Avonex® (
interferon beta-1a) is a medication used for the treatment of
multiple sclerosis (
MS). The drug is available by prescription only and is injected into a muscle once weekly. It is believed that Avonex decreases nerve damage by preventing the immune system from attacking and destroying the protective coating around nerve fibers.
In one of the clinical studies on Avonex, the medication significantly delayed the progression of MS in terms of disability. After 104 weeks of Avonex injections, only 21.9 percent of people became persistently more disabled, compared to 34.9 percent of people who received a placebo (an injection with no active ingredient).
(To learn more about how this injection is used for MS, click Avonex Uses. This article also looks at other uses for the drug and explains whether it can be given to children.)
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