The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7482 p671
15 December 2007

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News summary

Doxycycline shows promise in relapsing multiple sclerosis

Combination therapy with interferon beta-1a and doxycycline is effective and well tolerated for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), an Archives of Neurology paper published online this week suggests (10 December 2007).

For four months, 15 patients with RRMS who were experiencing breakthrough disease activity while taking interferon beta-1a also received oral doxycycline.

The combination reduced the number of contrast-enhancing lesions as well as patients’ scores on the Expanded Disability Status Scale. There were no unexpected or synergistic adverse events and, except for one patient who relapsed, all other patients became clinically stable and showed evidence of reduced disability.

Combination therapy may be particularly useful in patients who have failed treatment with a single immunomodulatory agent, say the researchers.