Subject: Re: Avonex for CPMS?

From: TOM HOGARTH <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 03 Aug 1997 11:30:33 -0400

[email-masked] wrote:
> ........  Avonex  is only approved for RRMS.
>  Has anyone with CPMS used
> Avonex?

 my opinion as a hard core cp ms advocate ( and all around cool gimp -
hot pink, kick-ass wheelchair and an attitude to match). my background
is in "ms from the horses mouth" web site

as with betaseron, avonex was only tested with rr ms.
drug companies are looking for quick approval. rr ms has quantifiable
characteristics, cp ms less so. therefore it is not wise for the drug
companies to spend the time and money developing a case for cp ms when
it can be done faster and cheaper with rr ms. and there is a larger
customer base with rr ms.

there is no known danger in using betaseron or avonex with cp ms, so
some mds cooperate with their patents and do what it takes to get them
the meds and the insurance co approval. payment is a major issue with cp
ms.

i used betaseron from 11/94 till 12/96 with ,i think, positive results.
before bs i was not worth two knobs of goat shit. several months into
the bs thing i was feeling much better ( no more naps, started taking
college courses, started exercising again, even had a brief sexual
relationship (that's another story),...).

 in 12/96 switched to avonex for the convenience etc. after 6 month of
avonex i was back to the goat shit routine again so i went back to bs.
now starting to feel better.
bs is a stronger dosage delivered more often. 

current status:
in june i was at the edge! so i started 4-ap (7/21). will keep a journal
and post it later along with more opinions etc. the hell with the fda.
doing bs gain. ditto the fda.

my fingers are shot, so i'll quit for now

tom hogarth
[email-masked]

ps
long time no see ( margret & dawn in dc, cool guys in israel, larry in
philly, 
cathleen in heaven,....)