News

#MSParis2017 – Quitting Smoking, Boosting Vitamin D Reduces MS Healthcare Costs, Improves Outcomes

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who quit smoking have better health outcomes than those who continue. Therefore, MS-related costs can be reduced by encouraging smokers to quit. Similar results were observed in MS patients with healthy vitamin D levels, Maura Pugliatti, from the University of Ferrara, in Italy, said Friday in a presentation at the…

#MSParis2017 – Beta-Interferon Therapies May Increase Survival of MS Patients, Study Suggests

Long-term exposure of at least three years of beta-interferon therapies such as Rebif or Avonex may increase the survival of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a population-based study suggests. The study reporting the findings, titled “Beta-interferon and mortality in multiple sclerosis: a population-based international study,” was presented Friday at the ongoing ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting…

#MSParis2017 – Multiple Sclerosis Can Stay Mild for Decades, 30-year British Study Shows

After the first round of symptoms, multiple sclerosis can stay mild without causing major problems for decades, a 30-year British study indicates. Karen K. Chung of the University College London Institute of Neurology discussed the findings at the ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting in Paris, which started Oct. 25 and runs until 28. His presentation was titled “Does…

#MSParis2017 – Ocrevus Improves Relapsing MS Patients’ Vision Better Than Interferon, Trials Show

Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) improved the vision of people with relapsing multiple sclerosis better than the widely used therapy interferon beta-1a, according to clinical trial findings presented at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris. Dr. Laura Balcer of the department of neurology at New York University made the presentation, titled “Effect…

#MSParis2017 – Researchers Disagree on Feasibility of Using Disease-modifying Therapies in RIS Patients

Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) is a rare and relatively recent condition in which people have multiple sclerosis (MS)-like brain and spinal cord lesions without showing disease activity. But since the establishment of the RIS diagnosis, researchers have not reached an agreement on whether these patients should receive MS disease-modifying therapies.

#MSParis2017 – Lemtrada and Tysabri More Efficient Than Older Injectables in Preventing SPMS Onset, Study Finds

Sanofi Genzyme‘s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) are more effective in preventing conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) compared to older injectable drugs, researchers from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. reported at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting Oct. 25-28 in Paris. The…

#MSParis2017 – Intellectual Enrichment Strategies May Improve Cognitive, Socio-Professional Outcomes of Pediatric-Onset MS

Using strategies to promote intellectual enrichment among patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis could be essential to achieving better cognitive, social, and professional performances during adult life, according to researchers at the University of Florence in Italy. The finding was the subject of an oral presentation titled, “Cognitive reserve is…

#MSParis2017 – MOG-associated Demyelination Can Be Treated with Steroids, but Maintenance Is Required

People with a demyelinating disease associated with antibodies against a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), most often develop episodes of optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve) that can be treated with corticosteroids, according to data presented today at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting from Oct. 25-28 in Paris. MOG antibody-associated demyelination is a…

Two Studies Show IL-35 Protein’s Potential to Curb Inflammation in Autoimmune Diseases

An immune signaling protein called interleukin-35 has anti-inflammatory properties that scientists might harness to develop a therapy for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders, according to two studies. Researchers at the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health discovered that a subunit of interleukin 35, which is also known as IL-35, significantly reduced inflammation in mouse models of eye inflammation and multiple sclerosis. Immune B-cells produce IL-35 to communicate with, and regulate the behavior of, surrounding cells. In a previous study, the research team found that the protein could inhibit inflammation in the eyes of animals with autoimmune uveitis, or inflammation of the inner layers of the eye. An autoimmune disease is one in which the immune system attacks healthy cells instead of invaders. A drawback of trying to use a synthetic version of IL-35 as a therapy is that it's difficult to produce because of its complex structure and it's unstable in a solution. Natural IL-35 is composed of two subunits, IL-12p35 and Ebi3, which bind to create the full protein. The team wondered if they could use a subunit, instead of the full protein, as an anti-inflammatory agent. Their study, “IL-12p35 induces expansion of IL-10 and IL-35-expressing regulatory B cells and ameliorates autoimmune disease,” was published in the journal Nature Communications, They demonstrated that the IL-12p35 subunit could generate anti-inflammatory effects similar to those of the full IL-35 protein. Giving IL-12p35 to mice with uveitis promoted the expansion of immune B-cells that counteract autoimmune responses, reversing the animals' eye symptoms. In the second study, researchers discovered that the subunit tempered inflammation in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. Giving the animals IL-12p35 every other day for up to 12 days promoted immune cell proliferation that inhibited inflammation in the mice's brains and spinal cords, improving their symptoms. The research demonstrated IL-35 and its subunit's potential to treat nerve-inflammation disorders. The team published its findings in the journal Frontiers of Immunology. The article is titled “IL-12p35 inhibits neuroinflammation and ameliorates autoimmune encephalomyelitis.” The team is now looking at IL-12p35's ability to treat other degenerative eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

#MSParis2017 – Biogen to Focus on Real-world Data from Range of Efforts to Understand MS

