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Sunday
Breaking News: Betaseron(R) to Offer the Thinnest Needle in Multiple Sclerosis
The following story was posted today on our MS News Channel MySpace Blog</ span>.
It is one of 4,613 stories on our MySpace Blog</ span>! Our 3,300 MySpace Friends have made 29,896 Comments & 42,234 Kudos on the 4,613 stories!
I just received the following press release
(Click here to go to Betaseron's web page that explains more about thisnew needle)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MYSPACE BLOG AND LEAVE A COMMENT
Betaseron(R) to Offer the Thinnest Needle in Multiple Sclerosis
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that Betaseron(R)* (interferon beta-1b), its treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), will soon be available with a new 30-gauge needle, which will be the thinnest needle of any injectable disease-modifying therapy for people with MS. The new needle is as thin as the needle commonly used for insulin and pediatric injections.
"One of the barriers that many people with multiple sclerosis face in starting an MS treatment is injection anxiety," said Ludger Heeck, Vice President and General Manager, Specialty Medicine, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. "Betaseron is a safe and effective treatment for people with relapsing forms of MS, as well as those with the earliest signs of the disease. By introducing the thinnest needle of any injectable disease-modifying medication for MS, we are taking another important step in our commitment to continuously improve Betaseron and its use to help people start and stay on Betaseron long term, particularly those who may have resisted because of anxiety and concerns about injections."
According to a recent North American survey of people with MS, "Injection Anxiety and Barriers to MS Treatment Commitment," the majority of people with MS have, at some point, felt anxiety, nervousness, and fear associated with their injections. Also in the survey, which interviewed 220 people in the United States and Canada who have been diagnosed with MS in the past five years, the majority (56%) of respondents named at least one thing about injections that made them uncomfortable, most often the length (33%) and thickness (31%) of a needle. This was followed by "the thought of a needle" (28%) and "the sight of a needle" (21%).(1)
Additionally, two-thirds (67%) of participants in the survey agree they would be more comfortable injecting themselves if they knew they were using the thinnest needle possible, and about half of the patients surveyed who are not currently on therapy stated they would consider/reconsider taking an injectable MS drug if a thinner needle was shown to be less painful. Benefits cited by participants to using a thinner needle include less pain during injection (55%), less bruising (42%), less pain after injection (40%), and less anxiety immediately before injection (34%).(1)"
Discomfort and anxiety around injections affect many people with MS. Injection anxiety actually can be so high that it keeps people with MS from taking their medication consistently, which is essential to help slow disease progression," stated Dr. Mark Cascione, Neurologist, Tampa Neurology Associates and Medical Director, South Tampa Multiple Sclerosis Center. "
The new Betaseron 30-gauge needle is a welcome advancement for people with MS, and particularly for those with anxiety about their injections."
Issues around injections, such as injection anxiety, injection fatigue and injection site pain, are among the top reasons patients cite for not starting or continuing an injectable medication.(1) Betaseron therapy requires half as many injections as Copaxone(R)* (glatiramer acetate) with a needle that is 25 percent thinner.(2),(3) Additionally, in a study, significantly more Betaseron than Rebif(R)* patients were pain-free at all time points measured (immediately after injection, and 30 and 60 minutes after injection) over the course of 15 injections.(4) Also in that same study, Betaseron patients using the new 30-gauge needle reported more than 50 percent of their injections were pain-free immediately after injection.+ ++ (4)
The new thinnest, 30-gauge needle will be introduced with an optional new autoinjector called BETAJECT(R) Lite.*Section In a survey of patients who used the new 30-gauge needle along with the new autoinjector, 98 percent were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the new thinner needle and autoinjector after their first injection,(5) and nearly all of the patients who tried the BETAJECT LiteSection said the new autoinjector was easy to use.(5)
There have been no changes to the formulation or the mixing process of Betaseron -- it is still the same effective medication that patients and doctors have relied on for more than 15 years. People who are currently taking Betaseron can log onto www.betaseron.com/thinner for more information about the new needle and to request the optional BETAJECT Lite autoinjector.
