Interferons (IFNs), first recognised because of their antiviral properties, are a key defence mechanism involved in the control of virus infections. They are small proteins separated by nucleated cells in response to viral infection or other appropriate stimuli, and are thought to act principally on other cells in their immediate vicinity. They are divided into two types: type 1 comprises IFN-á...

OBJECTIVE Clinical trials with interferon beta in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have demonstrated a reduction in the relapse rate. Nevertheless, not all patients respond to this treatment, although there is no consensus regarding the definition of response to therapy. The reasons for this failure are not known but genetic factors probably influence this, as has been previously s...

Interferons (IFNs), first recognised because of their antiviral properties, are a key defence mechanism involved in the control of virus infections. They are small proteins separated by nucleated cells in response to viral infection or other appropriate stimuli, and are thought to act principally on other cells in their immediate vicinity. They are divided into two types: type 1 comprises IFN-á...

Interferons (IFNs), first recognised because of their antiviral properties, are a key defence mechanism involved in the control of virus infections. They are small proteins separated by nucleated cells in response to viral infection or other appropriate stimuli, and are thought to act principally on other cells in their immediate vicinity. They are divided into two types: type 1 comprises IFN-á...

Interferons (IFNs), first recognised because of their antiviral properties, are a key defence mechanism involved in the control of virus infections. They are small proteins separated by nucleated cells in response to viral infection or other appropriate stimuli, and are thought to act principally on other cells in their immediate vicinity. They are divided into two types: type 1 comprises IFN-á...

IMPORTANCE Walking impairment, a common clinical manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS), is often measured in clinical practice and clinical trials using the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25-FW). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relationship between walking speed measured by the T25-FW and the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to better understand the cl...

Jasani KM, et al. BMJ Case Rep 2017. doi:10.1136/bcr-2016-218912 Description A 54-year-old female with history of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) was switched from interferon beta-1A (Avonex, Biogen) to fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) therapy after having two clinical relapses within 2 years while on treatment. As part of her treatment protocol, she was referred to the local ophthalm...

130 protein-based therapeutics are licensed today. With the addition of anticipated new biotherapeutics, the market is forecasted to exceed $140 billion USD in 2017. These therapeutic drugs have changed and improved the quality of life of millions of people around the world in the past few decades. One of the most important quality attributes of a biopharmaceutical drug is its heterogeneity, wh...

Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are a major hurdle to the successful use of biologics in clinical practice. The impact of NAbs is obvious in biologic systems with no redundancy. NAbs induced in response to treatment with recombinant erythropoietin or thrombopoietin cause life-threatening complications of pure red cell aplasia and thrombocytopenia as a direct result of inhibiting the activity of ...