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Oklahoma patients take part in MS drug trials

 
BY SUSAN SIMPSON    Comment on this article Leave a comment
Published: September 23, 2009

The first pill to treat multiple sclerosis could be on the market soon and was tested on MS patients from Oklahoma.

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What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another.

Diagnosis of MS is usually made between age 20 and 40. MS affects more women than men.

About 400,000 Americans have MS. Most people with MS have a normal or near-normal life expectancy.

FDA-approved medications can reduce the number of relapses and slow down the underlying course of MS.

Source: National MS Society

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Dr. Gabriel Pardo, director of the MS Center of Oklahoma at Mercy’s Neuroscience Institute, led one of the clinical trials for the Merck Serono drug cladribine.

"We are very excited about the results,” Pardo said. Federal Drug Administration approval is expected next year. The drug already is used to treat leukemia.

According to Merck, patients taking the tablets had a nearly 60 percent lower relapse rate than those on placebo pills.

Currently, treatments for MS must be given by injections and have varying success rates.

The MS Center at Mercy is the state’s only comprehensive center for MS treatment and research. Clinical trials are common at the center.

For one of the medical devices Pardo is evaluating, patients are strapped into a parachute harness and stand on a swaying platform. They are then given visual cues to test their balance.

The device aims to show subtle changes in the disease’s progression, said Pardo, who recently presented findings to the 25th Congress of the European Committee for the Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.

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Related Topics: Science and Technology, Technology, Health and Fitness, Autoimmune Disorders, Medical Technology, Multiple Sclerosis, Clinical Trials, Brain and Nerve Health



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