Columns The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Bafiertam, Stem Cell Transplant Damage, Gilenya Study, NurOwn Benefits MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Bafiertam, Stem Cell Transplant Damage, Gilenya Study, NurOwn Benefits by Ed Tobias | May 11, 2020 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link FDA Approves Bafiertam, Tecfidera Bioequivalent, for Relapsing MS This is the second disease-modifying therapy (DMT) OK’d by the FDA in the past few months. Bafiertam is a delayed-release pill that’s similar to Tecfidera, but it’s said that it has fewer side effects. Unfortunately, its manufacturer hasn’t yet made it available to the U.S. market and hasn’t said when it will. The same is the case for the other newly approved DMT, Zeposia (ozanimod). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given final approval to Banner Life Sciences’ Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate), a bioequivalent alternative to Biogen’s Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) to treat people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Relapsing forms of MS are clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting disease (RRMS), and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Click here to read the rest of the story. *** ‘Transcient’ Damage to CNS Seen with Chemotherapy Used in Stem Cell Transplants for MS People with MS and their neurologists are always weighing the risks against the benefits when deciding which treatment to use. I’ve always felt that stem cell transplants carry the highest risk, due to the need to use high-dose chemotherapy to wipe out the immune system before trying to rebuild it. A number of different chemo protocols can be used. In this case, it’s a protocol followed in Canada that follows a very intense chemo regime. But, the researchers say its benefits outweigh its risks. A high-dose chemotherapy combination given to wipe out the immune system before its rescue with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) can cause “transient” damage to neurons and supporting cells of the central nervous system in people with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a Canadian study reports. Nonetheless, its researchers believe that the risk of such neuronal toxicity is offset by the benefits of the aHSCT procedure in aggressive MS cases. Click here to read the full story. *** Long-term Gilenya Use Helps Delay Disability in Relapsing MS, 10-year Study Reports This is encouraging news. According to this study, the longer you use Gilenya, the less disability you should have. Though all of the people studied had their disability level increase, those receiving Gilenya for longer periods had it increase only about 0.58 points compared with patients in the low-exposure group, whose level rose about 1.17 points. Please note that this study was funded by Novartis, the manufacturer of Gilenya. People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated with Gilenya (fingolimod) for eight or more years show smaller increases in disability over 10 years than those using this treatment for a shorter time, a long-term follow-up study reports. Longer use of Gilenya also resulted in lesser disability progression, a reduced reliance on walking aids or wheelchairs, and fewer people transitioning to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) over the 10 years of follow-up. Click here to read the full story. *** NurOwn May Curb Damaging Neuroinflammation in MS, Study Finds The NurOwn treatment involves extracting a patient’s mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), expanding them, and maturing them into cells that produce high levels of compounds that promote nerve-tissue growth and survival. The cells are then injected back into the spinal canal. Researchers think this process can help repair nerve cells and prevent further damage. It may also have an effect on B- and T-cells, both of which are believed to have a role in the MS disease process. A small Phase 2 trial is under way at the Cleveland Clinic. NurOwn, believed to have neuroprotective and repairing effects, may also be able to curb the damaging immune responses that contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) progression, a recent study found. This newly identified potential may extend the benefits of this cell-based therapy, its researchers believe. Click here to read the full story. *** Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.Print This Page About the Author Ed Tobias People say to write what you know and Ed Tobias knows about MS. He's lived with the illness since 1980, when he was 32 years old. Ed's a retired, award-winning broadcast journalist and his column combines his four decades of MS experiences with news and comments about the latest in the MS community. In addition to writing his column, Ed is one of the patient moderators on the MS News Today Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sites. He’s also the author of “The Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox: Hints and Tips for Living with M.S.” Ed and his wife split their time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Florida’s Gulf Coast, trying to follow the sun. Tags Gilenya (fingolimod), Novartis, NurOwn Comments Leave a comment Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published. Your Name Your Email Your Comment Post Comment
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