Lipitor and laquinimod: oral immune modulators make news.Lipitor (atorvastatin atorvastatin /ator·va·stat·in/ (ah-tor?vah-stat´in) an antihyperlipidemic agent that acts by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis, used as the calcium salt in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and other forms of dyslipidemia. , from Pfizer), which is FDA-approved for people with high cholesterol Cholesterol, High Definition Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in animal tissue and is an important component to the human body. It is manufactured in the liver and carried throughout the body in the bloodstream. , is currently under study in 152 people at high risk for definite MS. The results of this 18-month study should be available in 2008. An early trial of the immune-modulator laquinimod (sponsored by Active Biotech) was well-tolerated in 209 people with relapsing MS. A higher dose of the drug was associated with less myelin myelin /my·elin/ (mi´e-lin) the lipid-rich substance of the cell membrane of Schwann cells that coils to form the myelin sheath surrounding the axon of myelinated nerve fibers. damage. Teva Neuroscience neu·ro·sci·ence n. Any of the sciences, such as neuroanatomy and neurobiology, that deal with the nervous system. neuroscience the embryology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology of the nervous system. , which acquired laquinimod in 2005, is currently planning a phase 3 trial. A matter of time John Richert, MD, vice president of Research & Clinical Programs for the Society, believes an MS pill is simply a matter of time. "However, assuming that the data are positive--it will probably be several years before such medications would be available," he said. |
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