San Francisco, CA and London, UK;Monoclonal Antibodies in Cancer Therapy 2009-2024 

Article Source: http://www.visiongain.com/Report.aspx?rid=384

Report Details

Monoclonal antibody-based therapies for cancer are a thriving part of the biotechnology sector, as our new market report explains. The oncology market continues to expand worldwide, with high demand for more-efficacious and better-tolerated cancer therapies. The monoclonal antibodies oncology market has been growing at a significant rate and holds high potential for continued growth in both developed and emerging geographical markets. Currently, new technologies are removing some of the drawbacks that monoclonal antibody therapies have experienced. Leading pharma companies are already investing heavily in monoclonal antibody technologies. Monoclonal antibodies with great commercial potential are in the oncology pipeline, as our new report – Monoclonal Antibodies in Cancer Therapy 2009-2024 – also explains.

The period 2009 to 2019 will reveal volatility in the monoclonal antibody therapies market as current-leading products reach peak sales and new-generation drugs emerge. Will technological advances further benefit monoclonal antibody-based therapies and their overall sales? Will better immunotoxicity profiles lead to higher revenues for products? What types of monoclonal antibody therapies will enter the market from 2009 onwards, and can they dominate this market? Where will the opportunities lie, and what are the market drivers and restraints? This report will provide you with the information that you need to understand current trends and future possibilities. In particular, we discuss prospects for the following products:
• Rituxan
• Avastin
• Herceptin
• Erbitux
• Vectibix
• Campath.

Comprehensive analysis of this important market area

Monoclonal Antibodies in Cancer Therapy 2009-2024 examines that market sector critically, through a comprehensive review of information sources, including consultations with relevant experts. This report provides detailed sales forecasts, discussions of pipeline developments and analysis of commercial drivers and restraints, including a SWOT analysis. There are over 55 tables and figures included. The result is a comprehensive market- and industry-centred report with detailed analyses and informed opinion.

Why you should buy this report

Benefits that you will gain from Monoclonal Antibodies in Cancer Therapy 2009-2024 include:
• Appraisal of the existing market for monoclonal antibody cancer therapies
• Forecasting and discussion of market values for monoclonal antibody cancer therapies, including detailed sales forecasts for 2009 to 2024
• Discussion of leading products, including sales forecasts, growth and market share analyses
• Analyses of 10 leading national markets for monoclonal antibody cancer therapies, including China and India, with forecasted sales and market shares
• Coverage of R&D pipeline developments, with trends to watch out for
• Exclusive interviews with a leading academic and mAbs journal chief editor and with a chief scientist in oncology within a leading pharma company
• Informed analyses of strengths and weaknesses of the technologies from 2009 onwards
• Balanced assessments of commercial drivers and restraints that the market area faces from 2009 to 2024.

You can order this report today

Nobody with a commercial interest in biotechnology or in cancer therapies can afford to overlook this new study from visiongain. The market environment in many countries will change. There will also be further development of the Chinese and Indian biotechnology sectors – especially relevant from next decade onwards. Importantly, there will be increases in demand in both developed and developing national markets. With an impressive R&D pipeline, this area holds great potential for new products. Do you want to know more about this important market? You can stay ahead by ordering this report today.

Monoclonal Antibodies in Cancer Therapy 2009-2024 is essential reading for everybody involved with mAb development and strategy. The opportunities globaly are changing, especially in the next decade. Do you want to know more about important developments? You can stay ahead by ordering this report today.

Companies Listed

Solvay shopping its drug business. Belgian conglomerate Solvay is eying an exit of the drug business with a sale of its pharmaceutical division that could be worth upwards of €5 billion, or $6.6 billion. Solvay didn’t go into details about why it might give up its fastest-growing and most profitable division. But after talk of a deal involving Solvay, the company issued a statement Wednesday saying it was exploring “various options for its pharmaceutical activities,” and that this review involves “discussions with third parties.”

Watson wins an important round with J&J on Concerta going generic.

