September 30, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Provides Update on Wellness for Multiple Sclerosis Patients According to the National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ (NMSS), a high priority for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is to achieve an overall feeling of well-being, or “wellness.” Increasingly, peopleĀ with the disease want to know how can they feel their best, and if lifestyle interventions can affect the course of their…
September 30, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Teva’s COPAXONE Approved in Japan for the Prevention of Relapse Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., a leading global pharmaceutical company that delivers high-quality, patient-centric healthcare solutions, recently announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) approved the once per day 20 mg injection of COPAXONEĀ®Ā as prophylaxis for relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS). Glatiramer acetate, the active…
September 30, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Natalizumab Reported To Be a Safe and Effective Therapy for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis A new study recently published in the journal BMC Neurology revealed that natalizumab (TYSABRI) is a safe and effective medication for pediatric cases of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is entitled āNatalizumab in the pediatric MS population: results of the Italian registryā and was…
September 29, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Approves BETACONNECT Autoinjector for BETASERON Delivery Bayer HealthCare is pleased to announce the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the approval ofĀ BETACONNECT, a first-of-its-kind electronic autoinjector indicated as a treatment forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). For now, theĀ drug delivery device is only compatible with BETASERONĀ®Ā (interferon beta-1b), and will soon be available come early 2016. Ā While…
September 29, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Could Genentechās Ocrelizumab Become the First Effective Primary Progressive MS Therapy? Genentech, a leading biotechnology company and member of the Roche Group, recently announced promising results on a pivotal Phase III clinical trial (ORATORIO) assessing its investigational therapyĀ ocrelizumab as a treatmentĀ for patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that results from…
September 28, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD EMD Serono To Present New Data on Rebif, a Therapy for RRMS, at Upcoming ECTRIMS Congress EMD Serono, the subsidiary of Merck KGaA in the United States, recently announced that it will present new data on RebifĀ®, an interferon beta-1a therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), at the upcoming 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), to be…
September 28, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Foundation Researchers Report BICAMS Can Predict Performance of Everyday Life Activities in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Kessler Foundation researchers recently reported that the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) is able to predict the performance of normal daily activities. According to the researchers, the BICAMS is a promising tool to predict actual functional performance in participants with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a progressive…
September 25, 2015 News by Charles Moore New MS Drug To Be Distributed By Global Supply Chain Distributor Durbin Medical Need Europe, a privately held pharmaceutical company headquartered in Sweden and focused on registration, distribution, marketing and sale of orphan drugs and niche speciality pharmaceuticals for treatment of rare diseases, has appointed London, U.K. based Durbin PLC, a leading global supplier and distributor of pharmaceuticals, to manage…
September 25, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Possible JC Virus Vaccination Offers Important Implications for MS Treatment Two studies recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, revealed a possible new vaccine treatment for JC virus with important implications for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. The studies are entitled āJC polyomavirus mutants escape antibody-mediated neutralizationā and āBroadly neutralizing human…
September 24, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Medical Marijuana Use for Pain Relief in Medical Conditions like MS and AIDS Explored in New Nature Article Cannabis is a plant that can be usedĀ in a wide range ofĀ settings such as medical purposes, a source of fiber and oils, or as a recreational drug. Growing evidence has been reported on the clinical benefits of medical marijuana (herbal form) for treating chronic pain. Currently, several countries in the…
September 24, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Brain-specific B Cells’ Reactivity Determines Glatiramer Acetate Therapy Success in MS Patients In a new study entitled āThe brain antigen-specific B cell response correlates with glatiramer acetate responsiveness in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients,āĀ a team of scientists discovered that differences in response toĀ glatiramer acetate therapy among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is potentially dependent on the presence of reactive brain-specific B…
September 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Brain Cell Interaction Study Technique Could Impact MS Research A study led by researchers from the University ofĀ Buffalo recently reported the development of a new method to study brain cell interaction more precisely. The study, published in the journal Nature CommunicationsĀ andĀ entitled āSpatial mapping of juxtacrine axo-glial interactions identifies novel molecules in peripheral…
September 22, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Inhibiting LINGO-1 Protein is a Potential Future Treatment for Cognitive Impairment in MS Patients In a new study entitled āLINGO-1 antibody ameliorates myelin impairment and spatial memory deficits in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis miceā, a team of scientists report that the loss of myelin in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ brains contributes to their cognitive impairment. They showed that inhibiting protein LINGO-1 can…
September 22, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Clinical Benefit of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Therapies Highlighted in Review A review study recently published in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Review (CDSR) focused on the clinical benefit of different therapiesĀ available for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study is entitled āImmunomodulators and immunosuppressants for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysisā and was led…
September 21, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Review Explores Factors that Influence Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis In a recent review published in the European Journal of Neurology, A. P. Lysandropoulos from the University of Brussels and E. Havrdova, from the University of PragueĀ described some āhiddenā issues that influence the quality of life (QoL) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In the review,…
