18/01/2012

An international research in which have participated Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Center of Multiple sclerosis of Catalonia (CEM-Cat) determines that the therapy with firategrast, an oral medicament anti a4b-integrina, is effective in the treatment of the multiple sclerosis. The study has evaluated the safety and the efficiency of this oral medicament for patients with multiple sclerosis and has been published recently in the prestigious magazine Lancet Neurology.Dr. Xavier Montalban, head of the clinical neuroimmunology group at VHIR and director of CEM-Cat, has participated the international study in phase the II about the efficiency of the oral medicament anti a4b-integrina firategrast, that has been developed in centers of Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Great Britain and Spain. The study has counted with the participation of 343 patients of multiple sclerosis, 244 of which were treated with firategrast and 99 received placebo. During a continued period of 6 months, the participants received treatment and, later, it was done a follow-up of 12 months. The participants were assigned randomly to one of four arms of the study: firategrast 150 mg, firategrast 600 mg or firategrast 900 mg (for women) or 1.200 mg (for men), or placebo.