It is one of 4,613 stories on our MySpace Blog</ span>! Our 3,300 MySpace Friends have made 29,896 Comments & 42,234 Kudos on the 4,613 stories!
I just received the following press release
(Click here to go to Betaseron's web page that explains more about thisnew needle)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MYSPACE BLOG AND LEAVE A COMMENT
Betaseron(R) to Offer the Thinnest Needle in Multiple Sclerosis
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that Betaseron(R)* (interferon beta-1b), its treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), will soon be available with a new 30-gauge needle, which will be the thinnest needle of any injectable disease-modifying therapy for people with MS. The new needle is as thin as the needle commonly used for insulin and pediatric injections.
"One of the barriers that many people with multiple sclerosis face in starting an MS treatment is injection anxiety," said Ludger Heeck, Vice President and General Manager, Specialty Medicine, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. "Betaseron is a safe and effective treatment for people with relapsing forms of MS, as well as those with the earliest signs of the disease. By introducing the thinnest needle of any injectable disease-modifying medication for MS, we are taking another important step in our commitment to continuously improve Betaseron and its use to help people start and stay on Betaseron long term, particularly those who may have resisted because of anxiety and concerns about injections."
According to a recent North American survey of people with MS, "Injection Anxiety and Barriers to MS Treatment Commitment," the majority of people with MS have, at some point, felt anxiety, nervousness, and fear associated with their injections. Also in the survey, which interviewed 220 people in the United States and Canada who have been diagnosed with MS in the past five years, the majority (56%) of respondents named at least one thing about injections that made them uncomfortable, most often the length (33%) and thickness (31%) of a needle. This was followed by "the thought of a needle" (28%) and "the sight of a needle" (21%).(1)
Additionally, two-thirds (67%) of participants in the survey agree they would be more comfortable injecting themselves if they knew they were using the thinnest needle possible, and about half of the patients surveyed who are not currently on therapy stated they would consider/reconsider taking an injectable MS drug if a thinner needle was shown to be less painful. Benefits cited by participants to using a thinner needle include less pain during injection (55%), less bruising (42%), less pain after injection (40%), and less anxiety immediately before injection (34%).(1)"
Discomfort and anxiety around injections affect many people with MS. Injection anxiety actually can be so high that it keeps people with MS from taking their medication consistently, which is essential to help slow disease progression," stated Dr. Mark Cascione, Neurologist, Tampa Neurology Associates and Medical Director, South Tampa Multiple Sclerosis Center. "
The new Betaseron 30-gauge needle is a welcome advancement for people with MS, and particularly for those with anxiety about their injections."
Issues around injections, such as injection anxiety, injection fatigue and injection site pain, are among the top reasons patients cite for not starting or continuing an injectable medication.(1) Betaseron therapy requires half as many injections as Copaxone(R)* (glatiramer acetate) with a needle that is 25 percent thinner.(2),(3) Additionally, in a study, significantly more Betaseron than Rebif(R)* patients were pain-free at all time points measured (immediately after injection, and 30 and 60 minutes after injection) over the course of 15 injections.(4) Also in that same study, Betaseron patients using the new 30-gauge needle reported more than 50 percent of their injections were pain-free immediately after injection.+ ++ (4)
The new thinnest, 30-gauge needle will be introduced with an optional new autoinjector called BETAJECT(R) Lite.*Section In a survey of patients who used the new 30-gauge needle along with the new autoinjector, 98 percent were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the new thinner needle and autoinjector after their first injection,(5) and nearly all of the patients who tried the BETAJECT LiteSection said the new autoinjector was easy to use.(5)
There have been no changes to the formulation or the mixing process of Betaseron -- it is still the same effective medication that patients and doctors have relied on for more than 15 years. People who are currently taking Betaseron can log onto www.betaseron.com/thinner for more information about the new needle and to request the optional BETAJECT Lite autoinjector.