BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — An experimental drug shows promise in treating multiple sclerosis and the intestinal ailment Crohn's disease.
In preliminary tests, Antegren dramatically reduced the number of new brain lesions in patients with MS and cut the number of relapses in half. With Crohn's, it increased the remission rate and improved the patients' quality of life.
Antegren, also called natalizumab, uses a novel approach by attaching to the immune cells and stopping them from reaching inflammation areas.
The findings were reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The studies were funded by the two corporations developing the drug, Elan Corp. and Biogen Inc.
Researchers emphasize that more definitive results will come from ongoing broader studies. But the drug's developers expect to get approval for the medication at the end of 2003 in the U.S. and Europe.
There is no cure for MS or Crohn's and the causes are unknown. Some of the current drug treatments have serious side effects or are ineffective for some patients, researchers said.