AAN publishes guidelines for Betaseron

Facing mounting confusion and rumors predicting that the American Academy of Neurology would endorse expanded clinical use of Chiron Corp.'s Betaseron multiple sclerosis treatment, the AAN late last week decided to publish its findings earlier than intended in order to quell the speculation.

Given the newness and high cost of Betaseron, the AAN wrote, neurologists differ as to which MS patients should be treated with the drug. The executive board reviewed the literature and consulted MS experts in order to develop a practice advisory to help in choosing patients most likely to benefit from the treatment...