September 21, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Fingolimod (Gilenya) Found to Be an Effective Multiple Sclerosis Therapy for Up to Three Years of Treatment An encouraging newĀ analysis reveals that fingolimod isĀ an effective multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy forĀ a treatment period of up to three years. The results were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Consortium of MS Centers. MS is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is the result ofĀ anĀ attack onĀ the central nervous system…
September 18, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Views and News Reaches Two Locations For the First Time in October Non-profit,Ā MS News and Views (MSVN), which works nationally to increase education and knowledge about multiple sclerosis (MS), has announced the organization of two events during the month of October. For the first time, the organization will host two events with the exact same structure and theme,…
September 18, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Pregnancy-Associated Issues in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Highlighted in New Review A study recently published in the European Journal of Neurology reviewed some of the issues associated with pregnancy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is entitled āAn overview of pregnancy-related issues in patients with multiple sclerosisā and was developed by researchers at Sapienza…
September 17, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Review on Teriflunomide (AUBAGIO), an Oral Therapy for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis A review recently published in the journal Clinical Therapeutics focused on teriflunomide as a treatment for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), taking into account its reported clinical efficacy and safety. The study is entitled āTeriflunomide: A Once-Daily Oral Medication for the Treatment of…
September 17, 2015 News by Malika Ammam, PhD Ocrelizumab: a Promising New Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis with Minimal Side Effects On September 16, 2015, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche announced that ocrelizumab, a drug originally designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis that saw its development stopped due to an association with infections, could potentially treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as well as primary progressive MS (PPMS) with minimal sides effects compared…
September 16, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Natalizumab Improves the Neurological Condition of Multiple Sclerosis Patients Results from a recent Brazilian study, published in the journal Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, revealed that natalizumab is an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is entitled “Natalizumab treatment in multiple sclerosis: the experience from two Brazilian MS centers“. MS is…
September 16, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Aphios Awarded Grant for Cannabinoid Production To Develop Therapeutic Agent for MS Aphios Corporation, a green biotechnology company based inĀ Massachusetts that uses environmentally sustainable technologies, recently announced it was awarded the Phase II portion of a Fast Track SBIR grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the production of cannabidiol (CBD) from marijuana.
September 16, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Patients and Healthcare Providers Report Success of MSdialog App in Tracking Disease An international research team recently reported that the web-based MSdialog appĀ is being adopted by bothĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthcare providers. The study is entitled āPatient and Physician Perspectives on MSdialog, an Electronic PRO Diary in Multiple Sclerosisā and was published in the journal…
September 15, 2015 News by Malika Ammam, PhD UK Multiple Sclerosis Society Proposes Urgent Revision of the Current Disability Benefits System for MS Patients Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition which damages parts of neurons resulting in inefficient communication within the nervous system.Ā It is believed that autoimmune disorders and environmental factors, such as infections, can cause MS disease development. There is currently no cure for MS, although the disease can be managed by medications…
September 15, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Gut Microbiota Imbalance Discovered in Multiple Sclerosis Patients A new study recently published in the journal PLOS One revealed that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a microbial imbalance (dysbiosis) in their gut microbiota that is most likely linked to the disease pathogenesis. The study is entitled āDysbiosis in the Gut Microbiota of…
September 14, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Merck Prepares to File for European Marketing Authorization for Cladribine Tablets as a Multiple Sclerosis Therapy MerckĀ recently reported its intention to file for European registration of its product candidate forĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis – Cladribine, a synthetic anti-cancer agent able to suppress the immune system. Cladribine causesĀ relatively few side effects and results in very little non-target cell loss. Merck’s decision follows new findingsĀ and further characterization of…
September 11, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Melatonin Levels Positively Correlate With Fewer MS Flare-Ups, According to Study Melatonin, the same hormone that helps people fall asleep by regulating the body’s internal clock, may be helpful in treating multiple sclerosis, according to a study from RaĆŗl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research in Buenos Aires. Neurologists Dr. Mauricio Farez and Dr. Francisco Quintana noticed that when melatonin levels are…
September 11, 2015 News by Malika Ammam, PhD Researchers Find OCT Imaging Technique a Reliable Tool for Multiple Sclerosis Assessment In a newly published study in the PLOS One journal entitled “Reliability of Intra-Retinal Layer Thickness Estimates“, researchers from Germany explored the precision and reliability of a medical imaging technique named optical coherence tomography (OCT) in measurements of thickness of different intra-retinal layers in…
September 10, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen Obtains Exclusive Rights Over Promising MT-1303 Drug for Autoimmune Diseases, Multiple Sclerosis BiogenĀ recently announced an agreement with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC), a research-driven pharmaceutical company based in Japan, to exclusively license the companyās experimental product MT-1303. The product is a late stage experimental oral compound developed as a therapy for several autoimmune conditions. MT-1303 is a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)…
September 10, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Mortality and Comorbidity Rates Found Higher in MS Patients, Study Finds A recently published study in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related DisordersĀ found notably higher mortality and comorbidity rates among patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to those without the disease. While past studies have reported similar observations, much remains to be understood about MS patients’ risk…