M.S. Society Admits Antibiotic Potential

[Guest guest]

Would someone let me know if this comes through to the site? Thanks. Ellen McCool

Some conciliatory news (at least I think it is) from the MSQR- Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report--Spring 2002.

Antibiotic May be A Potential Therapy for M.S.

A common antibiotic, long used to treat infections in humans, may have potential as a treatment for M.S., according to a new study published in the medical literature in December 2001. The drug, minocycline, is a member of the tetracycline family of antibiotics and was tested in a condition that mimics M.S. Study results portray a potential treatment for M.S. that could significantly decrease the severity of disease attacks or even block the onset of relapses, hence ameliorating many of the disease’s debilitating symptoms.

Minocycline is already used to treat several different infections, but it is also effective in rheumatoid arthritis—an inflammatory condition. Due to this anti-inflammatory property, researchers at the Univ. of Wisc.-Madison gave minocycline to rats with a disease that closely resembles the inflammatory process of human M.S. Senior researcher Ian D. Duncan, Ph.D., reports that "animals treated with minocycline did not develop nerve problems, or had a less severe case, than did untreated rats…The results also showed that they could treat the animals successfully either before or after the disease began."

The hope is that minocycline may be able to significantly decrease the severity of attacks in M.S. or even block relapses completely. By doing so, it could relieve many of the symptoms, from paralysis to blindness, that plague people with this disease. Studies of minocycline in humans with M.S. will begin in 2002 at the Univ. of Calgary, Canada. "It is very important that a well-conducted clinical trial is carried out to test whether it is safe and effective in M.S.," says Duncan. He adds that minocycline would have advantages over drugs presently used because it is less expensive, can be taken by mouth, and could be used short-term to stop disease progression. (webMD)