November 26, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Rare Brain Infection Death Spurs FDA To Update Warning Label for MS Drug The US Food and Drug Administration has just issued a report warning the general public and healthcare providers dealing with multiple sclerosis that one of the leading medications for the disease, Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), has been identified a possible factor in the death of an MS patient,…
November 24, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Experimental Drug for RRMS, SPMS Enters Phase 2 Trial Lexington, MA-based biopharmaceutical company Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. has just announced its new license partner Pharmsynthez has completed dosing in its ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial with pipeline product MyeloXenâ„¢ for relapsing remitting and secondary progressive (SPMS) multiple sclerosis. The MyeloXen trial is currently underway in Russia with…
November 21, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Major MS Cognitive Rehabilitation Trial Funded by British Health Service The Cognitive Rehabilitation for Attention and Memory trial (CRAMMS), a major study to be conducted on patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, was recently awarded £1,167,000 ($1,828,000) by the British National Health Service (NHS), through its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Program. The study, which is expected to be the largest trial of its…
November 21, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Individualized Multiple Sclerosis CE Plan Wins Excellence Award The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, an international membership association of healthcare education professionals, has just selected the winner for the 2015 Outstanding CE Enduring Material by the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions. The winner is a joint CE activity entitled, “Confronting Current Challenges…
November 20, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Alliance for Children’s Therapeutics Expands Research to Include MS The Alliance for Children’s Therapeutics recently announced its plans to broaden its scope of research programs to include several diseases, namely, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), asthma, and multiple sclerosis (MS) — a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that is estimated to affect 300,000 to 400,000 adults…
November 18, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Home Exterior Company Remodels and Repairs MS Patient’s Home for Free For those with Multiple Sclerosis, the progressive manner in which the disease slowly deteriorates motor function, balance, and coordination can make home maintenance an impossibility. Add to this the well-documented issues that MS patients have with finding and keeping jobs and very quickly the cost and effort to maintain…
November 18, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Neurologist Recommends MS Approach Based on Alternative Medicine Unconventional medical approaches and lifestyle changes may help patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) improve their health and well-being, according to Allen Bowling, MD, PhD, an internationally recognized neurologist and specialist in alternative medicine. The physician has designed a seven-step method based on his expertise, which is presented on his…
November 17, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Teva Pursues Regulatory Approval in Japan for MS Drug Copaxone Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the company that developed the injectable multiple sclerosis treatment Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate), Â has announced their pursuit of regulatory approval in Japan. This development comes a year after signing an agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. According to a…
November 13, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Launches New Patient Support Website One of the country’s leading non-profit multiple sclerosis organizations, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), has just launched a new patient support website called, My MS Journey. It is a comprehensive online resource designed to answer the specific and varied needs of MS patients, whether they have…
November 12, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Inability to Recognize and Convey Emotion a Symptom of MS What may be overlooked in relating to and caring for patients with multiple sclerosis is the fact that the neurodegenerative disease sometimes affects a person’s ability to properly convey and perceive emotion. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), while there is not…
November 10, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Patients Being Evaluated as Fit to Work, Receiving Lower Benefits, Charities Alert Patients who suffer from progressive conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), are submitted to unnecessary evaluations for disability benefits and often denied the full payment of their out-of-work benefits or deemed as fit to work when they are in fact not able. This new perspective was highlighted by a…
November 7, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen Idec Gives $1.4M to New MS Research Program in Alberta Photo From University of Alberta The company behind FDA-approved multiple sclerosis drug AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a), Biogen Idec, together with the government of the province of Alberta, has…
November 5, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Teva and Active Biotech Expand Investigational MS Treatment Program Drug manufacturers Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech announced that they expanding the ongoing clinical research program for the study of laquinimod, a potential treatment for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), as the companies are now initiating the ARPEGGIO trial. In addition, Teva has also announced…
November 5, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Genzyme Clinical Trial for Relapsing-Remitting MS Enrolls 1st Patient Sanofi subsidiary and rare disease treatment specialist Genzyme has just announced the successful enrollment of the first participant in their multicenter Phase II clinical trial for the company’s pipeline intravenous drug for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), vatelizumab. This novel drug is composed of humanized monoclonal antibodies that specifically…
November 4, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Grants $457,921 to Kessler Foundation Researcher The National Multiple Sclerosis Society recently awarded MS researcher Lauren Strober, PhD from the Kessler Foundation, a three-year grant for her investigational research, totaling $457,921. The funding is part of a multi-site study that will be conducted by the investigator to understand the influence that having…
