Leukemia Drug Effective Against M.S.

"Multiple sclerosis is the most common neurological condition affecting young adults." I lost an aunt to the disease.

Now, cladribine, a drug currently used to treat Leukemia, has shown significant advances in treating M.S. "[P]atients taking cladribine tablets had a nearly 60 percent lower relapse rate than those on placebo pills. . . . cladribine appear[s] to be twice as effective as current primary treatments for MS" in large human trials with controls.

The drug approval process is not yet complete and there is still open questions about the long term benefits of the drug and its side effects. The drug is likely to come to market in a year or two.