May 6, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Global Phase 3 Trials of Fenebrutinib Enrolling Relapsing and PPMS Patients Two global Phase 3 clinical trials comparing fenebrutinib, anĀ investigational oral BTK inhibitor by Roche, with Aubagio (teriflunomide) are now enrolling adults withĀ relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), the National MS Society announced in a press release. The twin studies, called FENhance 1 (NCT04586023)…
May 5, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Relapsing MS Patients May Fare Better on Zeposia Than Aubagio Treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) significantly reduces the risk of relapse, decreases the proportion of patients experiencing a relapse, and has a better safety profile than Aubagio (teriflunomide) for people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an indirect comparison of clinical trial data.
May 5, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Safety of Oral DMTs for RRMS in Real-world Use Seen to Match Trial Findings People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using approved oral disease-modifyingĀ therapiesĀ generally tolerate the treatments well, with real-world adverse event profiles similar to those seen in clinical trials, an analysis of U.S. data indicates. Results also suggest high adherence to these therapies ā meaning patients are usually taking the therapies…
April 27, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Ocrevus, Rituximab Linked to More Severe COVID-19 Cases in Italy 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. Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that target CD20 are associated with worse outcomes from COVID-19 inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, an…
April 23, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Let’s Treat Older MS Patients With More Respect As comic Rodney Dangerfield might have said, older people with MS “just don’t get no respect.” By older, I mean those of us who are 55 and up. By respect, I mean from researchers and some neurologists. So, as I approach my 73rd birthday, I have to tip my cap…
April 22, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD #AANAM ā Ublituximab Reduced Relapse Rate, Disability Progression in Twin Trials 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. Ublituximab, an investigational therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), significantly outperformed Aubagio (teriflunomide) at reducing patients’…
February 18, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS EVOLUTION Trials Testing Evobrutinib Now Recruiting Two global Phase 3 clinical trials testing the investigational oral medication evobrutinib are recruiting participants with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The two identically-designed trials āĀ EVOLUTION RMS 1 (NCT04338022) and EVOLUTION RMS 2 (…
December 14, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Sanofi Enrolling for 2 GEMINI Trials Testing Tolebrutinib vs. Aubagio for Relapsing MS Two global Phase 3 clinical trials, both comparing Sanofi Genzymeās investigational tolebrutinib with its approved therapy Aubagio, are enrolling a total of 1,800 people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), the company said. All patients in both studies ā dubbed GEMINI 1 and GEMINI 2 ā will…
December 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ublituximab Superior to Aubagio at Lowering Relapse Rates, Phase 3 Data Show Ublituximab, an investigational anti-CD20 antibody, outperformed Aubagio (teriflunomide) in lowering the frequency of relapses among people with active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to top-line data from the Phase 3 ULTIMATE trials. Full results, including data on safety and secondary goals, are expected to be presented…
December 7, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Quality of Life, Virtual Reality Rehab, Aubagio and Brain Atrophy, Cancer Risk Review Study Examines Factors That Affect MS Patientsā Quality of Life What affects the qualify of your life as someone who lives with MS? Fatigue is at the top of my list, followed by difficulty walking. Now, COVID-19 plus gray, winter weather have added a bit of depression. So,…
December 2, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Aubagio Slows Grey Matter, Whole Brain Atrophy in CIS, Study Finds Studied for the first time,Ā Aubagio (teriflunomide) slowed the loss of cortical grey matter and whole-brain volume in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) during two years of therapy, a study found. The treatment was especially effective in those without brain lesions before treatment.
