Transfer factor as a therapy for multiple sclerosis: a follow-up study.

The result of a two year, double blind, controlled trial of Transfer Factor (TF) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) were reported in 1980. It was demonstrated that TF significantly reduced the rate of progression of the disability but the benefit of therapy was not apparent until 18 months after its commencement. After the completion of the trial, TF treatment was offered to all the trial participants. Forty-five of these people accepted TF as treatment and have been followed for the subsequent three years. The twenty-three people who had received TF during the trial, and continued on TF after the trial, consistently had a slower rate of progression of their MS. Although the twenty-two patients initially on placebo had a significantly faster rate of progression during the trial, this slowed with commencement of TF treatment. After 3 years of TF, the rate of progression of disease was similar to that of the group receiving TF continuously for 5 years. In addition, 470 patients with clinically definite MS are being treated in New South Wales in an open study of TF. The rate of progression of the disease is being monitored by neurological assessments and appears to be similar to that of patients who had received TF in the original trial. The follow-up study of the 1980 TF trial patients and the open study of 470 MS patients confirm the original observation that TF has some effect on slowing the course of MS.