A common patient complaint about Plegridy has been that its subcutaneous injection procedure results in injection site reactions. This new formulation is delivered into the muscle, rather than under the skin. The needle is longer, but Biogen pharmaceuticals thinks the reactions should be fewer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an intramuscular injection formulation of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).
This formulation, for injection directly into muscle, is what is typically used to deliver the flu shot.
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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, several well-known MS neurologists have been conducting virtual exams of their patients. On the other hand, my neurologist, whom I think the world of, doesn’t think telemedicine is a good idea for the patients she sees. Here’s an interesting look at the benefits of technology for MS examinations when you can
The COVID-19 pandemic made social distancing mandatory and required rapid adoption of new technologies to improve patient access to healthcare. Televisits are one type of telemedicine in which clinical visits are conducted remotely using an audio-visual connection between doctors and patients at home.
Researchers in Italy evaluated the use of telemedicine in MS patients during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak that was declared in February 2020. Patients were recruited in an Italian general hospital between March 9 and May 18, 2020 (Italy’s lockdown period), and completed at least one televisit.
“The overall response of the community to the program was positive, and will be extended as a permanent service,” the researchers wrote, adding that “although some neurological exam modifications or substitutions were utilized, the televisits provided similar information compared with standard visits.”