Word: interferons
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BUYING TIME In what may be a breakthrough, researchers used early drug intervention to delay the onset of the autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis. Doctors administered either a placebo or interferon beta-1a (Avonex) to 383 patients who had suffered one episode of symptoms--such as double or cloudy vision or problems with bladder control or balance--that often precede MS. Forty percent of the placebo group but less than 24% of the Avonex group developed MS over the course of the three-year study...
Because chemotherapy and radiation don't have much effect on advanced melanoma, researchers are experimenting with various drugs and vaccine-like therapies to try to rev up the body's defenses against the tumors. There has been enough success with interferon, says Dr. Ronald Blum, director of the Beth Israel Cancer Center in New York City, to make the immune-boosting drug be considered a standard of care. And, he adds, "for those who can withstand the short but very toxic inpatient treatment program, interleukin-2 can lead to significant reductions in tumor size." In most advanced cases, however...
...early as this summer. Celera scientists now have 90% of the genome in their database. They have also captured 97% of all the known human genes and discovered tens of thousands of new ones--including hundreds for previously unknown neurotransmitter receptors and at least one new kind of interferon. "This is not only a monumental moment in Celera's history," Venter proclaimed in a webcast news conference last week, "but also in the history of medicine...
Whereas traditional drug companies focus on developing chemical compounds, the biotech industry prefers to use biological ones--hormones, proteins and other substances that either already exist in the body or can be created from scratch. Examples include interferon, the clot buster tPA and the new breast-cancer drug Herceptin...
Taking their cue from AIDS research, doctors have discovered that a cocktail of drugs may be more effective than a single medication against hepatitis C. Until now interferon--injected three times a week--was the only treatment. But studies show that adding the antiviral pill ribavirin can more than double the odds of eradicating the liver disease. And for those who suffer a relapse, the combo increases the chances for a successful treatment fivefold...