Genzyme takes over rights to MS and Oncology drugs from Bayer HealthCare - Genzyme has scooped up key worldwide rights to the leukemia drug Campath–which is being studied as a treatment for MS–and two cancer therapies from its development partner Bayer HealthCare in a deal with a potential $2.8 billion payout.

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There’s still plenty of deal activity in the pharma and biotech sector this week, even outside Canada, so here’s a roundup of what’s done, what’s pending and what’s in the rumor mill:

Done:

• Genzyme Corp. purchased the rights to Campath, Fludara and Leukine from Bayer HealthCare for $0 up front and up to $2.8 billion for milestone and revenue targets. All three are currently approved for leukemia in the U.S. and Genzyme is now conducting two phase 3 studies testing Campath on MS patients, with Bayer continuing to fund a portion of Campath’s development.  Genzyme will also acquire a new, Seattle-area Leukine manufacturing facility for $75 million to $100 million and hire the plant’s operating personnel following FDA plant approval, which is expected in 2010.
• Lilly has a new drug development agreement with India’s Zydus for new cardiovascular products.  Zydus will initiate the drug discovery along with conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials up to Phase II Human Proof-of-Concept and stands to gain up to $300 million in milestones. Lilly will provide chemical starting points as well as expertise and feedback regarding toxicology, ADME, chemistry, biology, clinical and regulatory aspects as needed.
• In a similar deal closer to home, Human Genome Sciences made a discovery deal with Morphotek to identify promising cancer-fighting and immunology drug candidates. HGS will use Morphotek’s technology to help isolate potential drug compounds out of HGS’ genomics work. 

Pending:

• Elan has been looking for options since January, and Friday Lundbeck was rumored to be contemplating a bid. However, Biogen, Elan’s partner in Tysabri, has the right to buy Elan’s 50% stake of the drug in the event of a takeover.
• GlaxoSmithKline is reportedly preparing to take a 10%  stake in generics company Aspen Pharmacare of South Africa, a continuation of a trend we’ve been following. 
• Biogen bought an option to acquire ex-U.S. rights to Aveo’s ErbB3-targeted antibodies. The option is exercisable following the results of mid-stage clinical trials, Aveo said on Tuesday.  Although those results are a few years away, Aveo gets an up front payment and milestones in the meanwhile.
• JLL Partners finished its acquisition of PharmaNet, but is still hard at work on Patheon.  Patheon would rather you read about their new cross-marketing agreement instead.

Rumored:

• Solvay seems to be putting its pharma business on the block, including drugs for hypertension, cholesterol and Parkinson’s disease, as well as hormone-replacement therapies for men and women comprising €2.7 billion in sales in 2008, plus TriLipix, which Solvay co-markets with Abbott, got FDA approval in December.
• Lilly has $15 billion set aside for acquisitions, but will not do any mega-mergers; and Abbott has also disclaimed interest in large acquisitions, but all signs point to their having taken at least a jog at Wyeth in December before Pfizer tied the knot.
• Other rumors: Nycomed on the sell side and Infosys (believe it or not) on the buy side, but not for each other, according to DotW on the In Vivo Blog, which also noted the deal GSK signed with Pentraxin to develop a novel treatment for amyloidosis.

I had my 6 month post-transplant visit with the Surgeon and Transplant Coordinator (Nurse) today.

I had expected to be decreased on my Immunosuppressants (Prograf and CellCept), but that didn’t happen. However, the target blood level for Prograf was slightly decreased, from 8-10 to 7-9; the CellCept is not adjusted according to blood level.  So I guess I was indirectly decreased, although not right now.

I did have 2 medications stopped:  Dapsone, which is for prevention of PCP (Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia) and Valcyte, which is for prevention of CMV (I was on a double dose since my donor was CMV + and I’m CMV negative). Apparently, the initial suppression of my T Cells with Campath has worn off, and thus I no longer need those 2 meds. 

As a side note, when I was still on orientation at the hospital I was hired for right out of nursing school, one of my first patients was a 10 year old who was less than 24 hours post-op from a living donor kidney transplant (in 1989, back in the days when Cyclosporine was used because Prograf hadn’t yet been invented). Campath had probably not yet been invented as well, and they were using a brand new class of drugs called “monoclonal antibodies”. This girl was given Orthoclone OKT3.  IIRC, this drug was not given prior or during transplant, but was given if there were initial signs of rejection.

