August 11, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Rituximab More Effective Than Gilenya, Tecfidera, and Comparable to Tysabri, Study Finds Rituximab is more effective and leads to fewer treatment discontinuations in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS)Ā than Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), according to real-world data based on two years of therapy. Rituximabās effectiveness appeared to be comparable to that of Tysabri (natalizumab), but with fewer…
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 3, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Symptom Progression, Lower Urinary Symptoms, Tysabri, IL-17A Protein Study Order Seen in Motor Skills Affected by MS, With Walking Taking First Hit Read this headline carefully. It reports that walking takes the “first hit,” but that doesn’t mean it’s the first MS symptom people experience. My first symptoms involved vision, fatigue, and hand strength. But true to the…
July 27, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tysabri in Long-term Use Seen to Lessen Relapses, Stabilize Disease Tysabri (natalizumab) is effective at reducing the frequency of relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and is rarely associated with poor clinical outcomes, a real-life and multiyear observational study reports. The study, āLong-term effect of natalizumab in patients with RRMS: TYSTEN…
July 21, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Tysabri Use Can Lessen Disability in RRMS Patients, Real-world Study Reports Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) can lessen disability in people withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), a large and real-world study found, supporting “confirmed disability improvement” reported in a pivotal clinical trial. Nearly one-quarter of the 5, 384 patients enrolled, particularly those new to treatment, experienced a decrease of at least one…
July 20, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Bafiertam, for Adults With Relapsing MS, Available in US in September Banner Life Sciences announced thatĀ Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate) will become available to adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States beginning in September. The U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationĀ (FDA)Ā approved Bafiertam in April as a bioequivalent to BiogenāsĀ Tecfidera…
July 8, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Switch from Tysabri to Ocrevus Seen as Safe, Effective in RRMS Patients in Small Study Switching to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) within a relatively short period is a safe and effective option for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS) who stop treatment withĀ TysabriĀ (natalizumab), a small and retrospective analysis suggests. With a median washout period of six weeks between therapies, the 28 patients in this study…
July 6, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Wearable Sensors, COVID-19, Tecfidera PROTXX, University of Alberta Collaborate to Develop Remote Healthcare Platform for MS Patients As more and more neurologists turn to telemedicine for routine patient visits, I expect we’ll see more of the type of technology being developed here. This group is working on something that goes further than what…
July 6, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Tecfidera Safe and Effective in Hispanic/Latino MS Patients, Real-world Data Show TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate) is as safe and effective in Hispanic/LatinoĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients as it is in their non-Hispanic and non-Latino peers, three-year data from a real-world study show. These interim findings, based on the largest group of Tecfidera-treated Hispanic and Latino MS patients studied to date, support the therapyās…
June 29, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Tecfidera Safe and Effective Over Years of Use, RRMS Study Finds Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) is safe and effective as a long-term treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study of clinical trial data covering up to 11 years of treatment suggests. The study, “Safety and efficacy of delayed-release dimethyl fumarate in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis:…
June 23, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD US Court Rules in Favor of Mylan, Generic Version of Tecfidera Generic formulations of dimethyl fumarateĀ ā currently sold as Tecfidera by BiogenĀ ā were given a green light to enter the U.S. market, after a federal courtĀ invalidated a patent protecting Tecfidera from generic competition as aĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) treatment.Ā The ruling by the District Court for the…
June 15, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Myelin, Mavenclad, Online Stress Relief, Rehab Aids Note: A story mentioned in this column, āPrime Signs Agreement With EMD Serono to Improve Mavencladās Cost-benefit Value,ā was updated on June 15, 2020, to clarify that the agreement allows for possible reimbursement for Primeās health plan clients, not patients…
June 12, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Switch From Tysabri to Other DMT Raises Relapse Risk, Study Finds The risk of a relapse isĀ two to three times higher inĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā patients who switch from Tysabri (natalizumab) to an oral or other injectable…
