Multiple sclerosis: New drug 'most effective'
There have been many drugs out on the market to help treat MS but no definitive cure. And there still is no definitive cure but there is a new drug option that seems to work the best. The drug, alemtuzumab, is also used to treat cancer patients with leukemia. It works by completely wiping out the immune system so that the immune system has to rebuild itself and start from scratch.
Is this the best option? It runs the risk of causing other immune system deficits. And similar to the other drugs on the market, it isn't a cure but only the most effective. I know that some treatment is better than no treatment however, do the benefits outweigh the potential harm?
Having seen a friend go through Leukemia it's hard to say what was the cancer and what was the medication. Should we allow others to go through this as well?
- Morgan Eary
I think that the benefits outweigh the potential harm. However, this is easy for me to say since I don't have MS and would not have to go through the process of having my entire immune system wiped out.
ReplyDeleteA very close family friend of mine has progressive MS. He has missed out on many milestones with his family because MS has limited his mobility. Recently he has started having more bad days than good, as is expected with progressive MS. I think that if he had been offered this treatment option when he had relapsing-remitting MS (since this treatment doesn't work on progressive MS) he would have definitely went with this option because at least he would have a chance to have more "better days" with his family despite the risk of immune system defects. In my opinion I think that a lot of people diagnosed with MS would pursue this treatment option if it would me that they could stop missing the important moments in life.
After reading the article, I think that the uncertainties surrounding the use of this special drug may be greater than the benefits presented. The article says that there were side effects that came along with taking the new medication and only mentions them as "other immune disorders". What exactly does other immune disorders include? The side effects could potential cause more harmful effects to a person's immune system or even increase the deterioration of the myelin in the central nervous system, which as we know, is irreplaceable. The other reason why I think the benefits don't outweigh the potential harm is the fact that the drug would have no effect on people with relapsing-remmitting MS. Why risk the possibility of potentially developing other immune disorders when the medicine might not even work?
ReplyDeleteThe article indicated this was not the first drug of choice but for use with people that other treatments had failed. I would assume a person with MS would be willing to risk the side effects if there was a possibility of improving their quality of life. The article indicated that for some people they functioned better after the treatment. If I was loosing the ability to walk, talk, eat....I would be willing to take the risk. At this time there is no cure for MS, so I would think living a life of quality would be better than prolonging life by treating symptoms through aggressive care aimed at only prolonging life.
ReplyDeleteI found the talk of cost of medication interesting as well. This article was from the UK where they have socialized medicine. It will be interesting in the availability of the drug to patients in countries that use socialized medicine opposed to privatized insurance. I do not deny it will still be expensive but I wage MDs will be more likely to pursue the medication in the USA opposed to the UK. Insurance companies in the USA will also likely negotiate deals with the drug manufacture to make it available to MS patients, once FDA approved.
I have a friend that suffers from MS. She seems to have more bad days than good days. She is very strong, however, and doesn't let it get her down. How long has this drug been out? I do not know if giving the chance of other immune diseases would be worth it to her. This could possibly speed up the progression of MS long term as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting that David mentioned price. I know that when you suffer from something like MS, there are a lot of doctor visits. Although there is no cure, the doctor visits still cost a ton. I think it's sad that doctors take advantage of those who are suffering. My friend's mom is constantly struggling to make ends meet to get my friend all the help she can get.
I work at the FDA and I know that there is a long process for drugs to be approved. Have there been any clinical trials? If so, how long have they lasted and what are the results. The FDA will not approve of drugs unless there is relatively low harmful side effects. Even if it may be effective in helping the quality of life, it could make it worse in the long run. The FDA would have to see extensive testing.