Overview
It is believed that Interferon beta based drugs achieve their beneficial effect on MS progression via their anti-inflammatory properties. Extensive studies have also determined that Interferon beta improves the integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which generally breaks down in MS patients, allowing increasing amounts of undesirable substances to reach the brain. This strengthening of the BBB may be a contributing factor to Interferon-Beta's beneficial effects. These studies were carried out in vitro and thus may not necessarily work the same way in people.
The most commonly reported side effects are injection site reactions, flu-like symptoms, poor results on liver function tests, and blood cell abnormalities. More serious side effects include depression, seizures, or liver problems.
The two main side effects are flu-like symptoms and injection-site reactions. The flu-like symptoms tend to happen immediately after the injection and last for about half a day. In many patients, these symptoms diminish over time, but some patients continue to experience them over the long term. One can mitigate these symptoms by using a dose that is injected less frequently and by taking the medication before bedtime. The injection-site reactions can be mitigated by rotating injection sites or by using one of the medications that requires less frequent injections. Side effects are often onerous enough that many patients ultimately discontinue taking Interferons (or glatiramer acetate, a comparable disease-modifying therapies requiring regular injections).
While these drugs improve certain diagnostic test results they do not cure MS and many patients report no perceived improvement and serious side-effects that substantially reduce quality of life. Over time, physiological tolerance and reduced effectiveness can occur due to the development of antibodies to the drugs and side effects may persist even after discontinuation.
A one-month supply of Avonex or Rebif can cost from $1,600 to more than $3,000 USD.
Read more about this topic: Interferon Beta-1a