Strayer, D R, Carter, W A, Brodsky, I et al. · Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 1994 · DOI
This study tested whether an experimental drug called poly(I).poly(C12U) could help people with ME/CFS. Ninety-two patients received either the drug or a placebo for 24 weeks. Those who received the drug showed improvements in daily functioning, mental clarity, ability to exercise, and overall performance compared to those who received placebo.
This rigorous RCT provides evidence that immunomodulatory therapy may address core ME/CFS symptoms—functional impairment, cognitive dysfunction, and exercise intolerance—suggesting the disease has a tractable biological basis. The multi-domain improvement pattern supports the hypothesis that ME/CFS involves modifiable immune dysregulation, potentially opening new therapeutic avenues for a debilitating condition with no approved treatments.
This study does not establish that poly(I).poly(C12U) is a clinically viable or safe long-term treatment; data on safety, durability of benefit beyond 24 weeks, and optimal dosing are not presented. It also does not definitively identify the mechanism of benefit or prove that immunomodulation is the primary therapeutic pathway. Replication and longer follow-up are needed before clinical translation.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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