Multiple sclerosis drug 'a landmark'

[nitpicker]

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-38392548

Multiple sclerosis drug 'a landmark'

By James Gallagher
Health and science reporter, BBC News website

9 hours ago

From the section Health

A drug that alters the immune system has been described as "big news" and a "landmark" in treating multiple sclerosis, doctors and charities say. Trials, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest the drug can slow damage to the brain in two forms of MS. Ocrelizumab is the first drug shown to work in the primary progressive form of the disease. The drug is being reviewed for use in the US and Europe.
(snip)

The disease can either just get worse, known as primary progressive MS, or come in waves of disease and recovery, known as relapsing remitting MS. Both are incurable, although there are treatments for the second state.

Ocrelizumab kills a part of the immune system - called B cells - which are involved in the assault on the myelin sheath. In 732 patients with progressive MS, the percentage of patients that had deteriorated fell from 39% without treatment to 33% with ocrelizumab . Patients taking the drug also scored better on the time needed to walk 25 feet and had less brain loss detected on scans.

In 1,656 patients with relapsing remitting, the relapse rate with ocrelizumab was half that of using another drug.
(snip)

The drug is being considered by the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration.
(snip)

[mopinko]

1. oh please oh please.

both my sister and her daughter have it.
my sister is so far gone, i doubt anything would help her. but i have my fingers crossed that her daughter has more options.