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People who have diabetic neuropathy
do not appear to benefit from a synthetic version of human
nerve growth factor (rhNGF), according to a new study.
Researchers compared 418 patients who
received injections of rhNGF three times a week for 48 weeks
with 461 patients who received placebo injections.
Of those receiving the drug:
- 31% of the patients improved
These results were actually
slightly worse than those experienced
by patients who received placebo.
Patients who received
rhNGF were also much more likely to have pain
or sensitivity at the injection
site, muscle aches, and swelling.
The drug is a genetically engineered
version of a naturally-occurring growth factor that plays
a major role in the development and maintenance of the peripheral
nervous system.
The Journal
of the American Medical Association November 1, 2000; 284:
2215-2221
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