European Charcot Foundation - Organisation for the advancement of Multiple Sclerosis Research in Europe

News from the annual European Charcot Foundation Symposium, 2007:

Accelerating scientific knowledge and revolutionary medical techniques
feed positive outlook on the longer term --
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: START TREATMENT EARLY

Fiuggi, Italy, December 1, 2007 - Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
should start at the first onset of the disease. All patients, regardless
of the type of MS, should receive adequate drug treatment after a first
attack. This was one of today's main conclusions at the international
medical scientific conference on New Targets of Treatment in Multiple
Sclerosis, organized by the independent European Charcot Foundation,
November 29 - December 1, 2007, Italy. More than 320 scientists and
clinicians in the field of MS from across Europe and abroad discussed
the newest developments in treatment strategies.

Most current drug treatments are aimed at the suppression of relapses
of Multiple Sclerosis. "In applying the available treatments, the
neurologist has to know on which part of the immune system the therapy
is aimed: the peripheral part of the immune system, the blood-brain
barrier and/or the brain itself", professor O.R. Hommes, chairman of
the European Charcot Foundation stated.

Unfortunately, there is no treatment to stop the progression of the
disease yet. During the congress, top level scientists in the field of
MS thoroughly discussed a number of targets for new MS treatments and
reliable measurement of clinically relevant effects. Today, medical
science is increasingly supported by accelerating technical
possibilities to analyze vast amounts of immunological samples in short
time against low costs. The growing knowledge about a set of new
biomarkers and the rapidly improving MRI imaging techniques were also
mentioned as important developments to boost the search for accurate
treatment.

It is apparent that a promising line of new oral treatments is
currently being developed, some of which are already being examined in
phase III clinical trials. "These drugs are all potentially 1st line
treatments for MS and favor a high degree of tolerability for MS
patients", as was stated by Prof. G. Comi (San Raffaele, Milan, Italy). Nowadays
only injectable therapies are available.

The enormous scientific efforts that are being undertaken throughout
the world and the tremendous build-up of knowledge about the disease in
recent years, give rise to an optimistic outlook at finding several
curative treatments of MS in the next decade. "Precise, predictive and
personalized MS drugs against acceptable cost can be anticipated by
2020", according to Prof. L. Steinman (Stanford University, USA) in
his key note lecture.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and degenerative disease of
the central nervous system leading in time to severe disability. This
chronic disease is affecting 70 to 200 per 100.000 persons in Europe.

Notes to the editors:
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