ArticleQJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians2021
Beta interferons as immunotherapy in multiple sclerosis: a new outlook on a classic drug during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of continuous care model using a smartphone application on adherence to treatment and self-efficacy among patients with multiple sclerosis.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2022Trial
- The Variant rs7665090 Is Associated With Interferon-Beta Response in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.European journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Immunomodulatory Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.Cureus · 2025Review
- Latent microbial infections leading to myelin and axonal damage in multiple sclerosis: A narrative review.Current journal of neurology · 2024Article
- A Preliminary Study on the Meaning of Inflammatory Indexes in MS: A Neda-Based Approach.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- An update on the use of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulators for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis.Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy · 2023Review
- Impact of mass vaccination on SARS-CoV-2 infections among multiple sclerosis patients taking immunomodulatory disease-modifying therapies in England.Multiple sclerosis and related disorders · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Beta interferons (IFN-β) are pleiotropic cytokines with antiviral properties. They play important roles in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable immune-mediated disorder of the central nervous system. The clinical expression of MS is heterogeneous, with relapses of neuroinflammation and with disability accrual in considerable part unrelated to the attacks. The injectable recombinant IFN-β preparations are the first approved disease-modifying treatments for MS. They have moderate efficacy in reducing the frequency of relapses, but good long-term cost-efficacy and safety profiles, so are still widely used. They have some tolerability and adherence issues, partly mitigated in recent years by the introduction of a PEGylated formulation and use of 'smart' autoinjector devices. Their general impact on long-term disability is modest but could be further improved by developing accurate tools for identifying the patient profile of best responders to IFN-β. Here, we present the IFN-β-based immunomodulatory therapeutic approaches in MS, highlighting their place in the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The potential role of IFN-β in the treatment of COVID-19 is also briefly discussed.
Indexed as
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.