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Avonex,...Interferon beta-1a
Intramuscular (or IM) injection is the injection of a substance directly into a muscle. In medicine, it is one of several alternative methods for the administration of medications (see Route of administration). It is used for particular forms of medication that are administered in small amounts. Depending on the chemical properties of the drug, the medication may either be absorbed fairly quickly or more gradually. Intramuscular injections are often given in the deltoid, vastus lateralis, ventrogluteal and dorsogluteal muscles.
Interferon beta-1a is a drug in the interferon family used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). It is produced by mammalian cells while Interferon beta-1b is produced in modified E. coli. Interferons have been shown to have about a 18-38% reduction in the rate of MS relapses, and to slow the progression of disability in MS patients . None of the products on the market is a cure, but patients today who start early on Interferons may beneficially alter the natural course of the disease.
Avonex was approved in the US in 1996, and in Europe in 1997, and is registered in more than 80 countries worldwide. It is the leading MS therapy in the US, with around 40% of the overall market, and in Europe, with around 30% of the overall market. It is produced by the Biogen Idec biotechnology company, originally under competition protection in the US under the Orphan Drug Act. Avonex is sold in two formulations, a powder requiring reconstitution and a pre-mixed liquid syringe kit; it is administered once per week via intramuscular injection.
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