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What may work better than existing drugs to treat severe multiple sclerosis? Stem cells. A phase 2 clinical study from an international group of research centers compared head-to-head autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) and mitoxantrone in treating patients with secondary progressive or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The findings showed that…

Under development at Innate Immunotherapeutics is a special drug candidate to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Currently, no viable therapies exist for SPMS — only less-effective means to treat SPMS patients through drugs designed for relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis — making the prospect of Innate’s experimental SPMS therapy a…

Nonprofit organization, Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis, is launching a national campaign called iConquerMS, which was designed by and for multiple sclerosis patients to raise awareness of the importance of health data and supporting research. On the iConquerMS portal, patients can…

Several renowned scientists working on multiple sclerosis (MS) recently joined forces to discuss and highlight the progress and knowledge gaps related to MS research, the prospects of finding a cure for the disease, and a strategy to reduce the burden the disease places on patients. A series of articles was published by the researchers in the…

Phoenix, Arizona-based Creative Medical Health (CMH) has just announced it has submitted a patent application for its proprietary mesenchymal stem cell pipeline product, indicated for autoimmune diseases. The company is already preparing to launch the product into its first line of clinical tests, which will…

The 2012 and 2014 ballots approving legalization of cannabis in four U.S. states have stirred the pot, so to speak, on a wide range of issues and nuances related to the herb — not least marijuana’s clinical use as a therapeutic agent. Medical marijuana remains a topic of debate…

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. has released results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of rHIgM22 for multiple sclerosis, showing that the medication is safe and produces few side effects. rHIgM22 is a medication that may induce the re-wrapping of the myelin sheath that surround nerve cells,…

MicroConstants China, Inc., a company that provides preclinical, clinical, and consulting services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, has just announced it has acquired international rights to the development of AA98 antibody pipeline products, indicated for the treatment of several types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and age related macular degeneration…

MediciNova, Inc., has announced the acceptance of an abstract describing their ongoing Phase 2b clinical trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The poster is to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 67th Annual Meeting, April 18 – 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. The presentation is titled…

Drug development company Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced that a new clinical trial application with the United Kingdom’s Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been approved. The company is set to proceed with a Phase I study of its flagship pipeline product, Anatabine Citrate, a chemical that is found naturally…

A new study on the association between Helicobacter pylori and multiple sclerosis (MS) entitled “Helicobacter pylori infection as a protective factor against multiple sclerosis risk in females” was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry by Marzena J. Fabis Pedrini from the Centre…

Tyler Campbell, the son of the NFL Hall of Famer Earl Campbell, and professional basketball player Chris Wright are not only well-known sports figures, but also for inspiring others with their life journey and struggle with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, Campbell and Wright are inviting other patients who…

A report by Bloomberg News‘ Caroline Chen says multinational biotech firm Biogen Idec Inc. is teaming up with Internet and IT colossus Google, pooling efforts to research environmental and biological factors potentially associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) progression. Ms. Chen notes that the Biogen Idec relationship is…

Total Fitness Club (TFC), a private, employee-owned fitness company based in Swansea, Massachusetts recently announced the top placers of their inaugural and yearly Thanksgiving 5K Run & 3K Walk for the benefit of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA). The event, which pulled together support from a litany…

The fundraising event MuckFest MS, which takes place this year between April and November in 11 different cities across the U.S. to help support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and patients who live with multiple sclerosis, was recently featured on an episode of ABC’s TV reality series The Bachelor.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. recently made a major announcement on the U.S. Supreme Court‘s ruling on the matter of “Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. et al. Petitioners v. Sandoz Inc. et al. that reversed the Federal Circuit Court’s judgment of invalidity…

A study from a team of researchers at the Kessler Foundation provides new findings on multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, cognitive fatigue exhibited by MS patients is related to the length of the task they are involved in. Fatigue…

A new research study indicates that in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation leads to improvement in neurological impairment and quality of life. The study, entitled “Association of Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation With Neurological Disability in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple…

Biopharmaceutical company Receptos, Inc. has enrolled the first participant with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) in its SUNBEAM phase 3 trial, which will evaluate the potential therapy RPC1063 in patients who suffer from the disease. The company’s phase 3 RADIANCE trial, also…

Amarantus BioScience Holdings, Inc. has announced the acquisition of DioGenix, Inc., which will be merged as a new foundational asset into a growing neuro-diagnostic division at Amarantus called Amarantus Diagnostics. Amarantus BioScience is dedicated to developing novel neurological diagnostic tests and therapy options in the fields of neurology, psychiatry, ophthalmology and regenerative diseases, including multiple…

MedDay, a biotechnology company that develops new drugs for nervous system disorders, announced an update on the progress of its development pipeline with its lead product MD1003 for the treatment of primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The first study is expected to be complete in early 2015, while…

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. released the first results from its phase 1b trial that for the evaluation of an oral drug candidate called APD334 for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The multiple ascending dose clinical trial demonstrated encouraging findings about the drug, which is designed to target the sphingosine…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients often experience difficulty with balance and fear falling, which may prevent them from being social or participating in exercise and community activities, affecting their quality of life. However, a pioneering study conducted at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is looking to understand the role of…

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has just approved Biogen Idec’s Plegridy (peg interferon beta-1a) for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients between 18 to 65 years old, making the Consortium the first United Kingdom-based regulatory body to endorse the disease-modifying drug on the…

Irish poet, playwright,wit, design critic, and controversialist Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was one of the giants of the literary scene in the late Nineteenth Century — not only in the U.K. where he lived and worked most of his life, but on the continent and in North America, which he visited twice. An international…

Biogen Idec, a Cambridge Massachusetts Biotechnology company, has released results from its Phase 2 acute optic neuritis (AON) RENEW trial. The trial tested anti-LINGO-1, a medication that restores myelin — a fatty substance that facilitates nerve cell impulses by wrapping around them and providing insulation. The trial results indicate that anti-LINGO-1…

California-based, late-preclinical stage pharmaceutical company, Bionure, Inc,. has just announced it has signed a Sponsored Research Agreement with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, thanks to Fast Forward, a division of the Society dedicated to commercial research and development for novel solutions for multiple sclerosis (MS). According…

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) announced late last month its New Drug Application (NDA) to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the multiple sclerosis relapse prevention drug glatiramer acetate (active ingredient) — which is sold in some markets under the trade name Copaxone. Developed by Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries…

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination can help protect against several health problems, including cervical cancers in women. Some reports have raised concerns however, that the vaccine might actually increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis. A study entitled “Quadrivalent HPV Vaccination and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis and Other…

Canada has one of the world’s highest Multiple Sclerosis (MS) prevalence rates. Some 100,000 Canadians live with the disease, and three people are newly diagnosed each day. Most people are diagnosed with relapsing MS in their twenties and thirties, and MS is the most common neurological disease affecting young adults…