Therapy targets cause of chronic fatigue

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Therapy targets cause of chronic fatigue By Marsa, LA Times

December 20, 2004

Sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome are plagued with flu-like symptoms,

joint and muscle aches, a loss of mental acuity and such profound lethargy

that even routine activities can be exhausting.

But the debilitating disorder has no known cause or specific treatment.

An experimental therapy may change this bleak prognosis by lifting the

mental fog and increasing physical stamina. For some patients, this could

mean a return to normal existence.

" I'm hopeful this drug will meaningfully improve people's quality of life, "

says Dr. G. Klimas, an immunologist and chronic fatigue expert at the

University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida. " These patients are

often desperately ill. "

Chronic fatigue afflicts an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Americans, more

than half of whom are women. Symptoms can include headaches,

forgetfulness,

impaired concentration, dizziness, sore throat, fever, muscle weakness,

night sweats and an inability to achieve restful sleep.

Although experts are unsure what triggers the symptoms, they suspect that a

chronically hyperactive immune system is to blame. The immune system

appears to saturate the body with killer cells and proteins that normally

are dispatched only when repelling a bacterial or viral invasion.

Doctors use a variety of therapies, such as antidepressants and pain

relievers, to relieve symptoms, but the experimental treatment Ampligen

could become the first that targets the illness' underlying cause.

The injectable drug is composed of synthetic genetic material that is

similar to a virus.

" The body interprets this drug as a virus and reacts accordingly, " says Dr.

A. , a co-inventor of Ampligen and chief executive of

Hemispherx Biopharma Inc. in Philadelphia, which makes the drug.

Exposure to the synthetic virus prompts the body's immune system to produce

interferons, which are proteins that combat viruses and dampen an

overactive immune response.

Recent test results were encouraging. In a 40-week study, 234 people with

severe chronic fatigue were given either twice-weekly injections of

Ampligen or a dummy shot. The treated patients experienced a 21%

improvement on a treadmill test (a measure of exercise capacity), compared

with about 5% in the placebo group.

In addition, the Ampligen group reported feeling sharper mentally; about

80% stopped or reduced their use of other medications, and a handful were

able to go back to work.

Although the overall findings show a modest benefit, " these are people who

normally can't do anything strenuous without getting sick, and the majority

of patients experienced an improvement in their most difficult-to-reverse

symptoms, " says Dr. Lucinda Bateman, a chronic fatigue specialist in Salt

Lake City who helped test Ampligen.

The company hopes to have Ampligen on the market in 2006.

" I'm excited but cautious, " says Klimas. " This drug is quite beneficial for

some patients, and the next step is to figure out how to predict which ones

this can truly help. "

*

Also in the works:

Experimental tests of two drugs approved to treat other conditions also

show promise in treating chronic fatigue syndrome.

The wakefulness agent Provigil, a treatment for narcolepsy and excessive

daytime sleepiness, decreased lethargy in a small study of chronic fatigue

patients. Procrit, which is used to boost the volume of oxygen-carrying red

blood cells in patients undergoing chemotherapy, is also being studied for

its potential ability to combat fatigue in chronic fatigue patients.

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Source:

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-helab20dec20,1,4623188.story?coll