July 28, 2016 News by admin There’s a Lack of Communication by Multiple Sclerosis Healthcare Providers, Study Indicates New research from EnglandĀ indicates that healthcare providers do not communicate enough with their patients about the possible outcomes for their multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “How Do People with Multiple Sclerosis Experience Prognostic Uncertainty and Prognosis Communication? A Qualitative Study,“ appeared in the journal PLoS One.
July 28, 2016 News by Charles Moore ‘My MS Manager’ Named One of Best Apps for MS for 4th Year My MS Manager has been named by Healthline.com as one of the best multiple sclerosis (MS) apps for the fourth consecutive year. Formerly known as MSAA Self-Care Manager, the free application for Apple iOS and Android smartphones and tablets was created by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of…
July 27, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD PCORI Awards $20M to 4 Studies Comparing Current Drug and Rehab Therapies for MS The National Multiple Sclerosis Society reported that the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has granted nearly $20 million in funding to four research projects assessing various multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies for their clinical effectiveness. Two of the grants will cover studies comparing disease-modifying treatments, looking to identify differences…
July 27, 2016 News by admin Nearly 75% of MS Patients in UK Study Went Through Progressive Decline Prior to Death A new study Ā focused on an aspect of multiple sclerosis (MS) that is sometimes overlooked by researchers: progressive dwindling, or the tendency over time for people with MS to become increasinglyĀ frail and dependent on caregivers, with diminishedĀ energy and heightenedĀ disability. The report,Ā “Progressive Dwindling in Multiple Sclerosis: An Opportunity…
July 26, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Queenās University Belfast Awarded Ā£2M in Bid to Reverse Myelin Damage in MS Researchers at Queenās University BelfastĀ are studyingĀ how myelin might be repaired, in an attempt to reverse the damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS). The more than Ā£2 million, five-year research grantĀ is jointly funded by Ā the Wellcome Trust, in its first Investigator AwardĀ forĀ Northern Ireland, and by theĀ BBSRC, the Biotechnology and Biosciences…
July 26, 2016 News by Ćzge Ćzkaya, PhD High Doses of Vitamin D Unlikely to Help MS Patients, But Daily Low Dose Good for All, UK Group Says While the amount of vitamin D supplements, that should be taken by people with MS is not clear, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), Vitamin D working group recently published a report recommending that everyone aged 4 and above should take 10 Ī¼g (400 IU) of vitamin D each day.
July 25, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Gut Bacteria and Multiple Sclerosis: What We Already Know, and What We’ve Still to Learn Gut bacteria and health have been topics of considerable scientific speculation in recent years,Ā and the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) research is no exception. But what do we really know about MS and our intestinal inhabitants? A review,Ā āEmerging Concepts on the Gut Microbiome and Multiple Sclerosis,āĀ published in…
July 25, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ontario Adds Lemtrada, a Relapsing MS Therapy, to Its Drug Coverage Program Sanofi GenzymeĀ announced that the Government ofĀ Ontario has added Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) to the province’s Exceptional Access Program (EAP), opening coverage to the treatment for eligible patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The programĀ facilitates patient access to drugs not funded on the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) Formulary, or those…
July 22, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Antibody Created in Lab Treats MS in Mice by Preventing Immune Cells from Piercing Blood-Brain Barrier Building on work began in stroke studies and applying it to multiple sclerosis, researchers in France report that an antibody they developed kept the blood-brain barrier intact in cellular and mice MS modelsĀ despite the presence of inflammation, preventing immune cells from entering the brain. The key to understanding the study…
July 22, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Disease Modifying Drugs Seen to Help Protect MS Patients with Benign Status from Greater Disability Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and people diagnosed with the disease at aĀ younger age are more likely to have a benign course of MS, remaining fully functional for decadesĀ after disease onset, according to researchers at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in New York. Disease modifying drugs wereĀ also found…
July 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Low-Quality Generic MS Drugs Can Be Both Toxic and Ineffective, Study Reports Low-quality unauthorized generic versions of approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs can expose patients to danger, both through their toxic properties and a lack of efficacy that allows the disease to progress, researchers reported in the study,Ā “Clinical implications for substandard, nonproprietary medicines in multiple sclerosis: focus on fingolimod,”Ā published…
July 21, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Study of Potential Therapy for Relapsing MS That Targets B-Cells Now Recruiting Patients in US Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā are being recruited forĀ aĀ clinical trial evaluatingĀ an experimental monoclonal antibody called ublituximab, the National MS Society announced in a recentĀ newsĀ release. The study, being conducted at seven U.S. sites, will enroll at least 24 patients, but this number can go up to 100. MSĀ is considered to be…
July 20, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Merck KGaA’s Investigational MS Therapy Cladribine Gets EMA Marketing Authorization Application Review Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, GermanyĀ recently announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted for review the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) of the company’sĀ investigational productĀ Cladribine Tablets as a therapy forĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) in Europe. Cladribine is a synthetic antineoplastic agent able to suppress the immune system, causing relatively few…
July 20, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Study That May Benefit MS Patients Awarded Grant from National Stem Cell Foundation A research project that aims to explore how astrocytes can be manipulated to stop or prevent neurodegeneration has received a grant from the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF). The projectĀ will be conducted by the The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute. TheĀ work developed by Dr. Valentina…
July 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Rehabilitation Specialist, Susan Bennett, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from CMSC The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā has awarded Susan E. BennettĀ one of its highest honors, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bennett, a clinical professor of rehabilitation science at the University at BuffaloĀ and pioneer in the field of MS rehabilitation, was honored for her achievements in advancing care…
