May 3, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: FDA and Tysabri, COVID-19 and CD20, Gilenya Infections, Therapeutic Lag FDA Rejects Under-the-skin Tysabri for Relapsing MS I expect this decision will be a disappointment for those who had hoped to be able to self-administer highly effective Tysabri as a shot rather than an IV infusion. But I switched from Avonex to Tysabri, because after a few years of…
April 29, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Exploring Mavenclad’s Effects on Immune Cells Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, held April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read stories from the conference. After starting treatment with the multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Mavenclad (cladribine), some types of immune cells are more affected…
April 28, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Research Focuses on Measuring Therapeutic Lag Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, held April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. A novel method to calculate how long it takes therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) to become fully effective…
April 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Tysabri Improves Quality of Life, Can Reduce Infection Risk Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) can improve mental and social health in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new…
April 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā COVID-19 Often Leads to Flares in MS Patients, Survey Finds Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. The majority of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience new or worsening symptoms after developing COVID-19, a patient survey…
April 21, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Disease Severity, Job Loss Higher in Black Than White Patients in US Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. African Americans with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are more likely than white patients ā despite comparable disease durations and…
April 21, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD #AANAM ā Kesimpta, Added to NHS in UK, Prevents Worsening in New Patients Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. Note: This story was updated April 21, 2021, to clarify that Kesimpta will be available in the next three months…
April 20, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #AANAM ā Blacks, Whites Respond Differently to B-cell Targeting Therapies Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ here to read the latest stories from the conference. Common B-cell depleting therapies, such as rituximab and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), may result in shorter duration B-cell depleting effects in…
April 20, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Measuring Blood Proteins Could Predict Disability in SPMS Editorās note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ here to read the latest stories from the conference. Among people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) without active disease, high blood levels of the…
May 20, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Evobrutinib Continues to Show Potential for MS, 48-week Phase 2 Data Suggest Investigational therapy evobrutinib, also known as M2951, can reduce relapse rates and brain lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), 48-weekĀ data from a Phase 2 clinical trial suggest. Updated results from the trial (NCT02975349) were presented at the recent 2019 annual…
May 16, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Gut Bacteria May Play Role in Pediatric MS, Studies Suggest As strange as it is to think about, many bacteria live in the human body, most of which are found in the gut (often referred to as the gut microbiome). These bodily roommates affect health in many ways that are only beginning to be understood.Ā …
May 16, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Gilenya at 0.5 mg Superior to Copaxone at Lowering Relapses, Phase 3 Trial Shows Oral Gilenya (fingolimod) taken daily at a 0.5 mg dose is superior toĀ Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) injections at lowering relapses and disease activity over one year in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results of a Phase 3b trial. The research, āEfficacy and Safety…
May 15, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Biogen Offers Update on Development Plans for MS Therapies At the 2019 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN),Ā Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ sat down with Bernd Kieseier, MD, global head of multiple sclerosis at Biogen, to discuss the company’s portfolio, latest data, and therapeutic development plans in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS). Kieseier said…
May 15, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – 2 Trials Aim to Decide Best Early Way of Treating RRMS, Cleveland Clinic Doctor Says Two ongoing clinical trials may help doctors better understand which type of disease-modifying therapy ā those considered highly effective or those with low-to-moderate efficacy used in an escalating treatment approach ā would be best for people in the early stages of Ā relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a Ā …
May 14, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM ā Use of Highly Effective Treatments for RRMS Increasing but Still Limited, Study Says Although the use of highly effective disease-modifying treatments (HETs) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has increased, they still represent a minority among the treatment strategies used, according to a study. The study, āTrends in the use of Highly Effective Disease Modifying Treatments in Multiple Sclerosis…
May 14, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM ā Ocrevus Lowers Markers of Inflammation, Damage in Relapsing MS Patients, Phase 3 Trial Shows Treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) decreases the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and immune B-cells in the serum and central nervous system of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from a Phase 3 trial. The research, āOcrelizumab treatment reduced levels of neurofilament light chain and…
