More MS news articles for June 2001

Botulinum Toxin Type B May Help in Spasticity

http://www.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/06/06.22/20010621clin015.html

LONDON (Reuters Health) Jun 21 - Elan Corp's drug NeuroBloc, an injectable formulation of botulinum toxin type B approved for cervical dystonia, may also be useful in treating spasticity, researchers said on Thursday.

Initial results from three dose-ranging studies evaluating the Irish company's product were presented at the World Congress of Neurology in London and showed an improvement in subjects with arm or leg spasticity.

"The promise demonstrated by NeuroBloc in spasticity patients is an important early finding," said investigator Allison Brashear of the Indiana University School of Medicine.

The drug works by interrupting transmissions between nerve and muscle cells, causing the muscle to relax.

Elan's medication is seen as competition for Botox, a neurotoxin produced by US company Allergan Inc, which recently has had considerable success as an anti-wrinkle agent in a market estimated to be heading for $1 billion.