injecting.

Other side effects are poor results on liver function tests and blood cell abnormalities. More serious side effects include depression, seizures or liver problems.

While these drugs improve certain diagnostic test results such as the number of active lesions shown on MRI’s, they are definitely not a cure and many patients report no apparent improvement but serious side effects that substantially diminish their quality of life.

Over time, physiological tolerance and reduced effectiveness of the medication can occur due to the development of antibodies to the drugs and side effects may persist even after discontinuation.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE

Click here to read the article “Medications for MS: What’s the difference between interferon beta-1a and interferon beta-1b?” by Lisa Emrich, patient advocate, and founder - Carnival of MS Bloggers



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