June 26, 2015 News by Charles Moore Health Canada Non-Insured Health Benefits Program Approves AUBAGIO for Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Genzyme Canada has announced that Health Canada has approved its 14 mg dose of AUBAGIO as an expedited exception benefit product through the federal health regulator’s Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program for eligible First Nations people and Inuit as a first-line oral tablet therapy for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
June 25, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Innovative “Nanoprobe” Used to Diagnose Multiple Sclerosis A nanometric sensor — an extremely small probe originally designed to test samples for the presence of herbicides, heavy metals, and pollutants — was experimentally shown to also detect molecules commonly associated with multiple sclerosis. Physicist FĆ”bio de Lima Leite, a professor at the Federal University of SĆ£o Carlos (UFSCar),…
June 25, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Offer New Insights into the Link Between Multiple Sclerosis and Specific Autoantibodies Researchers at Immco Diagnostics and the State University of New York in Buffalo recently reported in the journal PLoS One that the frequency of specific auto reactive antibodies does not differ between patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and people without the disease — a finding…
June 24, 2015 News by Isaura Santos Association Of British Neurologists Releases New Guidelines For Multiple Sclerosis The Association of British Neurologists (ABN)Ā recently published newĀ guidelines forĀ how Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis should be monitored and prescribed in the United Kingdom, emphasizing theĀ “right treatment at the right time.” There are currently ten DMTs available on the National Health System (NHS) and elevenĀ in…
June 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MedDay Reveals Promising Data on Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Therapy MedDay, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapies for nervous system disorders, recently announced encouraging data on its pivotal Phase III clinical trial (MS-SPI) assessing the safety and efficacy of the company’s investigationalĀ therapy MD1003 for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The data was presented at The…
June 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Canadian Drug Expert Committee Recommends MS Therapy LEMTRADA For Public Coverage The Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC) recently recommended thatĀ LEMTRADAĀ (alemtuzumab) beĀ included in provincial and other public drug plansĀ for the management of adult patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The recommendation was madeĀ through Canada’sĀ Common Drug Review (CDR) and announced in a press releaseĀ by the company that…
June 22, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Study Shows Vitamin D Supplementation in Pregnant Women With MS Positively Impacts Disease Severity In women of childbearing age, low vitamin D levels are a common issue often resulting from low intake of vitamin D (in food) and/or inadequate sunlight exposure, although other less frequent causes exist, including genetic disorders and pregnancy. The mostĀ identified consequence of vitamin D deficiency in women is sub-optimal bone…
June 22, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Animal Models Offer New Insights Into Energy Metabolism in Multiple Sclerosis Researchers atĀ United Arab Emirates University in Abu Dhabi have recently published in the journal BMC Neuroscience new insights into the involvement of mitochondria and energy metabolism in the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS) in rats. The study is entitled āBioenergetics of the spinal…
June 19, 2015 News by Kara Elam Biogen and SELF Join Together to Help Women With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Re-imagine Daily Life Biogen, a global biotechnology company with over 30 years of clinical excellence in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research, has recently announced the launch of Reimagine MySelf, a blog dedicated to helping women navigate their daily lives while also dealing with the complications that come with a diagnosis of relapsing MS…
June 18, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD LMU Researchers Identify Biomarker BCMA to Measure MS Severity In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, LMU clinicians have clarified the lifespanĀ of antibody-producing cells and have also identified a novel biomarker that could be used to monitor autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis and lupus erythematous. The humoral immune response is mediated byĀ cells…
June 17, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Suggest Short Transition Period Between Natalizumab and Fingolimod Therapies to Control RRMS Disease Activity An international team led by researchers at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland revealed that a short period of 8 to 12 weeks is the optimal timing to be considered when patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are switched from natalizumab to fingolimod therapy. The study was recently published…
June 16, 2015 News by BioNews Staff FDA Taps Online Patient Database To Gain Access To Patient-Reported MS Health Data In an effort to access firsthand patient data as a means of improving healthcare and drug safety, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasĀ announced a unique partnership withĀ Ā PatientsLikeMe, an online network of 350,000 patients who have reported on their own personal experiences in living with over 2,500 different diseases. The…
June 16, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Views and News Hosting Events for MS Community in July MS Views and News (MSVN), aĀ non-profit organization that works to improveĀ education, advocacy and service to empower and enhance the quality of life of patients who suffer from multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), has announced it will offerĀ a series of educational eventsĀ on different topics throughout the month of July in…
June 15, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MediciNova Announces Update On Phase 2b Trial of MN-166 (Ibudilast) Involving 255 Progressive MS Patients MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring and developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with unmet medical needs, recently announced that the ongoing clinical trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (progressive MS) has finished the randomization of 255 patients, exceeding the…
June 12, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Adamas Begins Phase 2 Multiple Sclerosis Study for Patients with Walking Impairment Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapies forĀ chronic disorders of the central nervous system, recently announced the beginning of a Phase 2 study that willĀ assess the efficacy of amantadine HCl (ADS-5102) in patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) who suffer from walking impairments. “We are…
