Personal Injury Law

Dangers From MS Drug Tysabri

Many drugs which offer promising cures when first introduced later prove to be ineffective or even dangerous. One that falls in the dangerous category is Tysabri, manufactured by Biogen, Inc. Tysarbi is a prescription medicine approved for patients with relapsing forms of MS. It has been shown to slow the worsening of disability that is common in patients with MS and decrease the number of flare-ups or relapses of the disease.

However, Biogen recently reported the ninth confirmed case of progressive multifocal leukoencphalopathy (PML) in a patient taking Tysabri. PML is a rare and often fatal viral disease that is characterized by progressive damage or inflammation of the white matter of the brain at multiple locations.

According to reports, the patient with the latest confirmed PML case took 35 doses of the monthly medication. Only two of the nine cases since last July were located in the U.S.
In 2005, a link between Tysabri and PML led to the drug being pulled off the market for 18 months. But, due to its effectiveness in fighting MS, it was relaunched in 2006.

It is reported, however, that the long-projected risk of developing the PML infection while on Tysabri is well below 1 in 1,000 patients. However, there is no way to predict who will get PML, and there is no known treatment, prevention, or cure.

Full post as published by Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog on June 24, 2009 (boomark / email).