Pharmacotherapy for multiple sclerosis: progress and prospects.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease with a major inflammatory component, and constitutes the most common progressive and disabling neurological condition in young adults. Currently available therapies predominantly include biological agents (beta-interferon and a mAb to a cell adhesion molecule [integrin] on lymphocytes that is involved in the adhesion of lymphocytes to the blood-brain barrier) that attenuate the neuroinflammatory response; however, the ability of these agents to modify the disease course of MS is only modest at best. Because of the inadequacy of current treatment options, there is a need for the development of more effective disease-modifying therapies (eg, sodium channel blockers), along with new drugs to treat specific symptoms of MS, such as fatigue.