This drug was pretty scary, as the side effects included chest pain, heart dysrhythmias, shortness of breath, wheezing, etc. It turns out that this girl had the chest pain and shortness of breath, and had to be put on oxygen and given several Albuterol treatments. I don’t think that this is used, as Campath or Thymoglobulin are the drugs of choice, and are given mainly to prevent rejection, while the OKT3 was (at least initially) used to TREAT acute rejection. How times have changed….

The other (very minor) issue was that I’ve had intermittent pain in my left abdomen, around where the transplant is. I wasn’t very concerned, but did tell the doctor. He examined me, and felt it was maybe a pulled muscle, or as I suspect, pain from sitting too long with jeans that have a tight waistband.

My labs continue to be stable. My hemoglobin is 11.9, so the Procrit continues, my creatinine is 1.2, my Prograf level is 9, and everything else looks great. I’ll post the labs tomorrow when I’m able to enter them into my spreadsheet.

I  had a split-second panic this morning, when packing my lunch box, I realized I forgot to take my morning meds yesterday. Nothing I could do about it, so I took them a little earlier today (I did take my evening meds last night). Just don’t tell my doctor

My BP continues to be excellent; 124/64. It’s been since last winter when I took my last BP med, which never ceases to amaze me. I was disappointed when I lost weight after gastric bypass, and had to have an INCREASE in BP meds, but now that my “natives” (kidneys) are totally shot, it was probably the kidney failure that caused the hypertension.

My weight is up 5 lbs since last month, so I need to cut down on my intake. I continue to walk daily at work, and Jackie and I started walking nightly. The problem is that I “graze” at work, so I’ll have to cut that out.

‘Til next time….

Sanofi-Aventis suspends sale of Acomplia in Europe. Acomplia, an obesity drug that once looked like it would be a blockbuster for Sanofi-Aventis, is being pulled off the market in Europe. The EMEA, the European version of the FDA, said today that a key committee “concluded that the benefits of Acomplia no longer outweigh its risks and the marketing authorisation should be suspended across the European Union.”…more

Jim Edwards summarizes what he calls Pfizer’s Race to the Bottom. With some similar commentary on Novartis‘ growth/shrinkage.

Merck announces more big cuts – As part of its earnings announcement, the drugmaker says it expects to eliminate approximately 7,200 positions – 6,800 active employees and 400 vacancies – across all areas of the company worldwide by the end of 2011, with about 40 percent of the total reductions coming in the US (see statement). This amounts to 12 percent of the workforce…more

Pfizer’s Chantix: going down…or up, depending on which continent you’re on…US researchers say even more warnings needed.

FDA: Another day, another stall – U.S. regulators have extended by three months their review of a proposed osteoporosis drug from Pfizer Inc to study the pill in more depth, a company spokeswoman said on Tuesday…more And, while we’re at it, a thumbs down (for now) for Abbott’s new version of Vicodin. Oh, and hey, let’s delay Abbott’s new cholesterol drug while we’re in foot-dragging mode!

Novartis buys up Nektar’s pulmonary business – Nektar Therapeutics  today announced that Novartis AG has agreed to acquire from Nektar specific pulmonary delivery assets, technology, and intellectual property for $115 million in cash…more

Will BMS lead the charge in buying up undervalued biotechs?

Earnings roundup for Schering, Pfizer, Roche - here’s the scoop.

What about Amgen’s growth? An interesting analysis here. Plus – how 6 pharma companies have dodged (or not) the current financial crisis (extracts from earnings announcements from Pfizer, Bayer, Abbott Labs, Gilead, Wyeth and Genentech, all on the topic of how each company has fared in the crisis.)

Celgene seems to be doing quite OK.

