BETAFERON: Introduction
BETAFERON (interferon beta-1b) was the first therapy approved for the treatment of MS in 1993 [1]. Its introduction fundamentally changed the MS treatment paradigm [2,3].
- For patients, treatment evolved from symptomatic management into long-term therapy aiming to modify their disease.
- For neurologists, the role changed from passively watching and waiting for disease progression to proactively treating the underlying disease.
Furthermore, the introduction of disease-modifying therapies contributed considerably to the understanding of the immune-related mechanisms underpinning MS [2]. For instance, it became increasingly apparent that MS damages the whole brain and that the damage begins from the start of the disease [4]. As a result, leading guidelines advocate today that MS patients should begin treatment early in the disease course to maximize brain health [5,6].
BETAFERON SmPC
References
- Reder AT et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2014; 3(3): 294-302. Return to content
- Madsen C et al. Brain Behav 2017; 7: e00696. Return to content
- Doshi A, Chataway J. Clin Med (Lond). 2017; 17(6): 530-6. Return to content
- Cerqueira JJ et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2018; PMID 29618493. Return to content
- Montalban X et al. Mult Scler 2018; 24(2): 96-120. Return to content
- Rae-Grant A et al. Neurology 2018; 90 (17): 777-88. Return to content
