December 5, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Newer Neurologic Therapies Costly, Less Likely to Be Used Fewer than 1 in 5 people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) or 10 other neurological conditions in the U.S. are on new-to-market medications. Thatās according to a large data study funded by the American Academy of Neurology, which also linked more recently available treatments ā those approved in the…
March 25, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS Research Prize Goes to Barcelona Neurologist A researcher in Barcelona, Spain, has been chosen to receive the 2022 John Dystel Prize for his work advancing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The $40,000 prize, given jointly by the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), will be…
April 15, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Harvard Professor Wins Dystel Prize for Uncovering MS Immune Mechanisms The 2021 John Dystel Prize for multiple sclerosis (MS) research has been awarded to Vijay Kuchroo, PhD, a professor at Harvard Medical School, in Boston, for his work in uncovering the underlying immune mechanisms that drive the neurodegenerative disorder.Ā āProfessor Kuchrooās…
March 15, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD 47% Rise Seen in US Medicare Payments for MS and Like Therapies, 2013-17 The cost of medications for multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā and other neurologic disorders saw a sharp rise between 2013 and 2017 in the U.S., a study of Medicare prescription claims shows. Analysis of Medicare payments during these five years revealed that the cost of neuroimmunology therapies, mostly for MS, increased by…
March 5, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Rising Temperatures Could Lead to Greater Care Needs for MS Patients Rising average temperatures may lead to a worsening of symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and a greater need for hospital care, according to a preliminary study by researchers in the U.S. Its findings will be presented at the virtualĀ annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology,…
September 11, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias Why a Flu Shot Is More Important Than Ever This Year Labor Day has come and gone here in the U.S. Now, flu season has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. This isn’t the novel coronavirus we’ve been fighting all year. It’s the regular seasonal flu virus that’s knocking on our door again. Each year, some people with multiple sclerosis (MS)…
May 13, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Ian Duncan Awarded 2020 Dystel Prize for Discoveries in Myelin Repair Neuroscientist Ian D. DuncanĀ has been awarded the 2020 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for work that advanced understanding of how myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve cells, can be repaired in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). āProfessor Duncan has made a series of critical research advances…
December 10, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Doctor Visits via Telemedicine Show Patient and Caregiver Satisfaction, Neurology Review Says People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers appear to be just asĀ satisfied with a video evaluation given by a neurologist using telemedicine as they have been with those done through an in-person visit, a review from the American Academy of NeurologyĀ reports. The review, āTeleneurology is neurology,ā…
September 20, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Neuros Say that Flu Shots and Other Vaccines Are OK for Those with MS This is the time of year when my wife and I start thinking about getting our flu shots. We’ve already had the pneumonia and the older shingles vaccine and hope to soon update with the new shingles vaccine, Shingrix (recombinant zoster vaccine). These vaccines are OK with my neurologist and…
September 9, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Cancer Medication Slows MS, Vitamin D and Myelin, Targeting ‘Helper’ T-cells, Vaccination Guidelines Ofatumumab Better at Easing Relapse Rates and Slowing MS Progression Than Aubagio, Phase 3 Data Show Ofatumumab isn’t approved as a multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. It’s a cancer medication that’s marketed as Arzerra. But in two clinical trials reported here, it did better than Aubagio at treating MS. Its…
August 30, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New AAN Guidelines Favor Regular Vaccinations, Including Flu Shots, for MS Patients New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recommend that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) keep up with regular vaccinations, including annual flu shots, but be sure to first advise their doctor on medications they are using. The guidelines were published in the journalĀ Neurology, in the report…
April 27, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias New DMT Guidelines Are Good for MS Patients The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has just released some new guidelines about when to begin, change, and end disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that are used to treat MS patients. The guidelines, published on April 23, encourage aggressive treatment when symptoms of MS first appear. They’re also patient-centric. And…
March 6, 2018 News by Diogo Pinto High Fish Consumption May Be Key to Lowering Risk of Developing MS Eating fish once a week, or one to three times per month along with taking daily fish oil supplements, may help lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a preliminary study shows. These findings suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish like salmon, tuna and shrimp may…
May 26, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC17 – MS Patients Should Contribute to Outcome Measure Development, Study Argues Patients must help develop new outcome measures of multiple sclerosis (MS), since theyĀ and healthcare providers may have differing perceptions of how crucialĀ various measures are, a new study argues. Researchers from the Multiple Sclerosis Center of AtlantaĀ shared this insight today at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2017 Annual…
