Care Partners and Multiple Sclerosis: Differential Effect on Men and Women.

Background: Caring for someone with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be a stressful experience that requires clinical attention. We investigated the impact of caregiver stress on the emotional well-being and physical health of the MS care partner using the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Registry.

Methods: Care partners of NARCOMS participants were invited to complete an online questionnaire that captured demographic characteristics, health status, caregiver burden as measured by the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview, and impact of caregiving on employment.

Five-day regimen of intramuscular or subcutaneous self-administered adrenocorticotropic hormone gel for acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis: a prospective, randomized, open-label pilot trial.

Background: Despite over 50 years of experience with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) as a treatment for acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, there have been no trials examining the options of the 2-3-week dosing regimen or intramuscular injection protocol used in the original trials. At our clinic, we performed a small, prospective, randomized pilot study to examine the efficacy and safety of, and patient satisfaction with, a short (five-day) self-administered ACTH dosing protocol for exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, and to compare the subcutaneous and intramuscular routes of administration.

Methods: Patients for this study were recruited from an outpatient treatment clinic.

Factors that influence adherence with disease-modifying therapy in MS.

Background: The complexity and cost of injection treatment can represent a formidable challenge for patients affected by a chronic illness, particularly those whose treatment is primarily preventative and only modestly effective on the more conspicuous symptomatic aspects of the disease process. The aim of this investigation was to identify which factors most influenced nonadherent behavior with the available disease-modifying injection therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: A multicenter, observational (three-wave) study using surveys was developed and administered to patients with MS through the World Wide Web.

The Rebif new formulation story: it's not trials and error.

The rapid evolution of the biopharmaceutical industry and the development of innovative technologies have provided an opportunity to improve recombinant interferon (IFN)-beta formulations. A number of strategies have been developed to improve the stability, tolerability and immunogenicity of IFNbeta formulations that are used in the long-term treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This review focuses on the production of recombinant IFNs and discusses the development of one such biopharmaceutical, Rebif New Formulation (RNF).

Immunogenicity and tolerability of an investigational formulation of interferon-beta1a: 24- and 48-week interim analyses of a 2-year, single-arm, historically controlled, phase IIIb study in adults with multiple sclerosis.

Background: RNF (Rebif New Formulation, Merck Serono International S.A., Geneva, Switzerland), a formulation of interferon-beta1a (IFN-beta1a) without human- or animal-derived components, is currently under investigation.