Interferon-ß-1b: Prophylactic therapy in multiple sclerosis

I. INTRODUCTION Multiple sclerosis (MS) has intrigued, baffled, and challenged neurologists since it was first described by Charcot. Its typically episodic, relapsing, remitting, but eventually progressive clinical course initially suggested an infectious (in particular, viral) etiology. However, a specific virus has never been convincingly related to MS, despite a diligent and ongoing search for a causative agent. Although the etiology of MS is still not conclusively established, the preponderance of evidence suggests that it is an immune-mediated disease characterized by localization of several types of inflammatory cell types in MS lesions with altered levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and central nervous system (CNS) (1,2).