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MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS Gabe Mirkin, M.D.Here is an example of how difficult it is for doctors to accept new thinking on the causes and treatments of diseases. Multiple sclerosis is characterized by repeated episodes of nerve damage and recovery. For example, a person may lose vision and regain it, then lose coordination for one arm and leg, then regain some coordination, and so forth, each time losing more than is regained. Doctors do not have an effective treatment because they don't know the cause. The most likely cause is an infection because 85 percent of patients do not have an affected relative and only one in three identical twins of MS patients develops MS. Several researchers have presented evidence that chlamydia pneumoniae may be the cause (1,2). It has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients, but not in that of patients with other neurological diseases. There is also a report of a patient with spinal chlamydia infection and rapidly progressive multiple sclerosis that was cured by minocycline, a very safe antibiotic. Because nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis can be permanent and minocycline is so safe, doctors should offer this treatment to multiple sclerosis patients, provided that they tell them that this treatment must be considered experimental, because chlamydia has not been proved to cause multiple sclerosis and minocycline has not been tested to see if it can cure that disease. Researchers at the National Institute of Health reported that multiple sclerosis may be caused by human herpes simplex virus six, and researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Rockefeller University in New York reported the same results. However, no studies have been done to treat multiple sclerosis with drugs that kill human herpes virus-6, Gancyclovir or fornascat, probably because many researchers are afraid of its toxic side effects. 1) Presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in the cerebral spinal fluid is a common phenomenon in a variety of neurological diseases and not restricted to multiple sclerosis. ls of Neurology, 2001, Vol 49, Iss 5, pp 585-589. J Gieffers, D Pohl, J Treib, R Dittmann, C Stephan, K Klotz, F Hanefeld, W Solbach, A Haass, M Maass. Address: Gieffers J, Med Univ Lubeck, Inst Med Microbiol & Hyg, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Lubeck, GERMANY. 2) An infectious basis for multiple sclerosis - Perspectives on the role of Chlamydia pneumoniae and other agents. H Moses, S Sriram. Biodrugs, 2001, Vol 15, Iss 3, pp 199-206.Address: Sriram S, Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabil Hosp, Multiple Sclerosis Res Lab & Clin, 2201 Capers Ave, Room 1222, Nashville,TN 37212 USA

Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc announced results of preclinical studies demonstrating that a new class of compounds, orally available non-antibacterial tetracyclines, has shown promising activity in a preclinical animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Affecting approximately two million people worldwide, MS is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the nervous system and the most common, non-traumatic, neurological disease in young adults. Dr. McKenney, a Paratek scientist, will present the findings during an oral presentation at 2:30 p.m. PST (5:30 p.m. EST) today at Neuroscience 2004, the Society for Neuroscience's 34th Annual Meeting in San Diego.For the first time, Paratek is presenting data showing that its non-antibacterial tetracycline compounds in a preclinical model of MS have efficacy comparable to minocycline, an antibiotic also in the tetracycline family. A previous clinical study directed by Dr. Luanne Metz at the University of Calgary has demonstrated disease protection in MS patients treated with minocycline. Unfortunately, long-term treatment with minocycline or any other broad-spectrum antibiotics causes many patients to experience intolerability related to antibiotic side effects. In today's presentation, Paratek will report that three non-antibacterial tetracycline compounds, with different structures, demonstrated activity in reducing limb paralysis in the preclinical EAE (Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis) model of MS. These compounds have no detectable antibacterial activity. Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Serono (virt-x: SEO and NYSE: SRA) announced today that they have entered into an agreement to discover, develop and commercialize an orally-available disease modifying treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The agreement covers the compounds for which Dr. McKenney presents data today. Stuart Levy, Paratek's Vice Chairman, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder, commented, "The clinical research community has long regarded a pill for MS as an ultimate goal, but so far attempts to develop a safe, feasible, orally available drug candidate have failed. Our team has successfully modified the tetracycline molecule, keeping the core structure that confers anti-MS activity while removing portions of the molecule with antibacterial effects. This represents an exciting advance not only for MS, but potentially for many other inflammation-related disease areas. " Dr. Draper, Associate Director at Paratek, stated, "Paratek has developed world-class expertise in modifying the tetracycline class, which has a 30-year track record in the marketplace and a favorable, well-documented safety profile. This new, proprietary class of non-antibacterial tetracycline compounds will avoid the negative consequences associated with long-term antibiotic use and will not further contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. We believe that these highly active, orally available compounds will also prove to be well-tolerated for MS, and we are very proud of this accomplishment." About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the nervous system and is the most common non-traumatic neurological disease in young adults. Multiple sclerosis may affect approximately two million people worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis are the most common. About Paratek Pharmaceuticals Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is engaged in the discovery and commercialization of new therapeutics that treat serious and life-threatening diseases, with a particular focus on the growing worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance. Paratek's lead programs are advancing novel compounds that can circumvent or block bacterial resistance, as well as drugs that can prevent infection by interfering with Multiple Adaptational Response (MAR) mechanisms in bacteria. Out of these efforts, Paratek has discovered a new class of antibiotics, the aminomethylcyclines that target the need for new and potent antibacterials to overcome the problem of rapidly growing bacterial resistance. The Company's lead antibiotic clinical candidate, BAY 73-7388, the first product from this class, is being developed in a collaborative partnership with Bayer HealthCare AG for the treatment of serious infections. Outside the antibacterial therapeutic area, Paratek has also established an internal effort to exploit its novel families of compounds and their unique mechanism of action in selected anti-inflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions. Paratek has an active chemical synthesis effort to produce novel and diverse small molecules, with the goal of developing non-antibacterial products with improved activity in serious diseases based upon a growing body of clinical and basic research supporting this approach. Paratek is privately held and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. For more information, visit Paratek's website at http://www.paratekpharm.com.Contact: Compakcompa@...212-213-0006Burns McClellan

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing this article. I had heard some talk about using

an antibiotic for ms. I forget the name now. Minocin?

Reading the article below, makes me wonder why, no one is interested

in studying the ldn. Based on what my neuro. said, I thought it was

because ldn had gone generic thus less money to be made. That being

the reason, I wonder why someone, took on the job of doing a study on

an antibiotic thats also been around for awhile. Just musing I

guess. Any theories?

Take Care

" >

> MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

>

> Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

>

> Here is an example of how difficult it is for doctors to accept new

thinking on the causes and treatments of diseases. Multiple sclerosis

is characterized by repeated episodes of nerve damage and recovery.

For example, a person may lose vision and regain it, then lose

coordination for one arm and leg, then regain some coordination, and

so forth, each time losing more than is regained. Doctors do not have

an effective treatment because they don't know the cause. The most

likely cause is an infection because 85 percent of patients do not

have an affected relative and only one in three identical twins of MS

patients develops MS.

>

> Several researchers have presented evidence that chlamydia

pneumoniae may be the cause (1,2). It has been detected in the

cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients, but not in that

of patients with other neurological diseases. There is also a report

of a patient with spinal chlamydia infection and rapidly progressive

multiple sclerosis that was cured by minocycline, a very safe

antibiotic. Because nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis can be

permanent and minocycline is so safe, doctors should offer this

treatment to multiple sclerosis patients, provided that they tell

them that this treatment must be considered experimental, because

chlamydia has not been proved to cause multiple sclerosis and

minocycline has not been tested to see if it can cure that disease.

>

> Researchers at the National Institute of Health reported that

multiple sclerosis may be caused by human herpes simplex virus six,

and researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Rockefeller

University in New York reported the same results. However, no studies

have been done to treat multiple sclerosis with drugs that kill human

herpes virus-6, Gancyclovir or fornascat, probably because many

researchers are afraid of its toxic side effects.

>

>