January 17, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Acorda taking over global marketing of Fampyra, MS walking aid Fampyra (fampridine), an approved oral treatment to improve the walking abilities of adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), soon will be sold by Acorda Therapeutics worldwide. The announcement follows the decision by Biogen to terminate a licensing agreement that gave it global development and marketing rights…
October 27, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Study examines real-world side effects linked to dalfampridine The most common real-world side effects linked to dalfampridine ā sold as Ampyra and with generics available ā are similar to those listed on its prescribing label for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a safety surveillance database. Common side effects included urinary tract infection (UTI), dizziness…
December 20, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD NICE Still Opposes Adding Fampyra to NHS for England The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England is set to again recommend against adding Fampyra (fampridine) to the list of medications available to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with walking difficulties through the countryās national health service (NHS). The poor cost-effectiveness of Fampyra ā sold…
March 22, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ponvory, Ocrevus, COVID-19 Survey, Ampyra Ponvory (ponesimod) Approved for Adults With Relapsing Forms of MS Add one more medication to the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) arsenal. Ponvory is a once-a-day pill that aims to reduce immune system activity. It’s similar to Aubagio (teriflunomide), which I used for about two years, and which I believe helped…
April 16, 2020 News by Mary Chapman Fampyra, Aid for Walking, Favored for Inclusion in NHS Scotland After being rejected twice in the last four years, Fampyra (fampridine; marketed as Ampyra in the U.S.) is now being recommended by the Scottish Medicines ConsortiumĀ (SMC) for use in the country’sĀ National Health System (NHS) to treat walking disabilities in adults withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). Scotland…
October 9, 2019 News by Grace Frank US Supreme Court Denies Acorda Appeal on Ampyra Patents, Supporting Generic Versions The U.S. Supreme Court gave a green light to generic versions of Ampyra this week, declining to hearĀ Acorda Therapeutics‘ appeal of a lower court ruling that allowed generics of its treatment for walking or gait problems in multiple sclerosis. That lower court rulingĀ came fromĀ the U.S. District Court…
February 15, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias 4 Things I’ve Learned About Paying for MS Medications Are you having trouble paying for MS medications? If so, you’re not alone. People change or lose their insurance, and plans change the medications they cover from year to year. Your neurologist may change your medication without realizing that moving you from an injection to an oral med may…
December 19, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Ampyra Significantly Improves Walking Ability As Reported by MS Patients, Phase 3 Trial Shows Treatment with Ampyra (dalfampridine) for 24 weeks leads to sustained and clinically meaningful improvements in walking ability as reported by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with gait difficulties, according to a study analyzing results from a Phase 3 trial. The study, “Assessment of Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Self-Reported…
October 1, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MRI Signal, Cost-effective DMTs, Age Benefits, Generic Ampyra Often-overlooked MRI Signal May Aid in Early Diagnosis of MS, Other Brain Conditions, Study Suggests A part of an MRI scan that radiologists call a “background signal” is what’s being looked at. It’s usually ignored because the signal doesn’t seem to change even when a patient is…
September 25, 2018 News by Janet Stewart, MSc Dalfampridine ER Tablets, Generic Version of Ampyra, Now Available in US, Mylan Announces Mylan announced its U.S. launch of dalfampridine extended-release (ER) tablets, the authorized generic version of Acorda‘s Ampyra, that work to improve walking abilities in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Both versions of this medication come in a 10 mg tablet form. Approved generic medicinesĀ are those that…
September 18, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias A Generic for Ampyra Could Be Released Soon Editorās note: Shortly after this column was published, Mylan pharmaceuticals announced it will begin distributing Dalfampridine Extended-Release Tablets, 10 mg, the authorized generic version of Acordaās Ampyra. Thereās been no word, yet, on what it will cost or how soon the generic will become available in pharmacies. A few…
May 25, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias Two MS Medications Appear on FDA’s Shame List Two multiple sclerosis medications that are both popular and expensive are on a new list that U.S. regulators hope will increase price competition. The medications are Ampyra (dalfampridine), made by Acorda, and TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate), by Biogen. They’re included on a list of more than 50…
February 8, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #ACTRIMS2018 – Ampyra Also Aids Cognition, Use of Extremities in MS Patients Ampyra (dalfampridine), approved to treat walking difficulties in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, also helps with cognition and movement in the upper and lower extremities, according to a recent scientific presentation. These findings were reported at the 3rd Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2018Ā in…
