July 20, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Study on French MS Population Reveals Long Disease Duration is Associated with Higher Mortality A study recently published in the journal PLoS One revealed an excess mortality rate among French patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) that experience the disease for more than 20 years. The study was conducted by researchers at several institutes and hospitals in France, and is entitled ā…
July 17, 2015 News by Charles Moore Celgene to Acquire Receptos, Advancing Leadership in Immune-Inflammatory Diseases Such As MS and IBD Summit, New Jersey based Celgene Corporation and Receptos, Inc. of San Diego, California, a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic candidates for the treatment of immune and metabolic diseases, have announced their joint signing of a definitive agreement in which Celgene will acquire Receptos. Under terms of the merger agreement,…
July 16, 2015 News by admin Study Shows Skin Problems Can Be Caused by Interferon-Ī² MS Therapy Skin problems may be caused by interferon-Ī², a common treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published by a German research group at the Klinik und Poliklinik fĆ¼r Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie, in WĆ¼rzburg, Germany. The work, entitled “Cutaneous Adverse Events Associated with Interferon-Ī²…
July 16, 2015 News by Charles Moore UK Government’s Progress On Improving Neurology Services For MS, Other Diseases Criticized The Multiple Sclerosis Trust — a UK charity dedicated to providing information for anyone affected by multiple sclerosis, education programs for health professionals, funding for practical research and campaigning for specialist multiple sclerosis services, says the recent Update on UK report shows little improvement in meeting key objectives for…
July 15, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Study Finds Physical Activity and Exercise Have Considerable Health Benefits for MS Patients In a recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, a team of researchers from Germany identifiedĀ an association between increasedĀ physical activity and improvedĀ mental health in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Based on the results, the researchers believe that physical activity and exercise have considerable health…
July 14, 2015 News by admin Nano-Drugs in Liposomes Could Treat Multiple Sclerosis Nano-drugs encased in liposomes could one day be used to treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published July 6th in the journal, PloS One. A liposome is a small, fat soluble droplet that can contain a water soluble drug. Liposomes might…
July 13, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New MS Study Shows TYSABRI Improves Cognitive Impairment Researchers at Spedali Civili of Brescia in Italy recently published findings in the journal PLoS OneĀ that Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) can improve cognitive impairment in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over the course ofĀ at least three years. The study is entitled āNatalizumab Significantly…
July 10, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Risk Assessment Ability Declines With Multiple Sclerosis Disease Severity According To Survey The ability to assess risk may decline as multiple sclerosis disease status progresses over time, as determined by a recent study from University of Alberta in Canada. Principal investigator Esther Fujiwara, PhD, and lead author of the study, Ashley Radomski, used the game of dice task (GDT) to challenge patients…
July 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Offer New Insights into Cognitive Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis Patients A new study led by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center recently revealed that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience cognitive deficits due to a decreased connectivity between functional networks in the brain. The…
July 8, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Mitochondria May Play a Role in MS Development and Progression Recent attention to the role of mitochondria in the etiology of multiple sclerosis (what causes the disease) suggests that mitochondrial defects and mitochondrial structural and functional changes may contribute to the disease. Researchers studying mitochondria in multiple sclerosis believe abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics impact cellular pathways such as inflammation and…
July 8, 2015 News by Isaura Santos 1200 People With Relapsing MS Needed For RPC1063, Avonex Clinical Trials Clinical investigatorsĀ worldwide are beginning to recruitĀ 1,200 patientsĀ with relapsing multiple sclerosisĀ for a study assessingĀ the effectiveness of two different doses of RPC1063 (Receptos, Inc.), an experimental oral therapy, and AvonexĀ® (interferon beta-1a, Biogen Inc.) in order toĀ reduce relapse rate in patients. This study, called the Sunbeam Study, is being funded by…
July 7, 2015 News by Isaura Santos Report Shows MS Patients Miss Out On Access To Palliative Care Services A recentĀ report by Marie Curie fellows organization suggests that those suffering fromĀ neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosisĀ are missing out on care that couldĀ make a major difference inĀ the quality of their lives. When it comes to palliative care, the report contends thatĀ there is a limited understanding about the need…
July 6, 2015 News by Charles Moore Kiwi And Aussie Crew Members Join Oceans of Hope Circumnavigation Voyage For MS Ability Awareness New Zealanders Neil Barnett and Russell Watts, who are both living with Multiple Sclerosis, will join the crew sailing the 67-foot sloop Oceans of Hope on the Darwin, Australia to Singapore leg of its round-the-world voyage to change popular perceptions regarding MS. Mssrs. Barnett and Watts wereĀ welcomed aboard the yacht…
July 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Awards WSU Professor With Grant to Develop New MS Research Model Alexander Gow, Ph.D., a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has just been awarded a research grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to fund his exploration of a novel model of MS pathology. Gow is a holder of theĀ Charles H. Gershenson Distinguished Fellow Professor…
July 1, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Rocheās Ocrelizumab Found to be Superior to Standard Interferon Therapy in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients Roche recently announced encouraging results on its investigational medicine ocrelizumab as a therapy for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, which includesĀ either RRMS or SPMS with relapses. Ocrelizumab was evaluated in two pivotal studies (OPERA I and OPERA II), where it was compared to interferon (IFN) beta-1a (RebifĀ®), the standard-of-care…
July 1, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD “MS” Documentary Released on YouTube “MS” is a documentary film released last year that tells the story of three patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) and how they deal with the chronic debilitating disease. The director of the film recently announced that the short documentary has been made available on YouTube in…
June 30, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Views and News Seeks to Improve MS Education in July MS Views and News (MSVN) is aĀ non-profit organization that works atĀ collecting, presenting and distributing information aboutĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as improving knowledge and education among patients and other members of the MS community. During July, MS Views and News will host four events featuring medical…
June 29, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Novartis’ Gilenya Found to Have Long-Term Positive Effects on Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis A new study recently published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry revealed that long-term fingolimod therapy (marketed as Gilenya by Novartis) can maintain a low disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study was conducted by an international team of researchers and…
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…