Avonex

Consider switching multiple sclerosis treatments

Consider switching multiple sclerosis treatments

Are you tired of taking daily injections for your MS? Are you concerned about brain lesions? See below for common reasons some people consider switching multiple sclerosis treatments and learn more about your options.

Injection-site reactions cause you to skip shots.
All multiple sclerosis medications that treat the underlying disease are given by injection. These injections can lead to unsightly injection-site reactions and even infection. In clinical studies, only 3 out of 100 people taking AVONEX reported injection-site reactions often seen with other MS therapies.

The number of weekly injections required interferes with your lifestyle.
AVONEX is the only once-a-week MS therapy. So AVONEX is the only one to free you from worrying about your MS injections every day or even every other day.

With training, you or your care partner can self-administer AVONEX at home. And with the AVONEX prefilled syringe, preparing and administering the injection is simple and convenient.

You want a treatment that both slows progression of physical disability and reduces the number of flare-ups (relapses).
AVONEX slows down physical disability, to help you stay active and able, AND reduces the number of flare-ups—so you can go on with your daily life.

Your healthcare provider or nurse may be using the expanded disability scale to measure how you are doing. The scale measures disability progression by looking at areas such as:

  • Brain function
  • Sensory and motor symptoms
  • Coordination skills
  • Bowel and bladder function
  • Visual symptoms

AVONEX slowed down disability by 37% in a 2-year study. In a 5-year study, nearly 9 out of 10 patients taking AVONEX were still active and able.

AVONEX has been proven effective in clinical trials lasting up to 3 years.

AVONEX also reduces the number of flare-ups (also called relapses or attacks). In people who have only had 1 flare-up, AVONEX cuts the risk of a second flare-up almost in half (44%). In people with multiple (9 or more) brain lesions, AVONEX reduces the risk of a second flare-up by 66%.


* People with MS in whom effectiveness has been demonstrated include people who have experienced a first attack and have lesions consistent with MS on their MRI.
Please see the Patient Medication Guide.

You want a multiple sclerosis medication that works against brain lesions and brain atrophy.
Your healthcare provider may be measuring the size and number of brain lesions on your MRI. These lesions are signs of how the disease has advanced. Brain lesions may affect your ability to perform everyday tasks.

AVONEX slows down the formation of harmful brain lesions and reduces the size of lesions by 91%.

AVONEX can also reduce the rate of brain atrophy (brain shrinkage).by more than half. In the second year of a clinical trial, people taking AVONEX had 55% less brain shrinkage than those not on therapy.

Brain atrophy may affect your ability to stay active.

Your healthcare provider may be measuring the size and number of brain lesions on your MRI. These lesions are signs of how the disease has advanced. Brain lesions may affect your ability to perform everyday tasks.

You’re concerned about neutralizing antibodies and their possible effect on your current multiple sclerosis medication.

Though studies suggest there is an impact, the exact relationship between MRI findings and your overall health is not fully understood.

Some people with MS can develop a resistance to their treatment over time. This can happen because their bodies make cells called neutralizing antibodies that neutralize (or inactivate) their MS treatment. Although the significance of neutralizing antibodies is not fully understood, it is thought that they can make your MS treatment lose its effectiveness over time.

AVONEX has a low incidence of these neutralizing antibodies, which are thought to decrease a drug’s effectiveness over time.

In recent studies, 5% of people taking AVONEX had detectable levels of neutralizing antibodies after 1 year.

In a different study, people taking AVONEX showed a very low risk (2%) of developing neutralizing antibodies after 18 months. In contrast, 15% of people taking Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) in that study and 31% of people taking Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b) showed detectable levels of these antibodies.

The rate of neutralizing anti-bodies with Betaseron ranges from 16.5% to 45% depending on the clinical trial.

A group of leading MS experts agreed that each treatment's potential for leading to the development of neutralizing antibodies should be considered in determining whether or not to recommend a treatment.

Although the significance of neutralizing antibodies is not fully understood, it is thought that they can make your MS treatment lose its effectiveness over time.

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