Modest benefit to cognitive function with Avonex. (News).During the large double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Avonex (interferon beta-1a interferon beta-1a Avonex, Rebif Pharmacologic class: Biological response modifier Therapeutic class: Antiviral, immunoregulator Pregnancy risk category C Action) that led to FDA FDAabbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. approval in 1996, researchers gave cognitive tests to 166 of the participants. All of them had relapsing MS. A recent analysis of these trial results shows that people who received Avonex did better on some cognitive functions cognitive function Neurology Any mental process that involves symbolic operations–eg, perception, memory, creation of imagery, and thinking; CFs encompasses awareness and capacity for judgment commonly affected by MS. Participants in the Avonex trial had been given neuropsychological tests at the beginning and end of a 2-year period. The group taking a placebo (or inert injection) showed little or no change. The group taking Avonex showed modest improvement on tests that measured speed of information processing information processing: see data processing. information processing Acquisition, recording, organization, retrieval, display, and dissemination of information. Today the term usually refers to computer-based operations. , recent memory, and other functions. These fundings were published in the December 2000 issue of the Annals of Neurology. |
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