July 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 127 Progressive MS Patients Finish Treatment in Phase 2 Study of Ibudilast, MediciNova Reports MediciNova recently reported that half of the 255 patients enrolled in a Phase 2b clinical trialĀ (SPRINT-MS) exploring MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) had completed the 96-week-long treatment. Interim data will be analyzed by the trialās external Data Safety Monitoring Board later this year, with results…
July 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 127 Progressive MS Patients Finish Treatment in Phase 2 Study of Ibudilast, MediciNova Reports MediciNova recently reported that half of the 255 patients enrolled in a Phase 2b clinical trialĀ (SPRINT-MS) exploring MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) had completed the 96-week-long treatment. Interim data will be analyzed by the trialās external Data Safety Monitoring Board later this year, with results…
July 18, 2016 News by Charles Moore Closer Look at ICER, Group Now Weighing Efficacy and Benefits of RRMS Therapies The Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), the nonprofit organization thatĀ released a preliminary draft last week intended to shapeĀ the Institute’s forthcoming report onĀ the effectiveness and benefits of therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), is made up of experts in healthcare policy from across the U.S. who, through the…
July 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Access to MS Therapy in US Often Determined by Patients’ Insurance Coverage Individual health insurance coverage largely determinesĀ aĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patient’s access to disease modifying drugs in the United States, mainly because of the rising costs of newer medications and near-annualĀ changes in insurance policy coverage, usually making such coverage more restrictive, researchers report. Ā These twin problemsĀ oftenĀ leave MSĀ patientsĀ relying on suboptimal therapiesĀ rather than those…
July 15, 2016 News by Charles Moore Nanobionic Clothing Seen to Help Clear Body of Free Radicals Associated with MS and Other Diseases A recent study in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and ToxicologyĀ reported that the impact of disease-causing free radicals on the human body may be mitigated by wearing special, high-tech “Nanobionic” clothing for just a few hours a day. These clothes are designed to protect the body from…
July 15, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Gut Microbiome in MS Patients Seen to Favor Inflammatory Bacteria in Study A link indeed appears to exist between multiple sclerosis (MS) and unusual changes in theĀ bacterial composition ofĀ the gut, according to researchers atĀ Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). In their study, “Alterations of the human gut microbiome in multiple sclerosis,” published in the journalĀ Nature Communications,…
July 14, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Endece Granted New U.S. Patent for NDC-1308, Therapy to Induce Remyelination in MS Endece wasĀ recently issued an additional U.S. patent for its lead investigational product, NDC-1308, being developed to induce remyelination in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and prevent disease progression. Currently in late preclinical development, NDC-1308Ā is designed to repair the myelin sheath of demyelinated axons (nerve fibers), a major cause…
July 13, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Steroid Use Lowers Oxidative Stress in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Progressive MS Patients in Pilot Study AĀ pilot study inĀ patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) found a steroid treatmentĀ of benefit by decreasingĀ oxidative stressĀ in theĀ cerebrospinal fluid. The study, āOne-time intrathecal triamcinolone acetonide application alters the redox potential in cerebrospinal fluid of progressive multiple sclerosis patients: a pilot study,ā was published in the journalĀ …
July 13, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Side Effects and Convenience of MS Therapies Seen to Determine Patients’ Adherence to Them Despite the existence of several disease-modifying drugs for peopleĀ with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), patients’ satisfaction plays a critical role in their adherence to treatment. ImprovingĀ adherence should be a major concernĀ in the clinicĀ to prevent patients from evolving to more debilitating stages of the disease. AĀ team of researchers in Germany reportĀ that side…
July 12, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Skills Maintained in RRMS Patients Treated with Gilenya or Tysabri in Yearlong Study Disease-modifying therapies, a groupĀ of treatments for peopleĀ withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), work to stabilize patients’ cognitive functionsĀ just as they do their physical symptoms. Research, conducted over the course of a year, also reportedĀ no differences between two types of DMTs,Ā Gilenya (fingolimod) andĀ Tysabri (natalizumab). The study, ā…
July 12, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD High Depression Rates in MS Patients Tied to Brain Inflammation in Recent Study Inflammation in a brain region called the hippocampus might explain why patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from depression far more often than patients with other chronic brain diseases. The findings, described in the report āHippocampal Neuroinflammation, Functional Connectivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis,āĀ published in the…
July 11, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gut Microbiota Seen to Differ in People with Relapsing MS, Especially Those with Active Disease Fecal samples from a group of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) showed evidence of a different gut microbiota than that found in healthy controls, and may be a non-genetic reason for the altered immune system responses seen in MS patients. The study, āMultiple sclerosis patients have…
July 11, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Workings of Common Statin, Simvastatin, Explored in Ways Relevant to Multiple Sclerosis One of the worldās most commonly used medications ā the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin ā was found to affect the immune system in a way that can be explored to treat inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers have earlier noted that simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug, is beneficial for MS…
July 8, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Patients’ Personal Circumstances Largely Shape Their Views on Therapy Preferences Opinions voiced by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients as to what they most want from, and like in, an MS treatment differ widely, although delaying progression and relapsesĀ ā andĀ minimizingĀ serious side effects ā clearly score high, according to new research from theĀ University of British ColumbiaĀ in Canada. The study,Ā “Quantitative…
July 8, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Brain Atrophy in MS Patients May Soon Be More Easily and Routinely Examined Detecting brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients requires high quality scans, tooĀ expensive and complicated for routine clinical use. But this may change with a new software that simplifies the calculation of brain atrophy based on data from routine magnetic resonance images (MRI). The new toolĀ and its benefits wereĀ recently described…