May 6, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – IV Therapy May Be More Effective Than Oral Treatment in Younger RRMS Patients, Research Suggests Infusible disease-modifying treatment ā that is, therapies given intravenously ā might have greater benefits for younger people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than oral ones, new research suggests. The research was presented at the ongoing American Academy of Neurology (AAN)’s annual meeting (May 4-10) by Brandi Vollmer,…
May 6, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā DMTs Primarily Responsible for Rising Healthcare Costs for MS Patients, Study Suggests A trend of rapidly increasing costs for disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) appear to be the primary driver behind the overall rise in healthcare costs for people with MS, a study suggests. These data were presentedĀ in a…
May 3, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Precision Innovative Network and Splice Machine Will Present Predictive Healthcare Application at AAN Meeting A new clinical application prototype that uses machine learning to help physicians predict the best treatment options for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) will be unveiled at theĀ American Academy of Neurology’s 2019 annual meetingĀ May 4ā10, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The prototype is called PIN Population Data Platform. It has been…
April 5, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Mineral Intake Not Linked to MS Risk, Study Suggests The amount of zinc, iron, and other minerals a person has in his or her diet is not associated with the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. The study, āTotal intake of different minerals and the risk of multiple sclerosis,”Ā was published…
April 4, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Ibudilast Slows Brain Atrophy in PPMS But Not SPMS Patients, Phase 2b Trial Shows Treatment with oral ibudilast slowsĀ brain shrinkage in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but not in those with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to results of a Phase 2b clinical trial. According to the findings, this could be partially due to faster disease progression in untreated…
March 15, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Ublituximab Safe, Well-tolerated in Extension Study of Phase 2 Trial in Relapsing MS Treatment withĀ ublituximab continues to be safe and well-tolerated by patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, according to an extension study of a Phase 2 trial. According to a press release, Edward Fox, MD, PhD, from Central Texas Neurology Consultants, will give the presentation on May 7 at poster session P3: MS Clinical Trials and Therapeutic Research. Ublituximab is an investigational monoclonal antibody being developed by TG Therapeutics to target the immune B-cell marker protein CD20. This leads to the depletion of B-cells from the blood and central nervous system ā B-cells are activated during MS relapses. According to the company, ublituximab may be superior to current anti-CD20 treatments in MS, enabling both lower doses and shorter infusion times. Final results of the main TG-Therapeutics-sponsored Phase 2 trial were recently presented at the 4thĀ Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, held in Dallas, Texas. Data showed that 93% of the 48 patients enrolled (mean age 40 years) were relapse-free after a 48-week treatment with ublituximab. The annualized relapse rate ā the number of relapses per year ā was 0.07. In addition, median B-cell depletion was more than 99% throughout 48 weeks.Ā Moreover, 87% of participants showed no evidence of clinical disease. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a complete elimination of T1 lesions at 24 and 48 weeks 24 in all 46 patients analyzed. Mean T2 lesion volume decreased by 10.6% at 48 weeks, compared with the beginning of the study. T1 lesions refer to areas of active inflammation and disease activity, while T2 lesions are a measure of the total amount of lesions, both old and new. Ublituximab was found to be well-tolerated, and did not induce an severe treatment-related adverse events. The most frequent adverse events were infusion-related reactions. No patient had to discontinue treatment due to an ublituximab-related side effect. At the upcoming AAN meeting, Fox will present data on both this Phase 2 trial andĀ its open-label extension, in which 37 patients from the primary study continued receiving one-hour infusions of 450 mg of ublituximab every 24 weeks for an additional 96 weeks. Safety was monitored throughout the study, and disability assessments using theĀ Expanded Disability Status ScaleĀ were conducted every 48 weeks. As of October 2018, nearly 30% of participants had completed 48 weeks of treatment in the extension study. Results showed that ublituximab continues to be well-tolerated, with no discontinuations due to adverse events. āThe Phase 2 OLE supports that one-hour infusions of [ublituximab] continue to be safe and well tolerated,ā the researchers wrote. Of note, five of the eight study authors are affiliated with TG Therapeutics. The team expects additional patient follow-up data from the study to be available by the time of the AAN presentation. According to the scientists, the results support the ongoing Phase 3 ULTIMATE program, which includes the ULTIMATE 1 and ULTIMATE 2 trials. These studies are comparing the efficacy and safety of 450 mg of ublituximab withĀ AubagioĀ over 96 weeks of treatment in relapsing MS patients.Ā Both trials are led byĀ Lawrence Steinman, MD, atĀ Stanford University. TG Therapeutics expects toĀ have results from these trials as early as mid-2020.
March 12, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM ā Risk of MS Relapses Not Increased Right After Giving Birth, Study Suggests Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) do not experience more relapses right after giving birth, as previously believed, according to a preliminary study. The study also revealed that mothers with MS who breastfeed their babies have a lower relapse risk compared with those who do not breastfeed. The data, ā…
March 8, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Sugar-sweetened Beverages Linked to Higher Disability Level in MS, Study Finds Drinking about 290 calories of sugar-sweetened beverages ā the equivalent of about two cans of non-diet soda ā per day may be associated with a higher level of disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), compared to those who seldom consume such beverages, according to a preliminary study. The…