A New Experimental Drug For Chronic Fatigue (NAPSA)—Here’s a wake-up — call if you feel run-down. A new experimental treatment may help people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) take back theirlives. Chronic fatigue syndromeis a real ailment andit afflicts an esti- mated half a million Americans. While symptoms vary from person to person, the most common, as the name suggests, is a persistent and pervasive fatigue. This goes beyond the usual tiredness after having a busy day. Symptomatic fatigue is severe, lasts for days or even months, and often leads to significant reduc- tion in normalactivities. Other commonly reported indicators of CFS include: Sudden intolerance to alcohol Persistent headaches that do not respond well to painkillers e Oversleeping disruptions or sleep Inability to concentrate Short-term memoryloss Sensitivity to sound and light Recurrent sore throat or swollen glands Nausea, abdominal pains and a constantloss of appetite Severe mood changes, including irritability, depression, anger andfrustration. Generally, the symptoms will fluctuate from day to day, with relapses and remissions continu- ing for months. The cause is unknown, but according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), various triggers, such as stress or a viral infection, may lead to CFS. There is no avail- able drug treatment for this condition, and the CDC has added CFS to its top priority list of chronic diseases. Chronic fatigue syndrome may be treatable with a newly available therapy. Current trials in the United States and Belgium suggest that an experimental drug developed by Hemispherx Biopharma and called Ampligen may potentially be an effective treatment for many CFS patients, particularly those with severe debilitation. People with CFS seem to have something different about certain antiviral material in their immune systems. The medication may help correct this abnormality. Patients affected with CFS have a compro- mised RNaseL pathway—the body’s antiviral defense system. Some viruses beat this defense mechanism by inactivating the RNaseL. Ampligen seems to reverse this process and modulates an overly active defense system, thus helping to restore energy levels, oxygen intake and boosting the body’s immunesystem. Hemispherx is publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange as HEB. For more information, go to www.hemispherx.net.