June 12, 2015 News by Charles Moore Most MS Survey Respondents Favor Legal Marijuana Access For Medical Use With 26 statesĀ plus the District of Columbia now allowing medical marijuana use, according to a recent North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) survey, many people with multiple sclerosis are considering the herb as a therapeutic option. NARCOMS is a research program that allows people with Multiple Sclerosis…
June 11, 2015 News by Charles Moore The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Releases Updated Mobile Phone App The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has updated its smartphone app My MS Manager with several new features. My MS Manager, a first-of-its kind mobile phone app supporting both Apple’s iPhone (iOS 7.0 or later) and Android mobile devices (also works with iPads, iPod touch, and Android…
June 10, 2015 News by Maureen Newman RedHill Biopharma Enrolls Final RRMS Patient in RHB-104 Clinical Trial RedHill Biopharma Ltd. enrolled the final patient for its Phase IIa, proof-of-concept study testing RHB-104 in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who test positive for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). RedHill is evaluating RHB-104 as an add-on therapy to interferon beta-1a for a treatment…
June 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Bone Loss, Osteopenia and Multiple Sclerosis Explored in New Scholarly Review In a recent review published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, German researchers explored the complexity of interwoven pathways of osteopenia, and how it relates to diseases such as MS. Osteopenia is a bone condition characterized by a decreased density of bone, which leads to bone…
June 8, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Review Suggests PEG-IFN Therapy for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Significantly Reduces Relapse Rates A study recently published in the journal PLoS One compared the use of a specific treatment based on interferon beta-1a with other approved injectable therapies in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study is entitled āA Network Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Evaluation of…
June 5, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Determine Specific Genetic Associations With Multiple Sclerosis In a recent meta-analysis published in theĀ International Journal of Molecular Sciences,Ā a team ofĀ researchers found evidence regarding the association between specific polymorphisms of the gene CD24 and MS using a method that combined data from case-control studies with family-based data. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and…
June 5, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Specific MicroRNA Expression Changes According to the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Stage Researchers at the Don C. Gnocchi Foundation and the University of Milano in Italy recently discovered that the levels of a specific RNA molecule vary in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) according to their disease stage and clinical progression. The study was published in the…
June 4, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Another Study Focused on Stem Cells and Autoimmune Diseases Shows Promise Researchers at Monash University and the MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research in Australia recently proposed that specific human stem cells with immunomodulatory properties represent a new promising therapeutic strategy for diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation and…
June 4, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Health Care Excellence Awards Launched in UK UK-basedĀ MS Trust has announced the launch of newĀ awards designedĀ to distinguish healthcare professionals that are committed to treatingĀ and changing the lives of patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). The QuDos Awards are currently open for nominations and will featureĀ ten different categories. TheĀ QuDoS in MS Awards ā…
June 3, 2015 News by admin Approach to Treating MS May be Transformed Thanks to Newly Discovered Connection Between Immune-Nervous Systems An exciting new discovery has turned the medical world upside down, and could have important implications for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). It turns out that previously undiscovered vessels exist that connect the nervous system and immune system directly. The study, titled “Structural and functional features…
June 3, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Jack Osbourne and Teva Launch New Educational Multiple Sclerosis Website Reality TV star Jack Osbourne has partnered with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. to launch aĀ new website as part ofĀ aĀ three-year campaign called You Don’t Know Jack About MS. The site can be viewed here: www.youdontknowjackaboutms.com. The campaign is meant to raise awareness about…
June 2, 2015 News by Maureen Newman SPMS Therapy Developer Opexa Looks to Treat Patients With Neuromyelitis Optica NeuromyelitisĀ optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disorder often mistaken for multiple sclerosis, is similar in that it is characterized by myelin destruction in the optic nerves and spinal cord. In contrast to multiple sclerosis, as reported by the Transverse Myelitis Association, NMO does not initially affect…
June 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Innate Lymphoid Cell Identified As Cause of Multiple Sclerosis Gender Differences In a recent study published in The Journal of Immunology, researchers from a Northwestern Medicine lab discoveredĀ a potential clueĀ about why women are more likely than men to develop autoimmune conditionsĀ such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers used a specific white blood cell, called the innate lymphoid cell,…
June 1, 2015 News by Charles Moore Novartis Pharma Program Helping Young People with MS Get And Keep Jobs Most employers these days talk about having workforce diversity oriented policies that support hiring people living with disabilities and chronic diseases, but what distinguishes rhetoric from reality? What in positive, practical terms can companies do in support of helping people living with visible or invisible challenges find and keep gainful…
May 29, 2015 News by Charles Moore Compassionate Care Center of New York Applies For for Medical Marijuana Production License Compassionate Care Center of New York (CCCNY), based in Newark, Wayne County, is applying to become one of five registered commercial suppliers that will be licensed in New York State to grow medical marijuana. Licensed suppliers will serve the condition-specific palliative needs of qualifying patients with safe and accessible…