In its work on multiple sclerosis (MS), Biogen has adopted a comprehensive approach that ranges from  drug development to the exploration of real-world data and digital markers of disease. The company will showcase these efforts at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris on October 25–28. Among its more than 80 presentations at the meeting are updates from its collaboration with Verily and Brigham and Women’s Hospital on using digital sensors that gather data on MS patients between physician visits. Biogen will also share data on the possibility of using such biomarkers to help neurologists in diagnosing and following MS patients — offering information that could potentially help them in making treatment decisions given the variability of the disease in MS patients. The company is also involved in a collaboration with 10 MS centers that aims to generate data collected during routine care. The MS PATHS study includes data from physical examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and biological samples. A third and similar project — the Big Multiple Sclerosis Data (BMSD) Network —  is merging data from five MS registries, holding prospective information on nearly 140,000 patients. Taken together, these large collections of high-quality, real-world data will help researchers better understand the disease, and so, increase the potential of new treatment discoveries, Biogen says. The company is also working to discover and develop biomarkers that are not digital that may also advance the understanding of MS and its treatment. One such marker is neurofilament light, which signals damage to neuronal axons. Biogen will share data on how this marker changes over time in MS patients. Among presentations focusing on treatment development, Biogen will highlight new efforts with opicinumab . The treatment — intended to repair damage by triggering remyelination — failed to reach it primary goal in the Phase 2 SYNERGY trial earlier this year. Still,  data indicated that some trial participants did respond to the treatment. At ECTRIMS, Biogen will present an analysis of the SYNERGY data that identifies factors — including specific MRI features — that may be linked to a treatment response.  

#MSParis2017 – Sanofi to Present Long-term Data on Lemtrada and Aubagio Use

New data on how Lemtrada and Aubagio perform in a real-world setting will be the focus of Sanofi Genzyme when the company showcases its research at the upcoming 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris this week. Researchers will also share information about the safety of a new investigational therapy, GLD52 (GZ402668), currently in a Phase 1 safety study. The TOPAZ study is one of the main data sources for the upcoming presentations. The study, which follows relapsing MS patients who participated in the CARE MS-I and CARE MS-II extension study , is a rich source of information on long-term outcomes. Researchers will share various aspects of disease outcomes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from patients followed up to seven years, with some presentations focusing solely on those who switched from treatment with interferon beta-1a. Among the Lemtrada highlights are findings demonstrating that Lemtrada does not appear to trigger birth defects. Another presentation compared Lemtrada to Genentech’s Ocrevus using a model that evaluated both the cost and effectiveness of the two drugs. The analysis suggests that Lemtrada more effectively treated relapsing MS and was also linked to lower costs over a 20-year period. Aubagio studies also focused on long-term patient data, including in people with progressive forms of relapsing MS. Data from the Phase 3 TEMSO , TOWER , and the TEMSO extension showed that Aubagio stabilized disability progression in these patients over nearly a decade. Other presentations homed in on Aubagio’s ability to slow brain tissue loss and improve cognitive outcomes. Finally, Sanofi Genzyme shared initial data on its investigational antibody GLD52. The treatment is an updated form of Lemtrada, which scientists believe gives rise to fewer and milder infusion-related reactions. Data from the Phase 1 study , so far indicated that this might indeed be the case, as no severe reactions occurred in the 44 progressive MS patients in the trial. For a complete list of Sanofi Genzyme's presentations at the meeting, visit this link.

#MSParis2017 – Alkermes to Give Updates on ALKS 8700 Studies at ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting

Alkermes will showcase its work in developing a treatment that harnesses the effect of Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), while lowering the risk of stomach problems at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting this month in Paris. The investigational drug, ALKS 8700, uses the same mechanism of action as Tecfidera. By building the molecule in a different way, however, the company expects it will show better tolerability. Once in the body, dimethyl fumarate turns into monomethyl fumarate (MMF), the molecule that actually impacts MS disease processes. But before giving rise to MMF, dimethyl can cause side effects in users, particularly gastrointestinal. In fact, stomach problem were what caused people in Tecfidera Phase 3 trials to stop the treatment. Alkermes uses a so-called prodrug approach to try to overcome this problem. By attaching a different compound to MMF — which breaks away from the molecule once in the body —  it is possible to deliver MMF with lesser gastrointestinal side effects, Phase 1 study data indicate. At the meeting, the company will present two posters on two clinical trials exploring ALKS 8700 in patients with relapsing-remitting MS. The first presentation, will describe a Phase 3 trial that aims to compare ALKS 8700 to Tecfidera in about 420 patients. The trial is primarily concerned with the drug’s safety, and will measure the occurrence and impact of gastrointestinal side effects in the two treatment groups. The presentation will only include descriptions of patients characteristics and study design, as outcomes are yet to be analyzed. Patients who complete the Phase 3 trial will be eligible to continue in an ongoing open-label, long-term safety study, called EVOLVE-MS-1, covered in the company’s second presentation. By March 3, 2017, the study had enrolled 543 patients. In addition to describing patient characteristics, researchers will present the rates of discontinuation caused by gastrointestinal adverse events within one month of starting the treatment.