Drugs Combination 90% Efficient Against Multiple Sclerosis

Up to the present time there was almost no chance of reducing multiple sclerosis awful pains and symptoms that made people feel completely helpless and of no use. Patients with multiple sclerosis could only start experiencing all kinds of complementary therapies as a last chance to decrease the symptoms.

But a recent small study developed in Liverpool showed that a combination of two drugs - one used for treating cancer and the other one already used for treating the relapsing-remitting sufferers-could increase the chances of a successful treatment. A small number of patients with multiple sclerosis have been treated throughout a 5 years period with Mitoxantrone drug that is used against cancer and then with the multiple sclerosis drug, Copaxone.

Mitoxantrone is an extremely powerful anti-cancer drug that is not recommended to be taken for long periods of time, as it can become highly toxic for the whole organism of a patient. On the other hand, Copaxone is a slowly acting drug for multiple sclerosis condition.

"We decided to overlap the treatments because we wanted to give some time to Copaxone to build up its effect," the medical team said.

The researchers from the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool that conducted the study found that the combination of the two medicines is extremely efficient for the relapsing-remitting patients, working in 90% of the cases.

Dr Mike Boggild, who led the research, stated: "This regime has proved remarkably effective. Though there are certain risks, associated particularly with use of Mitoxantrone we have been able to limit these by using this agent for just a short induction period. Balanced against the high risk of early disability for these patients, the outcomes appear to justify this approach."

However, one of the patients treated with the drug combination developed acute leukemia, one of the most known side effects of Mitoxantrone. But Dr Mike Boggild declared they succeeded to prevent the side effects of the drugs in the other patients and still believes that the combination is vital for patients that otherwise would feel like complete cripples.

"Patients who were just the worst of the worst did remarkably well. We think we've tapped into an unexpected synergy between the two drugs that gives you more than the sum of the parts," the lead researcher said.