News - Betaferon (Interferon Beta-1b) Approved in Europe as a First-Line Treatment for the Earliest Stages of Multiple Sclerosis: "'Effective treatment early in the course of the disease is important since studies have shown that irreversible nerve damage and brain atrophy can occur in the earliest stages of MS. We now have the ability to treat patients from the earliest sign of MS with therapy that has an excellent safety profile over 16 years,' said David Bates, Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and Chairman of the MS Forum.

The label extension is based on results from the BENEFIT(a) study which showed that Betaferon(R) 250 mcg treatment in the early phase of the disease reduced the risk of developing CDMS by 50% compared with placebo(1,b). Furthermore, patients in the Betaferon(R) group were two times better protected(c) than placebo-treated patients against developing MS as defined by the McDonald diagnostic criteria(2). Left untreated in the placebo group, 85% of people who experienced a first clinical event went on to be diagnosed with MS within two years.

'The results of the BENEFIT trial show that Betaferon can substantially slow down the course of MS in early patients, especially those at the earliest stage of the disease, when it has the greatest impact,' said Darlene Jody, MD, Head of Specialized Therapeutics Global Business Unit at Schering Group.

A supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) requesting an expanded label for Betaferon (marketed as Betaseron(R) in the U.S.) was filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by Berlex, Inc., a U.S. affiliate of Schering AG, in February 2006 and is pending review.

The Betaferon(R) extended indication is for the treatment of patients with a single demyelinating event with an active inflammatory process, if it is severe enough to warrant treatment with intravenous corticosteroids, if alternative diagnoses have been excluded, and if they are determined to be at high risk of developing clinically definite multiple sclerosis. The results of the BENEFIT study were used to define the high risk criteria for identifying patients appropriate for Betaferon(R) treatment. The criteria reflect the differences in disease dissemination among patients with monofocal(d) and multifocal(d) onset of disease with a first clinical event suggestive of MS.

Betaferon is also indicated for the treatment of:
- Patients with relapsing remitting MS and two or more relapses within the last two years
- Patients with secondary progressive MS with active disease, evidenced by relapses."

Did you know that MS symptoms often stabilize or remit during pregnancy? - Click for full article
"Studies show that MS has no adverse effects on the course of pregnancy. In fact, symptoms often temporarily improve. Scientists believe this may be related to a natural suppression of the immune system that occurs in the uterus during pregnancy. This suppression is a mechanism that protects the fetus. Otherwise, a woman's immune system might identify her fetus as foreign tissue. MS is an autoimmune disease-a disease in which the body attacks its own tissues. That's why changes in a woman's immune system during pregnancy may be the reason for a temporary stabilization or remission of MS. A woman with MS may, however, be more likely to experience problems related to the disease after delivery. Doctors say between 20% and 40% of women with MS experience a relapse in the three months following childbirth. There is no evidence, however, that the overall course of disease is affected by pregnancy or childbirth. It is very important that women with MS discuss pregnancy or any plans to become pregnant with their doctors. One reason is that some drugs used to treat MS may cause birth defects. Also, some drugs can be passed to a child during breast feeding................"

Varicose Veins: The! Tangled Web They Weave: Brigham And Women's Hospital - A Harvard Affiliate:
"Can I Get Rid of Them?
Varicose veins and spider veins: If you suffer from painful or unsightly leg veins, you’re not alone. Varicose veins affect an estimated 40 percent of women and 25 percent of men in the U.S.; and about 50 percent of women and 20 percent of men have spider veins. How do these veins develop? In medium-sized veins, a series of valves keeps the blood flowing in the right direction. When the valves fail or the muscle walls weaken, tiny amounts of blood pool inside the veins and form a varicose vein. Another, less extreme type of varicose vein is a spider vein. These thin red or purplish networks of very fine veins near the surface of the skin take their name from the pattern they form, often resembling a tangle of spiders. Learn more."

