Do you or someone you care about have MS? MS PathwaysSM is the source for personalized B.E.T.A.SM Nurse support for BETASERON patients and those considering BETASERON therapy. Take advantage of the many helpful tools offered by MS PathwaysSM, including an educational MS Glossary to help you more easily talk with your healthcare professional.
Get a printable doctor-patient discussion guide to help prepare you for speaking with your healthcare professional about choosing a disease-modifying therapy.
The BEYOND Study
Understanding the BEYOND Study Results
New data from the BEYOND (Betaseron Efficacy Yielding Outcomes of a New Dose) study shows that the currently approved Betaseron 250 mcg (interferon beta-1b) remains the optimal Betaseron dose for new Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, who have never been on an MS therapy. As someone currently taking Betaseron or considering it, this is good news.
As part of Bayer's ongoing commitment to improving MS treatment, the BEYOND
study was designed to look at whether increasing the dose of Betaseron
to 500 mcg might result in fewer relapses for previously untreated
MS patients. The study compared the effectiveness and tolerability
of Betaseron 500 mcg ("double-dose") with Betaseron 250 mcg,
and Copaxone® 20 mg (glatiramer acetate), a non-interferon
MS therapy.
In the study, all three treatment groups (Betaseron 250 mcg, Betaseron
500 mcg,
Copaxone® 20 mg) showed a similar reduced
risk for relapses in new MS patients. The study was not designed to look
at the effect of these treatments in patients who were already on an MS
therapy or failed an MS therapy. The study did confirm that Betaseron
250 is highly effective and reduces the risk of relapses – this validates
Betaseron 250 mcg as the optimal dose for new MS patients starting on MS
therapy.
The study also reinforced the excellent safety and tolerability of Betaseron.
In the BEYOND study, Betaseron 250 mcg had the lowest patient drop-out rate
of any treatment group:
13% of Betaseron 250 mcg patients dropped out of the
study compared to 17% for
Copaxone® 20 mg. More data will be
evaluated in the months to come.
As someone on Betaseron or considering it, you should be confident that you
are managing your MS with a highly effective, well-tolerated and safe treatment.
You should also know how committed we remain to you. This is why we have the
B.E.T.A.SM* Nurse
program, brought to you by MS PathwaysSM, the support program rated
best by people with MS†.
Our dedicated MS specialized B.E.T.A. Nurses are there for you any time, day
or night. As your partner in helping to manage your MS, we are looking forward
to serving you for many years to come.
If you have any questions about Betaseron treatment or the study, be sure to talk with your healthcare professional or call a B.E.T.A. Nurse at 1-800-788-1467.
Read the official BEYOND Study Press Release
Learn about the long-term safety of BETASERON
* BETASERON Education, Training & Assistance.
† In an independent study, MS Pathways was rated significantly higher on how valuable it is to people living with MS compared with other MS support programs.
Copaxone is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
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
The most commonly reported adverse reactions are lymphopenia, injection-site reaction, asthenia, flu-like symptom complex, headache and pain. Gradual dose titration and use of analgesics during treatment initiation may help reduce flu-like symptoms. 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. Female patients should be warned about the potential risk to pregnancy. Cases of anaphylaxis have been reported rarely. See "Warnings," "Precautions," and "Adverse Reactions" sections of full Prescribing Information.
