Experimental Drug Stops Progression of Mad Cow Disease

Researchers have announced that an experimental drug given to a UK teenager diagnosed with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human form of mad cow disease, appears to have halted the progress of the disease. 19-year-old Jonathon Simms is the first person to have pentosan polysulphate (PPS) injected into his brain in an attempt to treat the fatal disease. His father says that although Jonathan remains confined to bed with limited ability to move or interact with those around him, he has seen "small but significant" improvements in his son’s condition. Doctors say that the treatment has also extended Jonathon’s life by up to 10-months. Doctors began giving Jonathan pentosan polysulphate (PPS), which is normally used to treat cystitis, after his family won a legal battle in December 2002. Court permission was needed to treat Jonathon as PPS for the treatment of vCJD has not been tested on humans and the disease had left Jonathan incapable of deciding for himself.
 
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 26th September 2003.