October 19, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Mayzent in the UK, Aubagio and Other DMTs, Unemployment Mayzent Approved for Active SPMS Patients in England and Wales This is great news for people with MS in England and Wales. Mayzent (siponimod) is a needed weapon in the MS battle. It is approved for use in active cases of secondary progressive MS (SPMS), while most other disease-modifying…
October 14, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Aubagio’s Long-term Benefits Not Influenced by Prior Treatments, Review Finds Prior treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) does not affect the long-term benefits of Aubagio (teriflunomide) in treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review study. The study, “Prior treatment status: impact on the efficacy and safety of teriflunomide in multiple sclerosis,”…
September 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Long-term Aubagio Use Seen to Lower Relapse Risk for Children Continuous treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) can safely lower the risk of relapses and disability progression in children with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to interim data from the open-label extension of a Phase 3 trial. These findings were detailed at MSVirtual2020 by Tanuja Chitnis, MD,…
September 10, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Ponesimod Superior to Aubagio in Delaying Disability Progression in Relapsing MS, Trial Data Show Janssen Pharmaceuticalsā investigational oral therapy ponesimod is superior to Sanofiās Aubagio (teriflunomide) in delaying disability progression in adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to exploratory analyses of OPTIMUM clinical trial data. These and other findings from Janssenās MS research program, including on the health…
August 21, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS FDA Approves Kesimpta, B-cell Targeting Therapy for Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novartis‘ Kesimpta (ofatumumab) as a self-administered treatment for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), meaning those withĀ clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS). According to Novartis,…
August 17, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ofatumumab, Aubagio, Oral DMTs, PoNS Device Ofatumumab Seen as Superior to Aubagio at Lowering Relapse Rates in Phase 3 Trials Ofatumumab is a cancer medication that’s awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency to treat MS patients. It’s delivered by injection once a month and aims to reduce…
August 12, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Aubagio Shows Long-term Safety, Efficacy in Relapsing MS Extension Study AubagioĀ (teriflunomide), taken as a 14 mg tablet once a day, shows long-term safety and efficacy in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results of the Phase 3 TOWER extension study. Treatment was generally well tolerated by the 751 patients using Aubagio for a median…
August 10, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD 1 in 5 MS Patients Don’t Adhere to Daily Oral DMTs, Real-world Study Finds About 20%, or 1 in 5,Ā multiple sclerosis (MS) patients fail to adhere to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) taken each day, and about 1 in 4 stop using a prescribed daily oral treatment within one year, a study based on reported real-world use found. The study āReal-world adherence to,…
August 7, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ofatumumab Seen as Superior to Aubagio at Lowering Relapse Rates in Phase 3 Trials Novartis‘ ofatumumab outperformedĀ Aubagio (teriflunomide) at lowering the frequency of relapses and preventing disability progression among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study based on clinical trial data reports. The study, “Ofatumumab versus Teriflunomide in Multiple Sclerosis,” was published in…
June 16, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Aubagio Safely Used by 5 MS Patients With Active COVID-19 Infection Five people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who tested positive for COVID-19Ā whileĀ being treated with Aubagio (teriflunomide)Ā Ā all developed a mild infection, had good outcomes, and experienced no disease relapses, a case study reported. These findings suggest that use of Aubagio, a disease-modifying therapy that acts on the immune system,…
May 29, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Ofatumumab Lowers B-cell Counts and Helps Relapsing MS Patients Reach NEDA, Data Show Ofatumumab (OMB157) elicits a strong and fast reduction in the levels of circulating immune cells in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), effectively helping to stop disease activity, according to new data from the Phase 2 APLIOS trial. The medication was also found to be more…
April 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Use Still Growing in Europe But Challenges on Horizon, Spherix Reports Prescriptions ofĀ RocheāsĀ OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients initiating or switching aĀ disease-modifying therapy (DMT) continue to rise in Europe, according toĀ a surveyĀ conducted byĀ Spherix Global Insights. Ocrevus, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody administered directly into a vein,Ā was approved in the European UnionĀ to treat active forms…
March 20, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Janssen Seeks FDA Approval for Oral Ponesimod for Treating Relapsing MS Janssen has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for ponesimodĀ to be approved as an oral treatment for adults with relapsingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). Ponesimod, formerly ACT-128800, is an experimental treatment that targets the proteinĀ sphingosine-1-phosphate…
March 12, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ponesimod, Up for Approval, Shows ‘Clear Superiority’ Over Aubagio, Janssen Exec Says PonesimodĀ may soon be a new oral therapy for people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in Europe, and a filing for its approval in the U.S. is likely within weeks. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, its developer,Ā submitted an applicationĀ to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) inĀ early March, a first ponesimod filing…
December 20, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Who’s Willing to Accept More DMT Risk, You or Your Neuro? As more high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are being made available, people with multiple sclerosis have to decide how much risk they’re willing to accept in exchange for the treatment’s potential benefits. It’s a tough decision not made any easier if a patient’s neurologist is unwilling to accept much risk.
October 15, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Immunic Therapeutics Fully Enrolls Phase 2 Trial of Oral IMU-838, Potential RRMS Treatment Immunic TherapeuticsĀ announced that a Phase 2 clinical trial of IMU-838, its experimental oral therapyĀ forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), is fully enrolled ahead of schedule. The trial, called EMPhASIS, also exceeded its target number of participants: Immunic set an initial recruitment goal of 195 patients by mid-2020, and enrolled 210…
September 18, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 ā Ponesimod Superior to Aubagio in Relapsing MS, OPTIMUM Trial Shows Actelion‘s ponesimod, an investigational oral treatment, is superior to Sanofi‘s Aubagio (teriflunomide) in lessening the frequency of relapses and easing fatigue symptoms in adults with active, relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), results of the OPTIMUM trial show. These data will lay the ground for submissions…
September 18, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Data Shows Ublituximab’s Long-term Safety in Relapsing MS, TG Therapeutics Announced Ublituximab continues to be safe and well-tolerated by people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) after a median follow-up of 124.7 weeks ā more than 2 years ā according to data from an extension Phase 2 trial. The data were shown in a…
September 17, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 ā Ofatumumab Superior to Aubagio in Lowering Relapse Rates and Lesions, Data Show Monthly under-the-skin injections of ofatumumab are superior to AubagioĀ (teriflunomide) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), leading to over 50% reduction in relapse rates, and more than a 90% reduction in active brain lesions, compared with Aubagio, results from ASCLEPIOS I…