J&J’s HIV drug gets expanded approval – U.S. health regulators have expanded approval for Johnson & Johnson’s Prezista in combination with other drugs to treat HIV patients who are just beginning to take medication for the virus, the company said on Wednesday…more

Avastin: what doesn’t this drug do? - After tagging the antibody drug with a radioactive tracer and injecting it into mice, researchers found it successfully targeted cancer cells and this enabled them to produce well-defined images of tumours during scanning…more

Speaking of which, does leukemia drug Campath help stop early stage MS? Fascinating possibility – A drug developed to fight leukemia appears to stop multiple sclerosis in its early stages and restore lost function to patients, British researchers said on Wednesday…more

Forest Labs growing green – Forest Laboratories Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, fueled by stronger sales of its drugs for Alzheimer’s disease and depression and lower research spending…more

Biologics and safety concerns: really not a big surprise here – Approximately one in four biologics approved since 1995 in the US and Europe have had at least one safety-related regulatory action issued for them 10 years after their approval, including about 11 percent receiving a Black Box warning, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association…more

Take a Chill, Pill: are oral cancer drugs all they’re cracked up to be?

B-I has some encouraging potential early results for novel cancer drugs.

The WSJ talks about healthcare, IT, and the future. Interesting stuff.

Kevin and I just got back from my bi-weekly appointments with the Transplant Surgeon and Transplant Nephrologist.

I started out having labs drawn, we then went to breakfast, and then up to see the nurse and doctors. Everything is going GREAT. My creatinine is 1.2, and my kidney function is above 60%! (they don’t quantify above that; anything over 60% is considered normal)  I looked back at my labs, and was able to track my creatinine back to April 2000; at that point, it was 1.6. They didn’t start reporting GFR until 2004, and in March of that year, it was 29.2.  This was the first BMP (basic metabolic panel) since the mid-late 1990’s that ALL values were normal.  Dr. Varma, the Transplant Surgeon, had a huge smile, and said that I couldn’t have asked for a better kidney. My Prograf level (FK-506), CMV level (to determine if I have the virus active in my body), and BK Virus screening were not back yet.

Other highlights: I don’t have to return for another 2 weeks (I was told initially I would have appointments WEEKLY for 3 months), I am cleared to drive (WHOPPEE!), and I can return to work sooner than planned (tentatively set for July 7).

The Transplant Nephrologist was also pleased with my progress. I asked about still taking Vitamin D, and he said it was OK, and that he will check a Vitamin D level and PTH in several months.  Also, he will recheck my iron studies to see if I need another IV dose of Venofer.

The Transplant Nurse explained my immunosuppression regime in a little more detail. I follow a kidney transplant group online, and many of the patients report a dose of CellCept of 1000 mg twice daily; mine is 500 mg twice daily. The reason for the lower dose is because they hit me with Campath prior to surgery, which basically wiped out my T cells, and decreases the need for more heavy immunosuppression. I guess it’s a case of a synergistic effect. Using smaller doses of more meds is better than larger doses of less meds.

As things are pretty much stable, I probably won’t blog every day, at least about my transplant. However, I will update my “Vital Signs…” page daily.

I’ve come upon some useful browser add-ons, as well as other software. First, there’s “Slimbrowser”:  It incorporates a large collection of wonderful features like recoverable popup killer, form filler, site group, quick-search, auto login, hidden sites, built-in commands and scripting, online translation, script error suppression, blacklist/whitelist filtering. In plain English, it’s a lean, mean alternative to Internet Explorer, and more secure.

There are several add-ons to it as well. First, there’s Roboform, which incorporates into ALL of your web browsers, and fills in passwords and forms. It’s safe, because you have to log on with a master password to use it. Another worthwhile add-on is Blaze-FTP, which is a free FTP client.

Another add-on that I now use is BlogRovR. It is an online website/application that allows you to centralize the blogs that you read on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it’s only available for Firefox.

Feeling better each day. The minor issues I’ve had along the way; edema, arm pain, diarrhea, incisional pain, etc are all but resolved.

My daily vital signs are all good today. I also updated my labs, since they are now finally available to me online.

I had my weekly appointments today, which is why I’m posting later than usual.

They had difficulty drawing my blood today, but with what they had to work with, I’m not surprised. They ended up using “old faithful” (a small vein on the outside of my arm just below my elbow).

