Glatiramer acetate

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Glatiramer Acetate is the generic name for the drug Copaxone or Copolymer 1, developed by Teva Pharmaceuticals. It is an immunomodulator, which is licensed in much of the world for reduced relapse in remitting multiple sclerosis. Copaxone is usually administered subcutaneously. It is a non-interferon and non steroidal medication.

[edit] How Glatiramer Acetate Works

Glatiramer acetate is a synthetic medication made of four amino acids that are found in myelin. This drug stimulates T cells in the body's immune system to change from harmful, pro-inflammatory agents to beneficial, anti-inflammatory agents that work to reduce inflammation at lesion sites. It is also possible that the mixture of aminos act as a sort of decoy, thus allowing myelin to regenerate. Glatiramer acetate has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the number and severity of exacerbations and reduce the number of new, gadolinium-enhanced brain lesions on MRI scans.

[edit] Effectiveness

Evidence supporting the effectiveness of glatiramer acetate in decreasing the frequency of relapses in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RR MS) derives from two placebo-controlled trials, both of which used a glatiramer acetate dose of 20 mg/day. (No other dose or dosing regimen has been studied in placebo-controlled trials of RR MS)[1]. A recent study by the Department of Neurology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX [2] published in January 2007 in [The Annals of Neurology][3] argues that a double-blind three year study failed to demonstrate a treatment effect of Glatiramer acetate on Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Abstract available from PubMed [4]