The risk of suffering a severe spinal cord injury (SCI) is higher than you may think. More than 11,000 accidents per year result in spinal cord-related damage. This is why studies for the treatment and cure of SCIs have become increasingly important.
Currently, the best options for SCI victims are physical therapy, steroidal drugs, and traction to help treat the injury immediately after it occurs. However, a new therapy by Acorda Therapeutics may provide an alternative form of treatment once human trials are completed.
Acorda—which recently received a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research Command—began phase 2 trials of their revolutionary SCI treatment early last month. The study now has its first set of human trials to test the efficiency of AC105. AC105 is a magnesium-based drug, formulated to protect neurological function which may otherwise diminish as a result of spinal cord injury.
The protective neurological effects of magnesium sulphate to help prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies are well documented. Acorda is trying to prove that the same effects can help treat neurological and motor functions in SCI victims by mimicking the protective properties of magnesium, such as:
- Reduction in brain inflammation
- Blocking calcium deposits in the brain
- Increasing blood flow to the brain
- Stabilizing blood pressure
So far the study has provided positive results when the drug is administered within 12 hours of the injury. It is hoped that as the study progresses, the results will show a possibility for a practical application to help treat spinal cord injuries and their victims.
The Washington D.C. spinal cord injury lawyers at Shevlin Smith would like to wish Acorda Therapeutics good luck with their study and hope that it will help advance the treatments available for the many sufferers of spinal cord injuries.