HISTORY OF INTERFERON TREATMENTS IN MULTIPLE
SCLEROSIS – 60 YEARS OF PROGRESS
CARMEN ADELLA SÎRBU1#, CRISTINA MANUELA DRĂGOI2#*, ALINA CRENGUȚA NICOLAE2#, CRISTINA FLORENTINA PLEȘA1#
l“Carol Davila” Central University Emergency Military Hospital, Department of Neurology, 134 Calea Plevnei Street,
Bucharest, Romania
2“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Biochemistry, 6 Traian Vuia
Street, Bucharest, Romania
*corresponding author: manuela.dragoi@gmail.com
#All authors have equal contribution.
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Abstract:
Interferons are biopharmaceutical agents which were discovered based on the phenomenon of viral interference, in 1957.
Three categories of interferons were described: IFN I (IFN-α, IFN-β), IFN II (IFN-γ) and IFN III (IFN-λ). These cytokines,
whose importance is comparable to that of penicillin, act on specific receptors and activate the signal transducer and activator
of transcription (STAT) complexes which regulate the expression of over 200 genes of the immune system. Based on their
antiviral and immunomodulatory effects, they were approved in 1993 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, becoming a part
of the Disease Modifying Therapies - DMTs drugs category. The studies that followed demonstrated a long term good safety
profile and an acceptable efficacy. New formulas meant to improve the adherence to treatment, were approved recently. At
the moment, the research is focused on developing new pharmacogenetic markers for enabling a personalized treatment with
IFN. This treatment should approach to the score of 4 points in NEDA (no relapses, no disability progression, no MRI
activity, and no change in the brain volume).

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