April 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Genentech Highlights Rapid Actions of MS Therapy Ocrevus at AAN Meeting Within the first two months of treatment, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) reduced relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients by more than half compared to those on Rebif, and almost completely prevented new brain lesions, according to data underscoring the drug’s rapid effects. Researchers from San Francisco-basedĀ Genentech and its Swiss parent…
April 20, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Early Use of Tecfidera and Tysabri Improves MS Patients’ Outcomes, Studies Suggest The latest results on Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and TysabriĀ (natalizumab) use in a clinical practice setting suggest that early treatment can improve outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This and other recent dataĀ on Tecfidera and Tysabri for the treatment of MS will be presented by BiogenĀ at the…
April 20, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Teva to Discuss MS and Huntington’s Therapies at Premier Neurology Conference Teva Pharmaceutical Industries will discuss two of its multiple sclerosis therapies, one that reduces relapses and one that appears to protect nerve structure, at a premier neurology conference in Boston this month. It will also give presentationsĀ at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of NeurologyĀ on therapies…
April 20, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD AAN Annual Meeting Offers First Ocrevus Data Update Since MS Therapy’s Approval by FDA New data on the recently approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting 2017, which will take place April 22-28 in Boston. The meeting is the first scientific conference focusing on neurology since the U.S.
April 26, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD At-Home ‘Brain Training’ Program for MS Patients Reported to Improve Cognitive Skills by 29% Multiple sclerosis patients using a cognitive remediation computer training program, part ofĀ a controlled trial by researchers fromĀ NYU Langone Medical Center,Ā had greaterĀ improvements in cognitive function than those who used a placebo-training program, according to a presentationĀ at the recentĀ American Academy of NeurologyĀ annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Problems in attention, memory,…
April 22, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen and AbbVie Present New Data Showing Zinbryta, an RRMS Drug Candidate, Aids Cognition Without Immune Depletion New data presented byĀ BiogenĀ andĀ AbbVieĀ at the recent 68th annual meeting of theĀ American Academy of Neurology (AAN) showed that ZinbrytaĀ (daclizumab high-yield process) improved cognitive outcome measures in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). Additional results ā from post-hoc analyses of clinicalĀ trials ā also offer a better…
April 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 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 āĀ 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…
April 15, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Teva to Present Pipeline Data on MS Treatments at Ongoing AAN Annual Meeting Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., announced that new data on four of its products, including an approved and a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis, will be presented atĀ the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), running through April 21 in Vancouver, Canada. The data, to be…
April 14, 2016 News by admin Array of Multiple Sclerosis Trial Data to Be Presented by Biogen at 2016 AAN Meeting A rangeĀ of new multiple sclerosis (MS) data from Biogen will be revealedĀ atĀ the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Vancouver, Canada, on April 15ā21. Presentations will include studies on TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate),Ā one of the most frequently usedĀ oral MS treatments worldwide, as well as several other…
April 14, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Genentech to Present New Data from Phase 3 Trials of Ocrevus in MS Patients at AAN Annual Meeting GenentechĀ announced that it will present new data from three Phase 3 clinical trials ofĀ its experimental multiple sclerosis (MS) therapyĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) at the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) being held in Vancouver, Canada, from April 15ā21, 2016. Additionally, results of a new endpoint for…
December 16, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Physical Therapy in Need of Proper Study, Experts Say The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ announced that a panel of expertsĀ led a comprehensive review of 142 published studies addressing rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS), and found evidence suggesting that weekly in-home or outpatient physical therapy offers benefits ā but, mostly, it found a lack of well-designed studies into…
April 28, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers, Biotech Companies Present Key MS Discoveries & Therapy Updates at Recent Conference TheĀ 67th American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting took place last week in Washington, DC and included eight investigators from theĀ Tisch MS Research Center of New York, whose research efforts focus onĀ finding a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers attendedĀ the meeting to share data and insightsĀ on…
September 1, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Multiple Sclerosis Drug May Repair Nerve Demyelination As researchers continue to develop a clearer understanding of the underlying causes ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), it is becoming increasingly apparent that the future of treating the disease is likely to center on neural protection and a reversal of the demyelination process that strips away the critical insulation…