October 29, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Sydney Bikers Join Efforts to Fundraising on MS Gong Ride Sunday Next Sunday, November 2nd, Sydney, Australia will hold one of the country’s largest fundraising events to support multiple sclerosis research and advocacy, the MS Gong Ride, a one day community bike ride designed to collect $3.8 million. Each biker is asked to help raise $250 for the historic ride that celebrates its…
October 28, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Philip De Jager Awarded 2014 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research The National Multiple Sclerosis Society granted the 2014 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research to Philip Laurence De Jager, MD, PhD, who is a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as an associate professor of neurology at the Harvard Medical School. The award, meant to…
October 27, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Positive Data from Two Key MS Trials Added To Aubagio’s U.S. Label The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently accepted the results from Genzyme’s TOWER and TOPIC  clinical trials, which assessed the safety and efficacy of oral, once-daily Aubagio® (teriflunomide) for Multiple Sclerosis, and will add the positive data to the product’s U.S. label. Genzyme is a leader in the development…
October 24, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Canada Urges Parliamentarians to Improve MS Clinics While Canada is home to one of the world’s most comprehensive social healthcare systems, it is unfortunately home to one of the largest multiple sclerosis patient populations as well. According to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, at least 100,000 Canadians have the disease, and at least 20,000 of…
October 24, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Opexa Joins National Multiple Sclerosis Society to Sponsor Walk MS The National Multiple Sclerosis Society‘s Lone Star Chapter, which is sponsoring the nonprofit organization’s annual Houston-area Walk MS fundraisers, has announced that Woodlands-based biopharmaceutical company Opexa Therapeutics, a company currently developing personalized immunotherapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), will also support the fundraising effort. This is the fourth consecutive…
October 23, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Consortium of MS Centers Hosts Annual Meeting Next May in Indiana The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has announced that its next annual meeting will be held in 2015 between May 27 th and 30th at the JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2015 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers aims to gather healthcare professionals as…
October 22, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Dimension Data Helps Raise $130K for National MS Society One of the most effective and engaging fundraising strategies the National Multiple Sclerosis Society organizes annually is the Bike MS series. Several times a year, in different locations throughout the country, thousands of MS patients from all over the world, as well as friends, family, and…
October 21, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD David Osmond Sings for Novartis MS Awareness Campaign A member of the musical Osmond family, David Osmond, recently released a music video for his inspirational song “I Can Do This.” He has dedicated it to men and women all over the world who are faced with challenges that make them doubt their abilities and self-worth, but the real…
October 20, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Blueprint Online Program by Biogen Helps Patients Live Happier Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen Idec has just announced a new support program for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) that encourages patients to turn their attention to daily activities that enhance their emotional and mental state. The newly launched MS Blueprint program assists patients and caregivers in setting…
October 20, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 5-Course Dinner Raises $445K for Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada Heartwarming support for multiple sclerosis campaigns and charity events poured in at last week’s exclusive gastronomic fundraising event, the Toqué! for MS benefit, made possible by the tireless, collaborative efforts of Louis Vachon, the event’s Honorary Chair and President and CEO of the National Bank, and Toqué! Restaurant’s Grand Chef Relais…
October 17, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Free Continuing Education for MS Care Providers Starts in November Several national health organizations have come together to design a series of continuing education opportunities focused on better managing multiple sclerosis entitled, Optimizing Multiple Sclerosis Management. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of leading MS organization for professionals, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC); Nurse Practitioner Alternatives (NPA), and Spire…
October 16, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD U.S. Supreme Court Gives Teva Mixed Reception on Copaxone Patent Case The U.S. Supreme Court deliberated on a request from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. to preserve the patent of its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone from generic competitors until September 2015. Recent reports indicate that the court gave the company a mixed opinion. The hearing occurred this…
October 16, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Revenge Star Madeleine Stowe is the New Face of Multiple Sclerosis Featureflash / Shutterstock.com Television’s “Queen of Mean,” Revenge‘s Madeleine Stowe, recently opened up about her early memories of her father living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that, until today, does not have a known cure. However, thanks to the efforts of…
October 15, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Urinary Prosthesis Better than Catheterization for Female MS Patients One of the concerns patients with neurologic diseases such as multiple sclerosis face is decline or loss of bladder control. It can be an embarrassing and frustrating problem, which is estimated to occur in about 80% of MS patients, as the disease causes a slowing down or…
October 14, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Multiple Sclerosis Research Will Focus On Cytokine Regulation, Neuroprotection, Tolerance Induction Evotec AG, a German company specializing in the provision of drug discovery resources to biotech companies and learning institutions, announced that is going to begin three new research projects for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), which will be supported by funds from the German Federal Ministry of Education…