MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Plegridy, Telemedicine, AI for MS, Myelin Repair

FDA Approves Plegridy as Intramuscular Injection for Relapsing MS

A common patient complaint about Plegridy has been that its subcutaneous injection procedure results in injection site reactions. This new formulation is delivered into the muscle, rather than under the skin. The needle is longer, but Biogen pharmaceuticals thinks the reactions should be fewer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an intramuscular injection formulation of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

This formulation, for injection directly into muscle, is what is typically used to deliver the flu shot.

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Telemedicine Found Effective During Italy’s COVID-19 Lockdown

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, several well-known MS neurologists have been conducting virtual exams of their patients. On the other hand, my neurologist, whom I think the world of, doesn’t think telemedicine is a good idea for the patients she sees. Here’s an interesting look at the benefits of technology for MS examinations when you can’t do anything else.

Telemedicine is a feasible and effective method of remote care for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, an Italian study suggests.

The study, “Telemedicine during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Outpatients Service Perspective,” was published in the journal Neurology International.

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European Project Uses Artificial Intelligence to Help Improve Patient Care

Technology for MS care isn’t limited to virtual office visits. The BRAINTEASER project will be testing the use of apps and wearable sensors to monitor disease progression, clinical data, and lifestyle information of MS patients. The goal is to shift patient care from reactive to proactive, and to help people with MS participate more fully in that care.

The recently launched BRAINTEASER project focuses on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve the care of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

An initiative of a European consortium, BRAINTEASER could benefit patients, caregivers, and clinicians by enhancing the ability to predict, detect, and manage factors that contribute to disease progression. 

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Potential for Stem Cells to Repair Myelin Focus of University Toronto Team

I often mention the ongoing need for greater availability of stem cell treatments for people with MS. The research reported here is investigating whether those stem cells might have another use, one that seems to me to be as important as reducing disease progression: remyelination. This project is just getting off the ground, but I think it has the right target in its sights.

Teams of scientists at the University of Toronto are sharing a nearly CA$21 million (about $16.36 million) award into research that might lead to self-repair treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders, the university announced in a press release.

Eleven teams at the university and its partner hospitals will share the three-year grant from Medicine by Design, a University of Toronto research initiative focused on advancing regenerative medicine and cell therapy through interdisciplinary research.

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