Copaxone is a medication that is often prescribed for treating certain forms of multiple sclerosis. Clinical studies show that people who took the drug for two years had significantly fewer lesions than those who took a placebo. Copaxone must be injected just under the skin once daily. While most people tolerate the drug well, side effects can include weakness, flushing, and joint pain.
Copaxone
® (
glatiramer acetate) is a prescription medication approved for the treatment of certain
types of multiple sclerosis (
MS). Like many other MS medications, it must be taken by injection. Copaxone is injected just under the skin (subcutaneously) once a day.
Copaxone is made by Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
At this time, it is not fully understood how Copaxone works to treat
multiple sclerosis. Although the exact causes of MS are not known, it is often considered an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the protective coating around nerve fibers. It is thought that Copaxone may work by limiting this immune system response, decreasing the damage to the nerves.
Because Copaxone is a delicate molecule, it would be broken down and destroyed by the
digestive system if taken by mouth. For this reason, the drug must be injected to bypass the digestive tract.
Several studies have evaluated Copaxone as an MS treatment.
In one study, people who took the drug had fewer MS exacerbations, compared to people taking a placebo injection with no active ingredient. MRI brain scans showed that people had significantly fewer lesions after two years of taking Copaxone, compared with those who took the placebo.
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