I have blogged about my experiences with MS drugs (Rebif, Avonex, Tysabri, Solumedrol and others) and have a few posts about stem cell research but I usually  don’t write about all of the drugs in clinical trials or even all of the MS drugs approved by the FDA. I pay attention to it, but thanks to other great bloggers, I don’t need to be that source of information. That being said, if I read about a new drug or trial that gives me hope and makes me smile, I feel compelled to share!

So, here it is. Our friends at Biogen Idec have  started what it believes to be the first-ever clinical trial of a drug with the potential to regenerate the fatty protective coating around nerves that gets damaged in people with multiple sclerosis. Can you say, remyelination? I understand this is just the beginning of a long process but I am overwhelmed that BIIB-033 is going into Phase 1 trials with the potential of giving me back my myelin!

“Biogen scientists hope to change the paradigm of treatment with this newer drug, by developing an antibody that blocks a new target called the Lingo-1 protein. By hitting this marker on cells, the company hopes that it will restore the body’s natural process of building a fatty protective layer around nerve fibers, known as myelin.”

Wow, Tysabri and the possibility of new myelin?! We love to complain about the exorbitant costs and processes of drug companies, (and often rightfully so) but in this case, I just have to say…Thank you Biogen Idec.

You can read the whole story here: Biogen Idec Advances first Regenerative MS Medicine

Clearly there are pros and cons to big pharma, where do you weigh in?