Eczema cream gives hope in MS fight

Scientists believe two drugs used to treat common skin conditions could be key to breakthrough treatment for multiple sclerosis.

LONDON, PAA - Two drugs used in skin creams for treating athlete's foot and eczema have been shown to reverse multiple sclerosis (MS).

The surprise discovery could pave the way to ground-breaking new therapies for the devastating auto-immune disease which affects around 23,000 in Australia.

Scientists found that the anti-fungal agent miconazole and the steroid clobetasol both restored movement to mice paralysed by a rodent version of MS.

In laboratory tests, they prompted inactive mouse and human stem cells to regenerate myelin, the protective insulation-like coating around nerve fibres that is destroyed by the disease.
"It was a striking reversal of disease severity in the mice" said Dr Robert Miller, a member of the US team from Case Western Reserve University whose findings appear in Nature journal.

"The drugs that we identified are able to enhance the regenerative capacity of stem cells in the adult nervous system. This truly represents a paradigm shift in how we think about restoring function to multiple sclerosis patients."

Although both drugs are widely used, a way must be found to use them safely as internal human treatments rather than creams or ointments before clinical trials can be considered.
The researchers are confident this problem can be solved, but have warned patients not to jump the gun by using the drugs prematurely.

"We appreciate that some patients or their families feel they cannot wait for the development of specific approved medications, but off-label use of the current forms of these drugs is more likely to increase other health concerns than alleviate multiple sclerosis symptoms," said lead scientist Professor Paul Tesar, from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
MS occurs when the immune system attacks myelin, thereby disrupting the passage of nerve signals. As the disease progresses, it produces symptoms ranging from mild numbness or tingling to full blown paralysis. Occasionally, it can prove fatal.

Although current treatments can slow progression of MS and reduce its symptoms, the disease remains incurable.