Researchers in Calgary are preparing to begin a new study to see whether a commonly available acne medication could help delay the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis.
The medication, called minocycline, has been available for over 30 years. If it's proven effective in delaying the progress of MS, it could offer an inexpensive option for the treatment of early stages of the disease.
A small study on 10 patients a few years ago yielded promising results. Now, clinical researchers in 14 Canadian centres will be taking an in-depth look at the drug in a $4-million, two-year study funded by the MS Society of Canada.
Minocycline is a prescription antibiotic used to control acne by killing the germs that prompt outbreaks. But the drug also offers anti-inflammatory properties, which researchers believe are responsible for its ability to slow the progress of MS.
The smaller study found that the drug substantially reduced the activity of the lesions that develop on MS patients' brains and spinal tissues. The study found that the drug reduced the lesion activity by 84 per cent.
Now the researchers hope to replicate those findings in a larger human trial.
"The aim of our research is to see if this common drug can reduce the occurrence of further disease activity in people who have experienced an initial attack of MS symptoms and who are at high risk of progressing to definite MS," says Dr. Luanne Metz, principal investigator for the study and a professor of clinical neurosciences at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine.
"Without treatment, two-thirds of people facing this circumstance are expected to be diagnosed with MS within six months. We believe minocycline can reduce this number."
What also makes minocycline exciting is that it offers few side effects and can be taken in pill format, says Metz.
It's also relatively cheap. At a cost of about $800 a year, minocycline is vastly cheaper than current medications, which can run between $18,000 and $40,000 annually.
Researchers note that minocycline would not necessarily replace current therapies, but might delay the timeframe in which they would be required.
Enrollment for the 200 patients needed for the study is set to begin in January, 2008, and will take place in 14 health centres across Canada.
Study sites will enroll people who have had their first attack of MS-like symptoms within the previous 90 days, after referral from their neurologist. This means that people who currently have MS will not be eligible for this clinical trial.
