Interferon drugs reduce the number of relapses by about 30% in people with relapsing-remitting MS. They also slow disability and development of new brain lesions on MRI.
Early treatment with interferon may help prevent or delay nerve damage and disability in people with MS. Sometimes, the drug is prescribed for people who have had one episode of MS symptoms (clinically isolated syndrome), but who are not yet diagnosed with MS.
Interferon drugs can reduce the number of relapses in some people with secondary-progressive MS. But they do not prevent this type of MS from getting worse over time.
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