MS Patients Choose Death Risk With Potent Drug Treatment
This article is for subscribers only.
Kari Antin, a 40-year-old financial analyst in Minneapolis, knows she’s taking a life-or-death risk with every monthly infusion of Biogen Idec Inc.’s Tysabri.
She is among the 55 percent of multiple sclerosis patients who harbor a potentially lethal virus that can be reactivated by the drug, allowing it to creep from the kidneys to the brain, where it destroys nerve-protecting cells. The risk soars after two years of treatment. Still, Antin insists on sticking with the drug she credits with restoring her health.