Development of interferon-β as a therapy for multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The introduction of interferon (IFN) therapy represents a milestone in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. This class of drugs is part of an evolving area of MS therapy that utilises immunomodulating agents to alter the immune processes thought to be integral to the development of MS. IFN-β has been developed in three different formulations that have proven benefit in reducing exacerbations in relapsing-remitting MS. Two of the formulations consist of the naturally-occurring amino acid sequence of IFN-β and are referred to as IFN-β_1a. One is delivered intramuscularly (IM IFN-β_1a), and the second form of IFN-β_1a is delivered subcutaneously (SC IFN-β_1a). The third formulation of IFN-β, known as IFN-β_1b, consists of a modified amino acid sequence containing a cysteine to serine mutation at amino acid 17 and a deletion of the amino terminal methionine. This review describes the evolution of IFNs as therapeutics for MS.

• disease-modifying therapy
• drug development
• interferon-β
• multiple sclerosis
• neutralising antibodies