Multiple sclerosis treatment. Bottle of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drug beta interferon. In the background, a woman is injecting herself with the drug using a dedicated syringe. MS is an autoimmune disorder, in which the body's immune system attacks the myelin sheaths that cover nerve fibres. Without myelin, the nerves cannot conduct signals correctly, leading to symptoms including tingling, lack of coordination, speech disorders, paralysis and death. Beta interferon works by blocking the white blood cells responsible for the demyelination. It was introduced in the mid 1990s, and can halve the number of attacks in some MS patients.