May 13, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Ocrevus Effective in RRMS Patients with Poor Responses to Other DMTs, Early Trial Data Suggest Early, one-year data from theĀ Phase 3 CHORDS study show that OcrevusĀ effectively prevents relapses and disease progression inĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who have had poor responses to other disease-modifying therapies. These interim results were presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Academy of NeurologyĀ (AAN) in…
May 13, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #AANAM – Aubagio at Higher Dose Shows Long-term Efficacy in Variety of Patients, Trial Data Show AubagioĀ taken as 14 milligram (mg) tablet once daily significantly reduces the risk of relapse in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) over time irrespective of their prior treatment history, a pooled analysis of Phase 2 and Phase 3 trial results show. The findings were presented at the 2019…
May 10, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Interferon Beta Exposure Does Not Seem to Increase Risk of Pregnancy Complications, Study Suggests Exposure to interferon beta does not seem to increase the risk of complications during pregnancy in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. The data were presented in an oral presentation, “Pregnancy and Infant Outcomes with Interferon Beta: Data from the European Interferon Beta Pregnancy Registry and MS…
May 10, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #AANAM – RRMS Patients Switching to Lemtrada Report Greater Satisfaction with Treatment and Improvements in Quality of Life Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who switched to infusions with Sanofi Genzymeās Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) report increased satisfaction with treatment and improvements in health-related quality of life, according to…
May 10, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #AANAM – Oral Ozanimod Better than Avonex in Lessening Brain Volume Loss in Relapsing MS, Trial Shows Oral treatment with ozanimod (RPC1063), an investigational immunomodulator under development by Celgene, is better at preventing brain volume loss, compared with Avonex (interferon-beta-1a), in adults with relapsing forms of…
May 9, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #AANAM ā Adamas Provides Update on Phase 3 INROADS Trial Testing ADS-5102 for MS Adamas Pharmaceuticals announced the study design and baseline characteristics of patients enrolling in the company’s ongoing Phase 3 trialĀ testing the efficacy and safety of ADS-5102 (amantadine) extended-release capsules in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have difficulty walking. The data were presented in a poster,…
May 9, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Greater Exposure to Ocrevus Means Less Risk of Disability Progression in MS Patients, Study Contends Higher exposure to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is associated with greater immune B-cell depletion in the blood, and lessened risk of disability progression in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive disease (PPMS), according to new research. The study supporting that finding, āPharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and…
May 9, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Scoring Tool Helps Identify Patients with RRMS or Transitioning to SPMS, Study Reports A newly developed scoring tool enables better identification of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as well as those transitioning or already diagnosed with secondary progressive MSĀ (SPMS). The research about that finding, āValidation of the Scoring Algorithm for a Novel Integrative Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) Screening Tool,ā…
May 9, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Mayzent Improves Cognitive Processing Speed in SPMS Patients, Trial Results Show Treatment with Mayzent (siponimod) provided sustained improvements and prevented deterioration of cognitive processing speed in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), regardless of their cognitive function prior to therapy, according to results of a Phase 3 clinical trial. The data were presented at the recent 2019Ā American…
May 8, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #AANAM ā Quanterix Leads Research on Neurofilament Light Chain as Potential MS Biomarker Quanterix is leading the research presented at this year’s American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, validating the use of neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The company…
May 8, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Research Suggests Extended Interval Dosing of Tysabri Can Decrease Risk of PML New data suggests that treatment withĀ TysabriĀ (natalizumab) in an extended interval dosing regimen is associated with a significantly lower risk ofĀ progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathyĀ (PML) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), compared with the standard interval dosing. The data was presented byĀ Lana Zhovtis Ryerson, MD, on May 7 at the 2019Ā …
May 8, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Research Suggests Misconceptions About MS Risk in Pregnant Women New research suggests that even though pregnant women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are often viewed as high risk by their physicians, pregnancy Ā does not seem to increase the likelihood of adverse obstetrical outcomes for those patients or their babies. The research was presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting…
May 7, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM ā Tysabri Lowers Serum Neurofilament Light Levels in SPMS Patients, Phase 3 Trial Finds Treatment with TysabriĀ (natalizumab) lowers the levels of the biomarker serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS), according to data from a Phase 3 trial. Findings also revealed that higher levels of sNfL correlated with MS lesions and disease activity prior to starting the…
May 7, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Mayzent Lessens Inflammation at Brain Meninges, Prevents Migration of Lymphocytes to Reduce Demyelination, Mouse Study Suggests Treatment with Mayzent (siponomod) may reduce myelin deterioration by lessening the accumulation of immune cells in brain meninges, and preventing the migration of pro-inflammatory lymphocytes into the brain, according to a study in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The research, āA Mouse Model of…