alemtuzumab

MS Drug Costs: The Elephant in the Examination Room

A lot of factors go into our decisions when we selectĀ the drug we’re going to use to fight our multiple sclerosis. How well will it work? What are the possible side effects and how serious could they be? How will using the drug (taking a pill, giving myself a…

2 Cases of Brain Inflammation Raise Questions of Lemtrada Safety, But Link Uncertain

Two multiple sclerosis (MS) patients developed severe brain inflammation after being treatedĀ with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), researchers report, raising questions about the therapy. A definite link between the lesions and the treatment, however, was not established. The patients’Ā symptomsĀ were successfully controlled with a blood transfusion and treatment with rituximab (brand name Rituxan,…

Lemtrada Lessens MS Disability in People Who Respond Poorly to Other Therapies, Study Says

Data from the CARE-MS II clinical trialĀ showed that Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) canĀ lessen pre-existing disabilities in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who failed to respond adequately to previous disease-modifying therapies, according to a study of the trial’s data. The treatment was evaluated againstĀ Rebif (interferon beta-1a)Ā therapy. The study, ā€œAlemtuzumab…

Lemtrada Targets Circulating Innate Immune Cells in RRMS Patients

Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), a humanized monoclonal antibody, is able to remodel the immune responses of innate immune cells in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a recent study. This previously unreported phenotype may contribute to the benefits of the drug for RRMSĀ patients. The study, ā€œAlemtuzumab…

Are the Benefits Worth the Risks of Lemtrada?

My neurologist calls Lemtrada “HSCT lite.” Ā She says that not only is the drug able to reduce exacerbations and limit the overall progression of multiple sclerosis, it’s actually reversed some symptoms in some of her patients. Ā  I guess I’m going to find out if she’s right about…

Lemtrada to Treat Relapsing MS Now Part of New Brunswick, Canada, Drug Program

The Government ofĀ New Brunswick added Ā Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), byĀ Sanofi Genzyme,Ā to the New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program (NBPDP) through special authorization for eligibleĀ patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). New BrunswickĀ joins other Canadian provinces, includingĀ Ontario, Saskatchewan,Ā Quebec, and Manitoba, in making this treatment available to RRMS patients, ages 18 andĀ older,Ā who have had…

ICER Draft Report Evaluating Therapies for RRMS Now Open for Public Comment

TheĀ Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)Ā released the early draft of a paper intended toĀ informĀ a future report evaluating the effectiveness and value of disease-modifying therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The paper, called aĀ draft scopingĀ document, is titled “Disease Modifying Therapies for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Effectiveness and…

Sanofi Genzyme Presenting New Data on Lemtrada’s Beneficial Effects, Drawn from RRMS Extension Study, at AAN 2016

Sanofi GenzymeĀ is presenting promising data regarding brain volume and retinal nerve fibers in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ā€” drawn from an ongoing extension study intoĀ the disease-modifying drugĀ alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) ā€” at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting Ā taking place in Vancouver, Canada, through April…

Sanofi Genzyme Presenting New Data on Its Approved and Investigational Multiple Sclerosis Treatments at AAN

Sanofi GenzymeĀ will present new data onĀ itsĀ approved multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments ā€”Ā LemtradaĀ (alemtuzumab) and AubagioĀ (teriflunomide) ā€” at the 68thĀ annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), taking place in Vancouver, Canada, through April 21, as well asĀ data on investigational therapies in its pipeline. In total, the meeting…

CONy16: Sanofi Genzyme Symposium on MS Therapies Targeting T and B Cells; Exclusive Interview with Lead Researcher

Sanofi Genzyme,Ā one of the companies participatingĀ in the four-dayĀ 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) in Lisbon, Portugal, that concludedĀ on March 20, 2016, supported several symposiums focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) ā€” including one on B-cell and T-cell therapies. For over a decade, Sanofi Genzyme has workedĀ to developĀ effective therapies…

RRMS Drug Works by Shifting Anti-Inflammatory Immune Profile, Study Shows

Researchers have found that changes in the compositionĀ of immune molecules ā€” specifically, a shift to more anti-inflammatory cytokines and regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā€” likely account for the efficiencyĀ of alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) as a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study, titledĀ “Alemtuzumab long-term immunologic effect: Treg suppressor function…

MS Society Funds 5 Projects Aiming to Cure the Disease

The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the United Kingdom recently announced the investment of Ā£1.98 million in new MS research. After an in-depth, rigorous review process of the 58 applications submitted, 16 projects were awarded funding through the MS Societyā€™s 2015 grant round totaling Ā£1,979,879. All applications…

Genzyme Provides Update on Lemtrada for Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, ECTRIMS 2015

Genzyme, aĀ SanofiĀ company, recently announced novel positive 5-year experimental dataĀ from the extension study of LemtradaĀ®Ā (alemtuzumab) in individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The findings were presented today, October 9, at the 31stĀ Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Barcelona, Spain. LemtradaĀ®Ā (alemtuzumab), developedĀ by Genzyme, is…

Clinical Benefit of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Therapies Highlighted in Review

A review study recently published in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Review (CDSR) focused on the clinical benefit of different therapiesĀ available for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study is entitled ā€œImmunomodulators and immunosuppressants for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysisā€ and was led…