ARTHRITIS DRUG RELIEVES SCIATICA PAINhttp://content.health.msn.com/content/article/64/72213.htm

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Arthritis Drug Relieves Sciatica Pain

Remicade May Offer New Sciatica Treatment Option

By Warner

<http://content.health.msn.com/content/Biography/7/1756_54621.htm>

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

<http://content.health.msn.com/content/Biography/7/40428.htm>

on Wednesday, April 23, 2003

WebMD Medical News

April 23, 2003 -- A drug commonly used to ease the pain and inflammation

of rheumatoid arthritis may also double as a potential sciatica

treatment. A new study shows Remicade (infliximab) effectively reduced

leg pain caused by severe sciatica and allowed many suffers to return to

normal activities.

" These results are very promising for patients suffering from severe

sciatica, for whom surgery is the only treatment option, " says

researcher Jaro Karppinen, MD, of Oulu University Hospital in Oulu,

Finland, in a news release. " While more research is needed, these

findings indicate that infliximab may provide a potential new

alternative to help fulfill this unmet medical need. "

The study appears in the current issue of the journal Spine.

Researchers say it's the first time this class of drugs has been studied

as a sciatica treatment. The condition can be caused by normal wear and

tear on the body, but may also be caused by any sudden pressure on the

disc that supports the spine, such as a herniated disc. Symptoms usually

include leg pain, weakness, numbness, or a burning or tingling sensation

that travels down the leg.

Remicade works by reducing the level of a chemical in the body called

tumor necrosis factor alpha. Tumor necrosis factor alpha is a key factor

in the inflammatory process that occurs in a variety of conditions and

is increasingly thought to play a role in sciatica.

Remicade is currently approved by the FDA for use in treating rheumatoid

arthritis and Crohn's disease.

In the study, 10 people who had sciatica caused by a herniated disc were

given an intravenous dose of Remicade over two hours.

One hour after the infusion, leg pain had been reduced by 50%. Two weeks

after treatment, 60% of the patients were free of pain, compared with

only 16% of those who received a placebo infusion, and those benefits

continued for at least three months.

The study also found that within one month after treatment, all of the

patients who received Remicade were able to return to work while 38% of

the placebo group remained on disability leave.

In addition, researchers say none of the patients who received the

Remicade sciatica treatment had to undergo surgery for their condition,

compared with 15% of the non-treated group.

In an editorial that accompanies the study, Bjorn Rydevik, MD, of

Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenberg, Sweden, says the results

are impressive and " a new era may have been reached with new promising

pharmocologic treatment methods for sciatica. "

Although these results are promising, experts say the findings must

first be confirmed by a randomized, controlled trial to look at the

long-term safety of using Remicade for sciatica treatment before it can

adopted for general use.

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SOURCES: Spine, April 15, 2003. News release, Orton Rehabilitation Clinic.

© 2003 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.