11/10/99 Can. NewsWire 09:17:00 (See Bold)
Canada NewsWire
Copyright Canada NewsWire 1999
Wednesday, November 10, 1999
New drug an advance against painful complication of multiple sclerosis and
spinal cord injury
Zanaflex(R) effectively manages stiffness and painful muscle spasms of
spasticity
TORONTO, Nov. 10 /CNW/ - Canadian pharmaceutical company DRAXIS Health Inc.
today introduces Zanaflex(R) (tizanidine hydrochloride), an important advance
in the management of spasticity, a troubling condition affecting tens of
thousands of Canadians. Spasticity, a common complication of central nervous
system disorders such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, stroke,
cerebral palsy and brain injury, is characterized by abnormal increases in
muscle tone (tension). The condition causes stiffness or rigidity, restricting
normal movement and produces painful muscle spasms that are frequently
debilitating.
Zanaflex represents the first oral treatment advance for spasticity in more
than two decades available to Canadians. It acts by reducing patients'
abnormally increased muscle tone, thereby providing greater flexibility,
freedom of movement and lessened risk of muscle spasms. Zanaflex is the first
anti-spasticity medication that reduces muscle tone without causing a
corresponding reduction in muscle strength. This provides affected individuals
with greater freedom to pursue daily activities and preserves muscle strength
more effectively than has been possible with current medications for people
with central nervous system disorders.
"Zanaflex is changing the way we treat patients with spasticity," says Dr.
Patricia Nance, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Manitoba.
"For the first time we may now alleviate the discomfort and pain of increased
muscle tone and spasm without loss of muscle strength. In so doing, we are
giving back the hope of a less restricted lifestyle for people living with
spasticity," she added.
"Zanaflex has made a terrific difference for me," says Mrs. Wreatha Maw of Brandon, Manitoba and Zanaflex patient for the past three years. "It lessens
the severity of my spasms, allowing me greater quality of life. I am glad that
it is now available to help other Canadians with spasticity," she added.
Spasticity: A Common Disorder
It is estimated that 50,000 Canadians have multiple sclerosis, while some
30,000 suffer from a spinal cord injury. As many as half of these patients will
require medical treatment for spasticity.
Spasticity refers to increased tone or tension in a muscle. Normally muscle
tone is adjusted by the activity of nerve cells in the spinal cord that
receives two different sources of information:
- Sensory nerve fibres, that have direct contact with muscles, signal
the spinal cord nerve cells informing them of the level of
tension/tone in the muscle;
- Descending fibres from the brain also contact spinal cord nerve cells
and help to coordinate and adjust tension/tone as appropriate.
These two systems together regulate the signals that muscles receive and thus
determine muscle tone.
In a person with a central nervous system disorder such as multiple
sclerosis, spinal cord injury and cerebral palsy, damage to the brain and its
descending fibres has occurred. The brain of the individual with spasticity is
therefore unable to influence or coordinate the amount of flexibility a muscle
should have. The signal from the muscle itself dominates the spinal cord and,
as a result, the muscle is too tense, or spastic.
"We welcome all treatment advances that will help people living with multiple
sclerosis manage the disease and its complications such as spasticity," said
Dr. William J. McIlroy, National Medical Advisor, Multiple Sclerosis Society of
Canada. "Any new advance is good news for the 50,000 Canadians living with
multiple sclerosis. We encourage individuals living with multiple sclerosis who
are interested in new treatments to discuss them with their physician."
Drug and Non-Drug Treatments
The most common drug used in the treatment of spasticity is baclofen. Non-
pharmacological treatments, of somewhat limited efficacy, include:
- Physical therapy such as passive stretching or applying splints and/or
casts;
- TENS - transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; and
- A surgical procedure known as dorsal rhizotomy, in which some of the
sensory nerve fibres that come from the muscles and enter the spinal
cord are cut.
Zanaflex Explained
Clinical trials(1) with Zanaflex demonstrate:
- Mean muscle tone scores were significantly decreased by 21 to 37 per
cent.
- The frequency of spasms often associated with pain were significantly
reduced in patients receiving Zanaflex versus those taking placebo.
- Improvements in muscle tone occurred in up to 82 per cent of Zanaflex
patients, versus up to 65 per cent of baclofen recipients.
Zanaflex works through a dual mode of action: it adjusts muscle tone by
regulating both the descending fibres and the spinal cord nerve cells. It,
therefore, reduces muscle tone without causing a corresponding reduction in
muscle strength. This provides patients with more preserved muscle strength
than has previously been possible with current medications.
The most common side effects associated with Zanaflex include dry mouth,
somnolence or drowsiness. These were uncommon, however, and occur less
frequently than in patients receiving baclofen, the traditional therapy for
spasticity. Zanaflex can be taken in combination with other anti-spasticity
agents and NSAIDS without undesirable side effects.
Zanaflex is one of eight neurologic products recently licensed in Canada
exclusively to DRAXIS by Elan Corporation Plc. DRAXIS Pharmaceutica is the
pharmaceutical division of Canadian healthcare company DRAXIS Health Inc. (TSE:
DAX; NASDAQ: DRAX) DRAXIS Health Inc. is a diversified specialized
pharmaceutical company operating in three niche markets: Companion Animal
Health (through its global alliance with Pfizer Inc.), Radiopharmaceuticals
(Draximage), and Pharmaceuticals; neurology and dermatology (DRAXIS
Pharmaceutica). DRAXIS supports its own as well as third party manufacturing
requirements through its subsidiary, DRAXIS Pharma, located in Kirkland,
Quebec.
(1) Wagstaff, Antona J., Bryson, Harriet M. Tizanidine. A Review of its
Pharmacology, Clinical Efficacy and Tolerability in the Management of
Spasticity Associated with Cerebral and Spinal Disorders. Adis
International, Auckland, New Zealand. Drugs 1997 Mar: 53 (3) 435-452.
/For further information:Paul Lee, DRAXIS Health Inc., (905) 677-5500,
Extension 246; Andrew Leopold/Laurel Swartz, NATIONAL PharmaCom, (416) 586-
0180/ 09:02 ET
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