News

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) gave a positive final appraisal determination to the use of the Biogen Idec‘s drug Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) in adults for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), having turned back on their preliminary negative recommendation. The oral…

Alkermes plc is looking to add one more treatment to the repertoire for multiple sclerosis drugs by initiating a Phase 1 clinical trial study of ALKS 8700. This novel molecule, developed by Alkermes, will be evaluated for safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. “We expect the results of this study to…

Eight new drugs that are able to stimulate the nervous system were discovered by a research team at UC San Francisco recently. The team utilized a novel screening platform and examined the cellular effects of 1,000 chemical compounds. The scientists believe the discovery may impact the treatment of the tissue…

Startup biotech company ImStem Biotechnology is looking to raise additional funding for their upcoming clinical trials after publishing promising research on a unique stem-cell treatment used on mice with multiple sclerosis.  The company has already received previous funding…

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)  announced the approval of the drug Lemtrada, produced by Genzyme, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and active disease defined by clinical or imaging features, within the national health system (NHS) in Scotland. Lemtrada…

The American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) recently aired a documentary about a University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) music professor, who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), on OETA. “Healed: Music, Medicine and Life with MS,” tells the story of Jim Klages‘s struggle against the disease. Klages was an accomplished musician and…

According to a study published in JAMA Neurology, multiple sclerosis patients are greatly benefited by Biogen Idec’s Tysabri (natalizumab) and tend to relapse if they discontinue treatment. Natalizumab had a protective effect on patients who were continuously treated with Tysabri beyond a 24-dose timepoint within the study,…

The Middle East North Africa Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis has recently announced the first MENACTRIMS Congress for professionals to be held in Dubai on the 17th and 18th of October. While Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is often associated with North America and Northern Europe, the disease…

Bike MS, a two-day ride between Westminster and Fort Collins, in Colorado, raised $3.8 million to support the multiple sclerosis (MS) research, thanks to the help of over 3,000 riders, volunteers, and advocates. Bikers started the journey last Saturday and rode back to Westminster Sunday morning. The money raised, from…

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the antihistamine clemastine fumarate, manufactured by Novartis as Tavist, for its efficacy in treating multiple sclerosis patients. The laboratory of Dr. Jonah Chan, a professor of neurology at UCSF, used a high-throughput method to identify Tavist…

The main costs of care for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients continue to be driven predominantly by common MS “sequelae” — a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury — according to a recent study from the BMC Health Services Research. However, in spite of cost drivers remaining steady,…

The Republic of Ireland is legalizing the medical prescription of cannabis for people with Multiple Sclerosis, under a new revision to current Irish laws. The Irish Mirror reports that Pat O’Mahony, CEO of Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) confirmed July 7 that the Department of Health is…

An Everyday Health blog by New Jersey-based husband and wife team Brad and Robynn Mann notes that more time spent outdoors during the warmer months means more potential encounters with insects that can be disease vectors, notably mosquitos and ticks. Mr. Mann, who is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS),…

Stem therapy to treat multiple sclerosis may benefit greatly from a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by the laboratory of Fraser Sim, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr.

Tracking patients’ progress is a critical part of MS management, a process that can benefit from greater objective analysis. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have determined that tablet computers, which feature built-in technologies like accelerometers, gyroscopes, and touchscreens, when combined with appropriate software, can provide pretty good MS assessment capabilities.

Lemtrada, a drug produced by Genzyme for the treatment of adult patients suffering from relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with active disease, was approved by Argentina’s National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT). “We are pleased by the continued global support for Lemtrada,” said Genzyme…

Acorda Therapeutics recently announced receiving a notice letter from pharmaceutical company Actavis Plc indicating their plans to commercialize a generic version of Ampyra, Acorda’s multiple sclerosis treatment drug. Acorda claims that Actavis submitted a marketing approval application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking permission to develop and commercialize a new drug,…

Fatigue, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, could be a result of regional damage in the brain. A study published in Radiology by a group in Italy led by Massimo Filippi, MD, from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University showed that local, rather than global, atrophy is associated with fatigue.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is accepting submissions for the first edition of the Marilyn Hilton Award for Innovation in Multiple Sclerosis Research, which will support novel and potentially paradigm-shifting research on Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The award will grant up to $6 million in funding to several projects over a four-year…

Researchers at the Kessler Foundation bolstered the knowledge of cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis patients with an article published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. This longitudinal study is one of the longest among studies of cognition in multiple sclerosis. “While cognitive impairment is known to affect…

The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche recently announced a partnership agreement with California-based Inception Sciences and venture capital firm Versant Ventures. The three companies will work together to form a new company, Inception 5, which will be dedicated mostly to the development of therapies for multiple sclerosis. Inception 5’s research will focus…

A team of researchers from the University of Saint Louis has found a molecular pathway involved in a painful chemotherapy side effects, and a drug that might be able to stop it. Paclitaxel (also known as Taxol) is a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat different forms of cancer…

Australian biotechnology company Innate Immunotherapeutics’ trial for a drug designed to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) has produced positive results. Innate’s experimental MIS416 has revealed benefits to the majority of SPMS patients who were prescribed it as a “compassionate use drug,” given the total lack of…

Group exercise could be very beneficial in improving the health of multiple sclerosis patients, according to Sheila Lennon, Physiotherapy Professor from Flinders University, in Adelaide, Australia. Lennon is the creator of a new training manual for clinicians, as she advocates the need for regular and ongoing physiotherapy in the public health system.

Multiple sclerosis patients may soon benefit from StemGenex’s leading resource of adult adipose stem cells. StemGenex is now recruiting patients for a clinical trial investigating the regenerative potential of multiple sclerosis patients’ autologous stem cells derived from their own stromal vascular fraction. “Currently available drugs for multiple…

On June 26th, a conference devoted to the topic of “Demyelination and Remyelination: From Mechanism to Therapy” will be presented by the New York Academy of Sciences and Acorda Therapeutics. The topic hits home to millions of people worldwide suffering from demyelinating diseases, especially those affected by multiple sclerosis.

Newtown, Pennsylvania based Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. announced on June 6th that the company has entered into an agreement and plan of merger whereby the Company has agreed to acquire 100% of issued and outstanding common shares of Neurohabilitation Corporation (“Neuro”) of Delaware by way of a plan of…

Recently launched by the non-profit Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF), MSFocusRadio.org is the first online radio station for the MS community, designed to increase awareness of the disease and provide continuing health-related education for the MS patient population. According to the new radio station’s website, “The mission of MS…

The risk of developing lipoatrophy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients administrated with glatiramer acetate is greater than 60 percent, according to a study developed at the Riverside Medical Clinic that reviewed 73 MS patients. It was already known that the drug could cause the condition, however the rate is higher…

Biogen Idec, who recently presented over 60 company-sponsored presentations at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and the Sixth Cooperative Meeting with Americas Committee for Treatment and…