Treatment that keeps half of people from relapsing for two years

More than half of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are treated with self-injected disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) had no evidence of disease activity after two years, a new study has found.

Turkish researchers wanted to determine the proportion of patients whose status was ‘ No Evidence of Disease Activity’, which is known as NEDA-3. To be NEDA-3, someone must have had no relapses, no worsening disability, and show no new brain inflammation when they are given an MRI scan.

The researchers looked at the data from 1,032 people who were treated with self-injected therapies between 1996 and 2005. Of these, 289 people were treated with Copaxone (glatiramer acetate)

“The disease was controlled two years after treatment in half of the patients, while NEDA-3 was achieved in one in five patients at the end of 10 years,” the team wrote. “Although this long-term rate may appear low, we think these therapies are effective if suitable patients are selected.”