The Transplant Nephrologist was in first. His main concern is my anemia, and he is right on top of it. He thanked me for being “proactive”, as I had emailed him over the weekend to explain my ongoing iron situation, and had requested labs to check on it. Since he’s only seen me once since my transplant, I wanted him to know of the ongoing iron problem. He took the time to explain that due to my gastric bypass surgery, I probably malabsorb iron. Iron requires an acid environment (most of my stomach is stapled off, and my “pouch” may not produce enough acid to absorb iron; in addition, my acid secretions are decreased due to the Prilosec), and it also requires the parietal cells in the ileum (portion of the small bowel) as well (my bypass is before the ileum).  The plan is to watch the trend of my iron studies, and if still abnormally low, that I may need monthly IV infusions of iron.

As it turned out, my studies are all normal today, with the exception of my iron binding function, which is minimally below normal. So that is good. My hemoglobin is stable but low, and my hematocrit is fairly stable, although a bit lower than last week. I think that they said that I would need Procrit if the hematocrit goes to 25 or below, so there’s still some room there.  And I’m less concerned, because my hemoglobin is unchanged, so maybe the new kidney is producing erythropoietin now.  Also, he discussed my white blood cell count, which is low. That is due to the Valcyte and CellCept. However, he explained that since my segs were high, I’m more or less protected from viruses, but since I had “Campath Induction” , my T cells were essentially wiped out, making me more susceptible to bacterial infections such as TB.

The Transplant Surgeon was in last, and was very pleased with both my labs and my progress. They did a lab called an Immune Cell Function last week. As it was explained to me, this is a guideline for them to use to determine the amount of my immunosuppression, and it is “right on” where they want it. My phosphorous and magnesium are now both within normal, so I can stop the Magnesium Oxide-yea! My Prograf level (FK-506) is finally normal, so I assume my dose stays the same (this wasn’t back until after my appointment).

I did print out my “daily vital signs” spreadsheet, and the Transplant Nurse told the surgeon I’m “anal”. I agree, however, I also did it to occupy my time as well. But I think that the surgeon is more comfortable with me making sure that I do what I need to do, because he told me that I can come back in 2 weeks, instead of 1 week.

I also asked him about my cystoscopy next week (I’ll be getting my stent out). My concern is that I may get an infection, which will travel to my native kidneys. He said that he would  prefer not to give an antibiotic beforehand, because that promotes resistance. If I had a problem with my heart valve, then yes, he would, but not in this case.

I’m excited about a new blogging opportunity. I will be writing for a website that will have multiple bloggers writing on various aspects of kidney disease. I will be writing as a new transplantee. There are also future plans to expand the site, and I will probably be writing as a medical professional. I will post more details when things are up and running.

We’re finally under way.

Rhys had his first dose of campath today, in addition to fluids and a lot of other medication to help him deal with the chemotherapy and its effects.

He’s eaten two meals today. His first was 2 potato waffles and 2 chicken teddies. He left one of the teddies but ate everything else.

His second meal was burger with cheese on top (no roll), chips and onion rings. I swear the burger didn’t touch the sides on its way down. One minute it was there and the next it was gone. When he ran out of steam Rhys left a couple of chips and onion rings.

A pretty successful day on the eating front.

Even so he is going to be fed through his nasal tube while he’s in bed asleep. The idea is to ensure he doesn’t lost any more weight but will him used to being fed this way if he needs it later on. Tonight the nurses are going to increase the rate at which the feed is going in by 10ml every few hours. Starting at 20ml per hour by Sunday morning Rhys should be getting feed at 70ml per hour.

Tray and I are going to have to learn to feed him using the tube although fortunately the nurses in Yeovil will be the ones to change it for us.

]]> http://treatingrhys.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/the-months-ahead/ Fri, 16 May 2008 21:24:57 +0000 treatingrhys http://treatingrhys.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/the-months-ahead/

Following our chat with Rhys’ consultant in Bristol on Monday here is our understanding of the months ahead.

Rhys is going to be on antibiotics both before and after his transplant. These will continue until his body is able to fight off infections without them.

