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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

BETASERON® (interferon beta-1b) should be used with caution in patients with depression. Injection-site necrosis has been reported in 4% of patients in controlled trials. Patients should be advised of the importance of rotating injection sites...continue reading below

Learn about MS

Whether you've just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) or have known for a while, you may have questions about MS. Your doctor is your best source of MS information. This website may also be helpful. Use the arrows and numbers below to navigate through the information.

  • Although the exact mechanism of MS is unknown, MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease in which some T cells become misprogrammed to mistakenly attack the central nervous system (CNS)—the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. When an immune system is healthy, T cells attack bacteria and virus while the blood-brain barrier keeps T cells from exiting the blood vessel and entering the brain.6
  • With MS, this barrier is weakened, allowing the unhealthy T cells to pass into the CNS where they attack the myelin, the protective coating of the nerves, leaving scar tissue. This scar tissue affects the electrical impulses traveling along the nerve fiber—often causing permanent damage to the nerve.6

Some people may experience all or just some of the multiple sclerosis symptoms6 listed below.

Symptoms of an MS relapse can include6:

  • Fatigue
  • Tingling/pain
  • Problems with balance and walking
  • Changes in vision
  • Depression/emotional changes
  • Impaired thinking/understanding
  • Poor muscle coordination
  • Sexual problems
  • Slurred speech and stuttering
  • Bladder and bowel problems
  • Nobody is completely sure what causes multiple sclerosis, but we do know that MS is not contagious.3
  • Multiple sclerosis is at least 2 to 3 times more common in women than in men.4 It is most often diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 50.4
  • Multiple sclerosis is more common among people of northern European descent, although anyone can get MS. People who live in colder climates are much more likely to get MS, but it seems to matter most where you spent the first 15 years of your life.5
  • The average person has a 1 in 750 chance of getting MS in their lifetime. If someone has an immediate family member with MS, the chances of developing MS may increase. However, this does not mean that MS is completely genetic or that it is inherited. A lot of other factors, like geography, ethnicity, and maybe even infection can influence whether someone gets multiple sclerosis.5

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INDICATIONS AND USAGE

BETASERON® (interferon beta-1b) is indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. Patients with multiple sclerosis in whom efficacy has been demonstrated include patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRI features consistent with multiple sclerosis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

  • BETASERON should be used with caution in patients with depression.
  • Injection-site necrosis has been reported in 4% of patients in controlled trials. Patients should be advised of the importance of rotating injection sites.
  • Severe hepatic injury, including cases of hepatic failure, has been reported. Patients should be monitored for liver enzyme elevations while taking BETASERON.
  • BETASERON should be used with caution in patients with seizure disorders or cardiac disease.
  • Female patients should be warned about the potential risk to pregnancy.
  • Cases of anaphylaxis have been reported rarely.
  • The most commonly reported adverse reactions are lymphopenia (low numbers of a certain kind of white blood cell), Injection-site reaction, asthenia (general weakness), flu-like symptom complex (flu syndrome and/or a combination of at least two Adverse Events from fever, chills, muscle aches, tiredness and sweating), headache and pain. Gradual dose titration and use of analgesics during treatment initiation may help reduce flu-like symptoms.

See "Warnings," "Precautions," and "Adverse Reactions" sections of full Prescribing Information.

For important risk and use information, please see the full Prescribing Information.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.