Efficacy and safety of biological treatments of multiple sclerosis

• Author(s): Alves, Andreia Lopes
• Date: 2013
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/1640
• Origin: Ubi Thesis - Conhecimento Online
• Subject(s): Farmácia comunitária - Estágio pedagógico; Esclerose Múltipla - Terapia modificadora da doença; Neurodegeneração progressiva - Esclerose múltipla; Esclerose múltipla - Terapias emergentes; Esclerose múltipla - Tratamentos biológicos emergentes; Esclerose múltipla - Terapias neuroprotectoras; Terapias emergentes - Eficácia; Terapias emergentes - Segurança
• Document Type: Master Thesis
• Language: English

Description

This report consists of two parts: one related to the Research Project and the second related to the Internship in Community Pharmacy. In the first chapter it is discussed the research work entitled “Efficacy and Safety of Biological Treatments of Multiple Sclerosis”. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, demyelinating disease associated with progressive neurodegeneration which can be seen as a two phase disease: one early acute inflammatory phase and a delayed neurodegenerative phase. However, over time, MS doesn’t follow a fixed pattern and may differ from person to person or even individually which makes it impossible to find an ideal option to treat it. However, advances in the understanding of MS pathogenesis yielded a multistep approach, comprising management of neurological symptoms, treatment of acute relapses, as they occur, and preventing their occurrence and gradual disability accumulation. Disease Modifying Therapy changed the paradigm of MS treatment, allowing the prevention of new disease activity and the modification of disease course. However, these first entities used in MS treatment are poorly effective, but made way to the investigation of new molecules. Concerning these recent and emerging therapies there is no long-term experience and the adverse events are not already well known. The aim of this study was to review the effectiveness and safety of the new and emerging biological treatments used in Multiple Sclerosis. The new molecules which are currently in development in clinical trials at different phases were also reviewed. We conducted a literature search in the Pubmed database database for articles published in English between 2009 and June 2013. The search terms were “Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing – Remitting/drug therapy” limited to “Journal Article”, “Randomized Controlled Trial”, “Case Reports” or “Clinical Trial” and to studies in Humans, and 64 where included in the present review. The databases the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were also consulted. The second Chapter is related to my internship in Community Pharmacy, performed in Farmácia Pereira Martins, in Torres Novas, between February 4 and July 2, 2013. This internship allowed me to understand the important role of the Pharmacist has in society.