Calcium...The best heart test? - :
"As doctors become more adept at predicting heart attacks, they're paying increasing attention to calcium, whose presence can signal trouble long before a patient feels sick. Atherosclerosis, the most common form of heart disease, occurs when plaque accumulates in the walls of the coronary arteries.
Calcium, more than bones and teeth

Plaque can restrict blood flow, leading to chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart attacks. And calcium is a marker for plaque. 'The problem with cholesterol is that it indirectly measures health risks - you're looking at someone's blood to see what their arteries are doing,' says Dr. Shelton Thomas of Virginia Cardiovascular Specialists in Richmond. 'Thirty percent of people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol. But if you have normal cholesterol and a high calcium score, then we know that you're putting plaque in your arteries. It's the plaque that can kill you.....'"

Health: Researchers Scramble For Alzheimer's Cure : "University of Washington scientists are testing two new drugs they hope will ease the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease patients.
One of the new medications seeks to remove the brain-altering plaque that partially causes Alzheimer's, the other is designed to prevent its production....."

Studies: Walking May Ward Off Alzheimer's: "The health benefits of regular walking may include helping prevent mental decline and Alzheimer's disease, research in patients aged 70 and up has found, bolstering evidence that exercise needn't be strenuous to be good for you.
There's plenty of evidence that mental exercise, such as crossword puzzles and reading, may reduce Alzheimer's risks, but previous studies on brain benefits from physical exercise had conflicting results..........."

"About 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's now, although that number could be far larger if it included the millions of people who are in the early stages of the disease and have yet not had it diagnosed. And the oldest Baby Boomers, now in their 60s, are heading into the decades when Alzheimer's is most likely to strike.

About 5 percent of people ages 65 to 74 have Alzheimer's disease, and by age 85, people have a nearly 50-50 chance of suffering Alzheimer's, the National Institute on Aging says. The number of new cases is growing every year, and by 2050, the affliction could strike 14 million Americans." [National Institute on Aging"

Exercise, diet could cut Alzheimers risk : "Regular exercise and a healthy diet could go a long way to reducing the risk of developing Alzheimers disease, a medical expert said on Thursday.A recent Finnish study showed that middle-aged people taking regular exercise at least twice a week could reduce their risk of developing Alzheimers disease by 50 percent in old age, neurologist Miia Kivipelto said at a conference in Amsterdam...An active lifestyle, both physical, mental and social, is preventive. Its never too early to start to prevent Alzheimer9s disease, said Kivipelto, an Alzheimers disease specialist at Stockholms Gerontology Research Centre...."

Studies: Walking May Ward Off Alzheimer's :
"The health benefits of regular walking may include helping prevent mental decline and Alzheimer's disease, research in patients aged 70 and up has found, bolstering evidence that exercise needn't be strenuous to be good for you.
There's plenty of evidence that mental exercise, such as crossword puzzles and reading, may reduce Alzheimer's risks, but previous studies on brain benefits from physical exercise had conflicting results.

The new findings, contained in two studies, clarify how much exercise might be beneficial and are good news for older people who want to avoid mental decline but "don't like doing all that awful, sweaty stuff," said Bill Thies, vice president for medical and scientific affairs of the Alzheimer's Association....."

Big Pharma Joins Forces to Challenge Alzheimer's Ruling ; DRUGS_ Rivals to Hold Strategy Meeting:
" Executives from five rival pharmaceutical companies will meet at the offices of a City law firm tomorrow to thrash out their response to a government decision to deny Alzheimer's drugs to thousands of patients. The industry's relationship with the Government is becoming more tense. Representatives from Pfizer, Shire, Novartis, Lundbeck and Eisai, as well as from the Alzheimer's Society, are expected to discuss whether they will launch a unified appeal, rather than a barrage of individual claims, against the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), and if so, on what grounds.

In its final appraisal on a group of Alzheimer's treatments, Nice - the government-funded body that decides which drugs can be made available through the NHS - ruled late last month that the NHS should pay for treatments only for moderate cases of the disease. Patients with mild and severe symptoms will not be eligible. Lundbeck, which sells the drug Ebixa, was particularly hard hit by the decision, as that treatment is targeted only at severe cases and will no longer be available. The other products, Ari-cept, Reminyl and Exelon - developed by Pfizer/Eisai, Shire and Novartis respectively - are prescribed for both mild and moderate cases, so the blow is not as heavy. The Alzheimer's Society called the decision to prohibit the treat -ments that can slow the progression of the disease and which cost pounds 2.50 per day 'disgraceful' and 'outrageous'. Any appeals must be lodged by 15 June....."