Clinical trials of pharmacotherapy for spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury remains with limited natural recovery and only a few general ineffective treatment options. Recent publications have reported enhanced neurologic recovery with the use of methylprednisolone and GM-1 ganglioside. The results of the Maryland GM-1 Ganglioside Study reported a significant drug effect with respect to the fraction of patients that had a change of two or more Frankel grades from entrance into the study to 1-year follow-up. This study formed the basis for the currently ongoing larger placebo-controlled multicentered study using Sygen GM-1 following acute spinal cord injury. This study has entered 797 patients and is expected to present results in early 1998.