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Serono study shows MS patients taking Rebif can get flu vaccine
By E. Janene Geiss
Philadelphia, Nov. 9 - Serono said Wednesday that study data demonstrates treatment with Rebif in patients with multiple sclerosis does not alter the immune response to influenza vaccination.
The immune response to influenza vaccine was prospectively assessed in an open-label study over a four-week period in 163 patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a company news release.
One group of patients was treated with Rebif for at least six months before receiving the flu vaccination. Another group received a placebo. Both groups received a single dose of the same vaccine and both groups of patients were able to mount a positive vaccine response, officials said.
No new safety concerns regarding Rebif treatment were identified and the proportion of patients experiencing a vaccine-related adverse event was similar for both the Rebif group and the placebo group, officials said.
"These results demonstrate that treatment with Rebif does not alter the immune response to influenza vaccination, and that this vaccination can be performed safely in MS patients who are treated with Rebif," Dr. Paul Lammers, chief medical officer, said in the release.
The data was presented Wednesday at the annual World Congress of Neurology in Sydney, Australia.
Officials said it is important for MS patients to avoid viral infections because the illness increases the risk of MS exacerbation.
Rebif is the only approved MS therapy proven in a four-year clinical study and supported by eight years of safety and efficacy data, officials said.
Geneva, Switzerland-based Serono is a biotechnology company with leading market positions in reproductive health, neurology, metabolism and growth.
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