Subject: Re: Copolymer 1 & 2CDA

From: LaVonne Murphy <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 Oct 1996 06:04:26 GMT

Sheryn <[email-masked]> wrote:
>Hi all. My brother Ken was diagnosed with MS on the day an announcement
>was made that Co-polymer 1 was approved by an FDA committee.  (Thursday,
>September 19th, 1996) It has to go through numerous other beauracratic
>hoops before appearing on the market. However, not seeing very many Web
>or Newsgroup internet references to copolymer 1, I'd like to see some
>feedback and pointers to the progress of the FDA process.
>
(snip)

Hi Gang

Let me tell you what I know.  Cop-1 was tested extensively in 
Israel (and maybe elsewhere) by TEVA Pharmaceuticals.  But the US 
decided the drug had to be tested here.  And so they did.  It was 
submitted to the FDA shortly after Avonex.

It supposedly does much the same thing as BetaSeron and Avonex 
except that it does not exhibit any remission of Sx.  I know, 
BetaSeron was not tested for that either but since it's been on 
the market, it seems to be doing much the same thing as Avonex 
was tested for.  This is not just personal observation from 
talking to clients who have used the drug but also from the 
observation of the neuros here and elsewhere.

Cop-1 is a once a week injectable that will be a little less 
expensive than the interferons.  The final approval is expected 
sometime in 1997 but there seems to be little doubt that it will 
be approved.

Also have a little news about 2CDA for progressives.  It seems to 
work!  Know several people who have used the drug outside of the 
study (it's approved for Hairy Cell Leukemia and is on the market 
for that).  Many have had improvement in Sx.  One who was able to 
walk only a couple of steps with a walker (as in transfering) is 
now able to take a short walk outside every day (though still 
with a walker and someone standing by with her chair).  This 
should give us all hope for the future.  I have no idea whether 
or not the testing will show such improvement overall but 
apparently it works for some!

                                     L

---

From: Mark Cummings <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 02 Oct 1996 11:15:33 -0600

To update LaVonne's post, Cop-1 costs about $700/month, it's a daily 
injection (1 cc, 25g needle), is mixed similar to Betaseron, only you 
switch needles, not syringes. It must be kept frozen, not just 
refrigerated. It may have similar results to the interferon drugs, but 
works much differently. It is a peptide drug made of synthesized amino 
acid copolymers (thus the name, copolymer-1). No headaches, no flu 
symptoms, pretty benign stuff. I've been on it a year, and while I'm not 
doing any rock climbing, I don't seemed to have progressed, either. I 
was on Betaseron for 10 months, I got steadily worse, no energy, and 
severe depression. Cop-1 works better for me.  
-- 

Aloha,
Mark

"When sitting, just sit,
 Above all, don't wobble."
-Zen poem
http://www.verinet.com/~cummings