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#Post#: 1085--------------------------------------------------
Tysabri tied to rising JC virus antibody levels
By: agate Date: January 27, 2016, 6:02 pm
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A EurekAlert from the AAAS, January 27, 2016:
[quote]PUBLIC RELEASE: 27-JAN-2016
MS drug tied to rising JC virus antibody levels
Virus may induce deadly brain infection
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY
MINNEAPOLIS - People who take the drug natalizumab for multiple
sclerosis may have up to a 10 times greater risk of developing a
risk biomarker for activity of a virus that can lead to an often
fatal brain disease, according to a study published in the
January 27, 2016, online issue of Neurology® Neuroimmunology and
Neuroinflammation, a medical journal of the American Academy of
Neurology.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare and
often fatal disease characterized by damage to the white matter
of the brain. It is caused by the John Cunningham virus (JCV), a
common virus usually kept under control by the immune system.
But people with weakened immune systems, or on immunosuppressive
drugs, are more susceptible to JCV-related problems. Natalizumab
prevents immune cells from getting into the brain.
"An increase in the levels of anti-JCV antibodies could signify
an increased risk of PML," said study senior author Heinz
Wiendl, MD, of the University of Muenster in Germany and member
of the American Academy of Neurology. The level of antibodies is
a marker for exposure to JCV and therefore the risk for PML.
In the study, researchers used a blood test to monitor levels of
anti-JCV antibodies over a 15-month period in 525 people in
Germany and over two years in 711 people in France. All had
multiple sclerosis and were taking natalizumab.
They found people converted from being anti-JCV negative to
anti-JCV positive at the following annual rates: 10 percent in
the German group and nearly 9 percent in the French group. Those
rates are much higher than the rate of 1 percent per year for
the general population and for people with multiple sclerosis
not treated with natalizumab. In the German group, 43 of 339
people who were initially anti-JCV negative tested positive for
the antibodies during the study. In the French group, 41 of 243
people who were anti-JCV negative tested positive for the
antibodies during the study.
In people who were anti-JCV positive already at the beginning of
the study, their level of antibodies also rose over time.
Treatment with natalizumab was associated with a 13-percent
yearly rise in the level of anti-JCV antibodies in the blood. In
the German group of 525 people, those considered medium risk of
PML grew by seven people, representing 5 percent of the group at
the beginning of 15 months, increasing to 6 percent. The
high-risk group grew by 14 patients, initially representing 22
percent of the group, increasing to 25 percent.
"Even though anti-JCV antibodies were present at a higher level,
it does not necessarily mean that an individual will get PML,"
said Adil Javed, MD, PhD, of the University of Chicago in
Illinois, who wrote a corresponding editorial and is a member of
the American Academy of Neurology. "The risk of PML in JCV
positive people being treated for multiple sclerosis with
natalizumab without prior immunosuppressant therapy is one in
1,000 people. The risk of a multiple sclerosis attack in
untreated patients is one in every two people."
Wiendl said, "It is important that people with multiple
sclerosis taking natalizumab speak with their doctor before
making any changes to their treatment. Still, this study shows
anti-JCV antibodies may serve as a useful biomarker. Natalizumab
did appear to increase the levels of anti-JCV antibodies and
this higher level may be associated with a higher risk of PML.
The results of this study underscore the need for frequent
monitoring of anti-JCV antibodies in people who are being
treated with natalizumab for multiple sclerosis."
Wiendl noted that the study does not prove that natalizumab
causes the virus to replicate at higher rates, leading to higher
anti-JCV antibody levels, but that it shows an association.
###
The study was supported by the German Research Foundation, the
PML Consortium, the Competence Network for Multiple Sclerosis,
the French Ministry of Health, the French MS Society and the
European Union. [/quote]
This article can be seen here
HTML http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/aaon-mdt012516.php.
#Post#: 1089--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tysabri tied to rising JC virus antibody levels
By: agate Date: January 29, 2016, 7:48 pm
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More on this in Medscape, January 29, 2016:
HTML http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/858037
HTML http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/858037
#Post#: 1095--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tysabri tied to rising JC virus antibody levels
By: agate Date: February 4, 2016, 1:26 pm
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Link to the study:
HTML http://nn.neurology.org/content/3/1/e195.full
HTML http://nn.neurology.org/content/3/1/e195.full
Link to the editorial about the study:
HTML http://nn.neurology.org/content/3/1/e199.full
HTML http://nn.neurology.org/content/3/1/e199.full
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