Conditioning

On the 16^th Rhys will be going into hospital to start the conditioning for the transplant. This consists of two parts.

The first part is the chemotherapy and starts Friday evening and runs through until Sunday.

All of this will be done in the non-isolation part of the BMT unit.

The chemotherapy consists of 3 drugs.

• The first of the drugs which is given on all 3 days, first dose Friday night, is Campath. This is an antibody that removes the lymphocytes from the blood and marrow.

Campath

• reduces the chance of

• rejection of the transplant and

• Graft vs Host Disease

• increases the chance of viral infections

Possible reactions to the drug are

• fever

• rash

• wheezing

• allergic reaction

These usually occur following the first dose.

• The second drug is Cyclophosphamide. This is something that Rhys has already had during his treatment previously and again is given to kill off cells in the blood and marrow.

• At the same time as he’s receiving the Cyclophosphamide Rhys will also receive a drug called Mesna and plenty of fluids to ensure that he is well hydrated and that any toxic material resulting from the Cyclophosphamide is flushed out of his body.

After having all of these it will take about a year for Rhys to recover which means that he’s going to be on acyclovir and septrin for quite some time.

The second part of the conditioning is the radiotherapy. This will be twice a day for 4 days, starting Tuesday and ending Friday. One dose will be in the morning, the other in the afternoon.

Bone Marrow Transplant

On Friday (23^rd) Rhys will move into his new home for the next 6 weeks or so as he wanders from non-isolation into his room in the isolation part of the BMT unit.

In the evening he will have the transplant which takes a couple of hours as it’s a transfusion through his Hickman line.

Again as with any of this there are things that can crop up as a result of the transplant.

• Infections whether bacterial, fungal or viral.

The hospital will be monitoring Rhys on a twice weekly basis for signs of adenovirus, CMV (cytomegalovirus) and EBV (Epstein-Barr virus).

• Mucositis.

This could cause problems with feeding if Rhys goes off his food and the feeding tube has to be removed. However, it will be possible to give TPN (Total Parental Nutrition) through his Hickman Line if this is the case.

• Veno-occlusive disease

By days 21 to 28 after the transplant there should be signs of the bone marrow growing. It is at this point that the possibility Graft Vs Host Disease (GVHD) raises its head. If it does occur then a mild case of it is good. A more serious case of it is not so good.

Prevention of GVHD is by means of cyclosporine and methotrexate, the latter being given of days 1, 3, 6 and 11 following the transplant. Treatment for GVHD will be by means of steroids.

Rhys will be in isolation for at least 35 days after the transplant. The actual day he will get out of isolation and back to Sam’s house will be dependent on how well the transplant goes. There’s also the possibility that rather than going directly from isolation to Sam’s Rhys might go via non-isolation for a few days.

Once Rhys is at Sam’s it will be about 2 to 3 weeks before he can possibly return home to Yeovil. Again this is dependent on how well the treatment has gone and he’s recovered from it.

Afterwards

Once Rhys is back home in Yeovil he will be attending Yeovil and Bristol for monitoring and any further treatment on alternate weeks. Attendance at Bristol will be 1 day every other week.

It will be a long time before Rhys has recovered from the transplant and is able to start doing all those things that he’s been able to do in the past. His immune system is going to take a long time to build up and so he will be vulnerable to all kinds of things. Rhys should be able to start back to school part time about 9 months after the transplant which by our reckoning will be about May 2009, just in time for Year 6 SATS – assuming that SATS are still being done in Year 6 then.

It’s still a long road ahead but we’re all getting there.

