Columns The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New DMT, Stem Cell Trial, Pediatric MS Treatment Study MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New DMT, Stem Cell Trial, Pediatric MS Treatment Study by Ed Tobias | March 4, 2019 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link FDA Will Review New Drug Application of Diroximel Fumarate for Relapsing Forms of MS The good news: Another disease-modifying therapy (DMT) has taken a step toward approval in the U.S. The discouraging news: It’s another DMT designed to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. More than a dozen of those treatments are currently available. When will the pharmaceutical companies focus more on treatments for progressive forms of MS? Only one is approved for primary progressive MS (PPMS) and none are approved for secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Many, if not most, of us eventually develop SPMS. How about it, Big Pharma? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to review Alkermesā request to approve diroximel fumarate (BIIB098) as a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. A final decision by the FDA is expected in the fourth quarter of 2019. If approved, diroximel fumarate likely will be marketed in the U.S. with the brand name Vumerity. Click here to read the full story. *** Cleveland Clinic Chosen for Phase 2 Trial Testing NurOwn Stem Cell Therapy in Progressive MS Patients This trial is aimed at using stem cells from a patient’s own bone marrow to treat the progressive forms of MS that I mentioned earlier. The trial is very small, with only 20 subjects. But at least it’s moving toward the day when, hopefully, we’ll see stem cell transplants approved as an MS treatment in the U.S. BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics announced theĀ Cleveland ClinicĀ is the first clinical site contracted in the United States for the Phase 2 multi-center study evaluating the companyās NurOwn mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in individuals with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). āWe are very excited to announce The Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research at Cleveland Clinic as the first contracted U.S. clinical site for this very important Phase 2 progressive MS study that we plan to initiate in early 2019,ā Chaim Lebovits, president and CEO of BrainStorm, said in a press release. Click here to read the full story. *** #ACTRIMS2019 ā No Evidence of Disease Activity Seen in POMS Adolescents Taking Rituximab, Small Study Shows Treatments for young people with MS ā those 22 and younger ā had not been available in the U.S. until last May, when Gilenya (fingolimod) was approved for children at least 10 years old. Now there’s hope that rituximab may also be a useful treatment for MS in pediatric patients. Data supporting the off-label use of rituximab in adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) was presented atĀ the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2019. The session, titledĀ āNo Evidence of Disease Activity in the Majority of Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Rituximab,ā was presented byĀ Nikita Shukla, MD,Ā from the Texas Childrenās Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine, on Feb. 28,Ā as part of ACTRIMSāĀ Poster Session 1. Click here to read the full story. *** Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis. Print This Page About the Author Ed Tobias People say to write what you know and Ed Tobias knows about MS. He's lived with the illness since 1980, when he was 32 years old. Ed's a retired, award-winning broadcast journalist and his column combines his four decades of MS experiences with news and comments about the latest in the MS community. In addition to writing his column, Ed is one of the patient moderators on the MS News Today Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sites. Heās also the author of āThe Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox: Hints and Tips for Living with M.S.ā Ed and his wife split their time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Floridaās Gulf Coast, trying to follow the sun. Tags diroximel fumarate, disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), Gilenya (fingolimod), pediatric-onset MS, primary progressive MS (PPMS), rituximab, secondary progressive (SPMS) Comments Leave a comment Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published. Your Name Your Email Your Comment Post Comment