INCOMIN results favor frequent interferon dosage. (news).Results from the Independent Comparison of Interferon interferon (ĭn'tərfēr`ŏn), any of a group of proteins produced by cells in the body in response to an attack by a virus. A cell infected by a virus releases minute amounts of interferons, which attach themselves to neighboring cells, (INCOMIN), a two-year, randomized ran·dom·ize tr.v. ran·dom·ized, ran·dom·iz·ing, ran·dom·iz·es To make random in arrangement, especially in order to control the variables in an experiment. , multi-center trial conducted in Italy, were published in the April 27, 2002, issue of The Lancet. The INCOMIN trial studied 188 people with relapsing-remitting MS--92 participants were randomly assigned to take Avonex (interferon beta-1a interferon beta-1a Avonex, Rebif Pharmacologic class: Biological response modifier Therapeutic class: Antiviral, immunoregulator Pregnancy risk category C Action) once a week; 96 were randomly assigned to take Betaseron (interferon beta-1b interferon beta-1bBetaferon (UK), Betaseron Pharmacologic class: Biological response modifier Therapeutic class: Antiviral, immunoregulator Pregnancy risk category C Action) every other day.At the conclusion of the study, 51% of the people who took Betaseron remained relapse-free compared to 36% of those who took Avonex. Trial participants were also given MRIs at the close of the study. The MRIs showed that 55% of those taking Betaseron were free of new brain lesions (or damaged areas), compared with 26% of the people who received Avonex. Those taking Betaseron experienced significantly more adverse injection-site reactions injection-site reactions apart from those caused by infection at the site there is a characteristic reaction in dogs and cats which is a germinal center created by the strong antigenic stimulus provided by the injection. than those using Avonex. The authors, headed by Dr. Luca Durelli of the University of Torino, suggest that the INCOMIN trial "presents clear evidence that dose frequency and concentration, possibly acting together, can affect disease activity and progression in patients with relapsing-remitting MS." They went on to say that further studies were needed to see how Avonex might perform if it were given more frequently. The Society recommends that people consult a qualified health-care professional before making any decisions regarding the disease-modifying drugs. |
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