November 20, 2017 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Fampyra/Ampyra May Improve Walking Speed in MS Patients Over Longer Term, Study Says Available long-term data on Fampyra (fampridine;Ā 4-aminopyridine)Ā suggest the treatment may improve walking speed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) for up to one year, but more research is needed, a French study reports. The study āMultiple Sclerosis and Clinical Gait Analysis before and after Fampridine: A Systematic Reviewā…
September 14, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Thereās an App (Maybe Too Many) for That! How many hours do the pharmaceutical companies think we have in our day? I ask because almost all of them have come up with very slick tools to use, particularly mobile apps, to help us improve our daily lives with MS. Not coincidentally, these apps also provide their…
July 11, 2017 News by Stacy Grieve, PhD Long-term Use of Ampyra Lowers Medical Costs, Hospital Visits for MS Patients, Study Finds A recent study has found that continued use of Ampyra (dalfampridine extended-release, sold in the U.S. by Acorda Therapeutics) by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) lowers both inpatient hospital visits and overall healthcare costs. Results from the study, titled āInpatient Admissions and Costs Associated with Persistent…
April 12, 2017 News by Charles Moore Court Ruling Against 4 Patents Protecting Ampyra May Speed Arrival of Generics A ruling by the Ā U.S. District Court for the District of DelawareĀ invalidated four of five patents held by Acorda Therapeutics that pertained toĀ Ampyra (dalfampridine), a treatment for walking difficulties in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, raising the possibility of generic forms of the drugĀ coming onto the market in a…
April 10, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ampyra Aided Walking in PPMS and RMS Patients Over Long Term, Neurologist Says in Interview AmpyraĀ (dalfampridine) shows long-term efficacy in improving walking ability in peopleĀ with multiple sclerosis, according to a study evaluating the treatment’s use in progressive and relapsing MS patients over two years. The study, āMonitoring long-term efficacy of fampridine in gait-impaired patients with multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the…
April 10, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Transcript of Interview on Ampyra Research, MS Walking Ability and Long-Term Use Multiple Sclerosis News Today interviewedĀ Dr. Linard Filli,āØ an MS researcher at the University Hospital ZurichĀ involved in clinical studies of prolonged release Ampyra (dalfampridine), on walking ability in MS patients,Ā and Dr. Andrew Blight, chief scientific officer at Acorda Therapeutics, the treatment’s developer. Here is a full transcript of that interview.Ā An…
April 4, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Ampyra: A Generic for the MS ‘Walking Drug’ Wins a Round in Court Ampyra is marketed as the only multiple sclerosis (MS) drug that is designed to increase an MS patient’s walking speed. Clinical studies show that patients who use the drug walk as much as 20 percent faster. Ampyra improved my speed, several years ago, when I was on…
March 16, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Acorda Launches Interactive and Talking ‘MS Awareness Facts’ Alexa Service for March In recognition of multiple sclerosis (MS) awareness month, Acorda Therapeutics has launched its Alexa skill, calledĀ MS Awareness Facts. Ā The interactive voice-controlled serviceĀ allows users to ask Amazon Alexa for information regarding MS and its debilitating symptoms. Amazon Alexa is a cloud-based service that enable customers to interact in…
October 8, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Acorda To Present New Data on MS Therapies AMPYRA and Experimental rHIgM22 at #ECTRIMS2015 Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., a company focused on therapies for neurological disorders, will present new data on its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating rHIgM22, and five-year post-marketing safety data on AMPYRAĀ® (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets (10 mg) Ā at this year’sĀ 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in…
February 6, 2015 News by admin Acorda Announces Phase 1 Results for Remyelinating Antibody in Multiple Sclerosis Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. has released results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of rHIgM22 for multiple sclerosis, showing that the medication is safe and produces few side effects. rHIgM22 is a medication that may induce the re-wrapping of the myelin sheath that surround nerve cells,…
September 12, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Real-World Analysis of AMPYRA Multiple Sclerosis Drug Presented by Acorda and HealthCore Acorda Therapeutics will present results of a study analyzing AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets in multiple sclerosis patients at the 2014 Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting in Boston, held through September 10-13. Unlike many other studies of therapeutic agents, this study looked at prescribing patterns, patient compliance, and budget impact…
June 30, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Actavis Plans Generic Version of Acorda’s Multiple Sclerosis Drug Ampyra Acorda TherapeuticsĀ recently announced receiving a notice letter from pharmaceutical companyĀ Actavis PlcĀ indicating theirĀ plansĀ to commercialize a generic version of Ampyra, Acorda’s multiple sclerosis treatment drug. Acorda claims that Actavis submitted a marketing approval application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking permission to develop and commercialize a new drug,…
May 27, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Acorda Therapeutics’ Online Multiple Sclerosis Resources To Be Demonstrated in Dallas At the 2014 Cooperative Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis on May 28-31 in Dallas, Acorda Therapeutics will be demonstrating its award-winning MS selfā¢ mobile app designed for patients with multiple sclerosis.