Study shows minocycline may speed up effects of ALS

PARIS According to a study published by The Lancet Neurology, patients who have ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease deteriorated 25 percent faster when taking the antibiotic minocycline, as compared to patients taking a placebo, according to Yahoo.com.

This study was part of a Phase III trial, which was launched after tests on lab-dish cells and genetically engineered mice suggested that the drug could inhibit inflammation and apoptosis, which causes the nerve cells to die.

The drug was also being used in other Phase II and Phase III trials for such diseases as Huntington’s, as well as for strokes, dementia and multiple sclerosis.