August 22, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: PBA, Pregnancy, Interferon-beta, Pediatric MS Test Early Detection of Pseudobulbar Affect May Help Ease MS Symptom I often see posts on social media from people with MS asking if crying for no reason is an MS symptom, because it happens to them. I didn’t know that apparently, it is. Laughing, too. This report says…
March 31, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Most Patients Adhere to Betaseron Therapy Over 1 Year, App Data Show Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with Betaseron (interferon beta-1b) had over 90% treatment compliance ā the percentage of doses administered ā over one year, according to a study of data collected by the BETACONNECT autoinjector and the myBETAapp. After one year, the number of patients still using Betaseron…
February 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Self-injectable Therapies Tied to No Disease in 50% of Patients at 2 Years More than half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with self-injectable therapies ā namely, glatiramer acetate, marketed as Copaxone, among others, or any of a host of interferons ā showed no evidence of disease activity after two years, according to a study out of Turkey. Among patients treated for…
April 3, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Headache a Common Side Effect of Interferon-beta Treatment, Study Finds New or worsening headaches are a more common side effect of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) treatment in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) than previously appreciated, a new study suggests. The study, “Interferon-Beta-Induced Headache in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Frequency and Characterization,” was published in theĀ Journal of Pain Research.
August 30, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Another Study Shows That Costs of Disease-modifying Therapies Are Zooming It probably comes as no surprise to you that the costs of some of the most popular MS medications have been soaring. A new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reports that their list prices have more than quadrupled in a decade. And out-of-pocket costs rose even more.
March 20, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Beta-interferons Extend Survival of Relapsing MS Patients, Study Reports Treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) with beta-interferon therapies is associated with extended patient survival, particularly if taking such treatments for more than three years, according to a real-world study in Canada and France. The study, āMultiple sclerosis: effect of beta interferon treatment on survival,ā was…
August 29, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Poor Sleep Common in MS, Linked to Fatigue, Depression, and Anxiety, Study Reports Poor sleep quality is very common among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and is associated with a lower quality of life, and greater fatigue, depression and anxiety, according to a real-world study in patients treated with Betaferon (interferon beta-1b). The study, ā…
May 9, 2018 Columns by Cathy Chester The Agony of Decision-making when It’s Time to Switch MS Medications Iām agonizing over an important decision and it’s driving me crazy. Iām usually a quick decision-maker, but this one is tough. I have my analytical hat on, trying to look at my choices from a scientific standpoint. Unfortunately, my anxiety kicks in, and my hat…
February 27, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias What’s Hot and What’s Not Among MS Therapies? The newest kids on the MS block, disease-modifying therapies (DMT) such as Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Sanofi Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), are attracting a lot of interest these days. But, some DMTs that have been around for more than two decades are still being prescribed by a lot of neurologists.
February 13, 2018 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Bayer Introduces Self-injecting Device to Help Growing Number of MS Patients in Middle East An increaseĀ in multiple sclerosisĀ cases in the Middle East and North Africa has promptedĀ BayerĀ to introduce to the region an injector that patients can use to treat themselves. Researchers have suggested that increases in the region’s cases stem from many people adopting Western lifestyles, including smoking and using sun…
December 8, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novartis’ Gilenya Improves Cognition, Reduces Relapses and MS Lesions, Phase 4 Trial Shows Ā Novartis' Gilenya and interferon beta-1b-based therapies stop multiple sclerosis patients' cognitive decline, a Phase 4 clinical trial shows. Gilenya (fingolimod) also reduces patients' relapses and the number of their brain lesions ā areas where a protein coating that protects nerve cells has deteriorated, researchers found.
June 9, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Self-Injecting Betaseron? There’s Now an App for That Have you ever hit a brick wall trying to self-inject? I have. It was with Avonex, the first DMD that I used. To make a long story short, after a couple of years of poking myself in the thigh muscle, I just couldn’t do it anymore. That’s…
December 15, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Accepts Bayer’s Supplemental BLA for myBETAapp and BETACONNECT Navigator for MS Patients The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Bayerās filing of a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for two products designed to improve the lives of people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS): myBETAapp and the BETACONNECT Navigator. Bayer created the BETACONNECT systemĀ to increase patient treatment compliance and improve…
August 19, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD MS Progression Slower in People Who Begin Betaseron Therapy at First Signs of Disease, 11-Year Study Says Relapsing multiple sclerosis patients who begin taking Betaferon/Betaseron (interferon beta-1b) immediately after the first MS-related neurologic symptoms appear mayĀ realize slower disease progression thanĀ those who delay treatment, according to aĀ study evaluating the therapy’sĀ effects over a decade in patients enrolledĀ inĀ aĀ Phase 3 clinical trial. The study, “The 11-year long-term follow-up…
August 1, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Genentech Enrolling Relapsing MS Patients in Study of Mechanism of Action for Ocrevus In addition to a new study sponsored by GenentechĀ to test the experimentalĀ MS therapyĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)Ā in RMS patients who have had a sub-optimal response to previous disease modifying therapies, the company is also currently recruiting patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis to understand the therapy’sĀ mechanism of action and B-cell biology…
July 22, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Disease Modifying Drugs Seen to Help Protect MS Patients with Benign Status from Greater Disability Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and people diagnosed with the disease at aĀ younger age are more likely to have a benign course of MS, remaining fully functional for decadesĀ after disease onset, according to researchers at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in New York. Disease modifying drugs wereĀ also found…
June 3, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD #CMSC16 – Interview with Bayer’s VP and General Manager on Betaconnect/Betaseron and Customized Therapy Global pharmaĀ Bayer HealthcareĀ aims toĀ improve human health by diagnosing, preventing, and treating a variety of diseases. The company currently provides products for general medicine, hematology, neurology, oncology, and women’s healthcare. In 1993, Bayer’s BetaseronĀ (interferon beta-1b) became the first disease-modifying drugĀ to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Ā for…
September 29, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Approves BETACONNECT Autoinjector for BETASERON Delivery Bayer HealthCare is pleased to announce the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the approval ofĀ BETACONNECT, a first-of-its-kind electronic autoinjector indicated as a treatment forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). For now, theĀ drug delivery device is only compatible with BETASERONĀ®Ā (interferon beta-1b), and will soon be available come early 2016. Ā While…
April 27, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Accepts Bayerās BETACONNECT License Application for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Bayer HealthCareĀ recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the filing of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for BETACONNECT forĀ the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). BETACONNECT isĀ a new drug delivery option for patients under Bayerās BETASERONĀ® (interferon beta-1b) therapy. MS is a…