Links

The links below will take you to some sites that have more information related to

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Home

http://www.pjonline.com/Hospital/Editorial/200002/articles/bonemarrowtransplant.html

http://www.kidshealth.com/parent/infections/lung/adenovirus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucositis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_parenteral_nutrition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graft-versus-host_disease

http://www.marrow.org/PATIENT/Plan_Life_after_Tx/Managing_Long-Term_Effects_of_/Graft-Versus-Host_Disease/index.html

]]> http://sunshineandmoonlight.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/where-does-your-monster-live/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:04:48 +0000 Kim http://sunshineandmoonlight.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/where-does-your-monster-live/

Maybe your monster lives in the closet, like the one my new buddy Trevis writes about.  Maybe he lives at the end of the book, like mine does.  Today’s monster is Mighty Relapse, and you won’t find him hanging out with the other monsters on Sesame Street.  M.R., for short, is too ugly to live with cuties like Elmo and Zoe.  Regardless of where your monster lives, or how ugly he is, take my advice – it’s better to meet the monster head on and deal with him.   Remember, my friends, Knowledge Decreases Fear.

It’s only been nineteen days since my IPIR and allergy attack from Copaxone.   For fifteen days now I’ve been pondering if I’m in a true M.S. relapse.  Yesterday (ironically on my five month anniversary of my M.S. diagnosis) I came to the realization that (duh, yes), I’ve been in a full blown relapse.  My symptoms are much, much worse and very obvious.  And, they’ve been driving me nuts for many days now.  I wanted to blame everything on the Copaxone reaction, when in my heart I knew this was a true relapse.  Why? Because I hoped to get through a full year without a relapse occurring.

I also hoped to make it through a full year without any new lesions coming out to play.  We’re beginning to think I didn’t beat the odds on that spectrum either.  (The hubby isn’t taking me to Vegas anytime soon).  My foot buzzing/vibration symptom is a new one since my last MRI – and possibly could mean a new lesion has appeared.  An MRI is in my near future and we’ll sort it all out then.  

In the meantime, the Copaxone is definitely out.  The reaction was too much like an allergic one (very rare apparently for folks on Copaxone) and it’s not something to mess around with.  So, yesterday, the hubby and I played in the Alphabet Soup with my awesome neurologist and together we reached a conclusion.  We’re going with Rebif (at least for now).  I’m nervous about the flu symptom side effects, the possible liver issues, and the building up of anti-bodies, but we all need to be nervous about something don’t we?

The hubby and I considered Tysabri as well, and if the Rebif isn’t manageable, that’s where we’re headed next.  I was drowning in my soup, so when push came to shove, I told the hubby to make the decision for me. Even though the you-know-what guessed my weight at 22 pounds higher than what it is, he does have a solid decision-making ability.  He decided at this point in the game to err on the side of caution, selecting the more established treatment method, the one with a longer history than just a couple of years.  Plus, who knows how bad those flu symptoms will be for me anyway.  Avoiding a monster doesn’t create knowledge and we all know that it’s really knowledge that decreases fear.  I won’t know until I try it.  If nothing else, I know the Tysabri option may still be available to me as well.

Here’s why I’m torn.  Tysabri really seems to be a strong drug – strong meaning that it’s apparently quickly effective for the treatment of MS, perhaps even stronger than Rebif.  But there is a level of risk with a newer, less tested treatment.  Does it really work? Yes, people died while on it – but they were on Avonex at the same time.  Can a couple of years tell us enough about a drug that is infused into our body once a month?  Risk vs. reward.  We decided on the lower risk option for right now.

In the meantime, while I wait for my new MRI, my next round of blood work that will serve as my baseline for testing liver function and antibodies, and for my shipment of Rebif to arrive, I’m going to be doing some reading.  Have you heard about Campath?  I also have the opportunity to enter into a clinical trial – Rebif vs. Campath – a new infusion medication that is done only once a year! This experimental drug is for treating M.S., organ transplant rejection,  and several types of leukemia. The generic name for Campath is Alemtuzumab.  I wanted to be involved in a clinical trial since my diagnosis.  If I have to have this disease, the least I can do is help others in the process through scientific research.  If I enter this clinical trial, designed to compare Campath to Rebif, I’d end up taking one or the other for a period of time (two years).   Before I commit to such a study, I want to do two things (a) see if I can tolerate Rebif in case I get selected for that treatment group and (b) read up on Campath itself.  With a relapse and possible new lesion(s) within only five months of diagnosis, I want to be sure what I’m doing.  I don’t want my brain and nervous system to suffer at the hands of science either.