EMBARGOED: Hold for release until Oct. 9, 2012 at 9 a.m. ET;
American Neurological Association Mayo Clinic Researchers Stop
Neuromyelitis Optica Attacks with New Therapy ROCHESTER, Minn. —
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a new therapy for
patients with neuromyelitis optica that appears to stop
inflammation of the eye nerves and spinal cord. NMO is a
debilitating central nervous system disorder that is often
misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS). In the study, patients
with severe symptoms of the disease, also known as NMO, were
given eculizumab, a drug typically used to treat blood
disorders. While not a cure, the therapy Mayo Clinic researchers
used in the study to halt attacks could potentially lead to
longer attack-free periods for the thousands of NMO patients
worldwide. The research is being presented Oct. 9 at the
American Neurological Association Annual Meeting in Boston. NMO
manifests itself in attacks that can cause blindness in one or
both eyes, weakness or paralysis in the legs or arms, p