FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Bayer’s multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Betaferon was shown to be more effective when given on the first sign of the disease than if treatment is delayed, the German drugmaker said on Saturday.
Compared to initial placebo treatment, early use of Betaferon delayed the onset of definite MS by 37 percent or 45 percent over a five-year period, depending which of two commonly used definitions of MS was used, a five-year study involving 468 patients showed.
In the trial, one group was given the drug on the first symptoms pointing to MS, while the other group received a placebo at first and switched to Betaferon as soon as a second attack occurred or after two years at the latest.
