MS affects about one million people around the world and 350,000 people in the United States. However, only 75,000 Americans with the condition currently use one of the three injection treatments. Relapsing-remitting MS is characterized by attacks to the nervous system, followed by periods of remission. In the remission periods, people with MS can feel symptom-free. During the relapses or attacks, a person can develop severe physical disability that may or may not be temporary.
Common symptoms are numbness, muscle weakness, vertigo, blurred vision, difficulty walking and pain.
MS affects myelin, the protective coating that insulates nerves. In MS, medical experts believe the immune system attacks myelin basic protein. When the myelin is broken down, there are disruptions in the signals sent to and from the brain. Although it is not known exactly how glatiramer acetate works, it appears to block attacks from the immune system on myelin. The Coral Study is a Phase III clinical study.