June 9, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Biogen, MS Trust Open ‘ACT Myself’ to Help With Emotional Well-being A new digital tool aims to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) deal with the emotional burden of their diagnosis, guiding them to focus on what matters most in their lives rather than the pain of living with MS. The self-help tool, named ACT MySelf, was developed by…
May 20, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Biogen Presents Update on its MS Therapeutic Portfolio Biogen has released new data on several of its therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), including Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), and Tysabri (natalizumab). The data ā six presentations ā originally were to be presented at the 2020 annual conference of the American…
May 12, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD COVID-19 May Not Be Severe in MS Patients, Early Data from Italy Suggest People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be at higher risk of developing a severe COVID-19 infection, according to preliminary data from patients in Italy. āAt the moment, these results seem to be quite reassuring for most people with MS,ā Marco Salvetti, MD, PhD, professor at Sapienza…
April 23, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD VTS-Aspirin Combos to Ease Flush in RRMS Named Orphan Drug by FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to combinations of VTS-Aspirin plus fumarate therapy usingĀ Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) or Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate) for easing flush in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS). In the U.S., orphan drug designation is given to…
April 16, 2020 News by Mary Chapman Fampyra, Aid for Walking, Favored for Inclusion in NHS Scotland After being rejected twice in the last four years, Fampyra (fampridine; marketed as Ampyra in the U.S.) is now being recommended by the Scottish Medicines ConsortiumĀ (SMC) for use in the country’sĀ National Health System (NHS) to treat walking disabilities in adults withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). Scotland…
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…
April 13, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tysabri Shows Safety, Effectiveness in Real-world RRMS Use: 10-year TOP Data Tysabri (natalizumab) is safe and shows robust, real-world effectiveness at reducing the frequency of relapses in people Ā with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), 10 years of data from a large, observational study report. Findings were reported in āLong-term safety and effectiveness of natalizumab treatment…
April 6, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Biogen’s Plegridy or Avonex Use Possible in Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, FDA Says Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) and Avonex (interferon beta-1a), both by Biogen, may be used ā if necessary ā by women with relapsingĀ multiple sclerosisĀ who are pregnant or breastfeeding, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in updating prescribing informationĀ for these MS treatments. Due to the limited…
February 26, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Stopping Tysabri Early Tied to Active PPMS, Smoking and Depression in Patients, Study Finds The likelihood of discontinuing treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) is higher among patients with progressive relapsing multiple sclerosis, and those who smoke and are depressed, a study reported. Progressive relapsing MS (PRMS) is now largely considered a subset of primary progressive MS, or PPMS marked by periods…
February 25, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Age, Gender, Blood Glucose Affect Immune Cells’ Response to Tecfidera in RRMS Patients, Study Reports Immune cells from patients withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) respond differently to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) based on age, gender, and serum blood glucose levels, a study found.Ā The results suggest these patient-specific factors can modulate the response of immune cells, and should be…
February 24, 2020 News by David Melamed, PhD MS Patients Switching from Tysabri to Other Therapies May Risk Disease Activity Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients switching from Tysabri (natalizumab) to other disease-modifying therapies may have an increased risk of disease activity, though the risk is lower if the switch is limited to three months, a study found. The results were published in an article, “Effect of…
February 10, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Ethnic Differences in MS Evident in Antibody-secreting Cells in Blood, US Study Suggests People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who self-identify black African or Latin American have a higher number of disease-associated antibody-secreting cells in their blood compared to those who identify as Caucasian, a U.S. study reports.Ā This difference may account for disparities related to ethnicity in MS…
January 27, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NICE Approves Plegridy as RRMS Treatment Offered by NHS England The National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) in the U.K. issued its final decision, approving the inclusion of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treatĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in England within the National Health Service (NHS). This decision follows a cost-effectiveness review done in May 2018,…
January 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD MS Progression Affected by Degree of Relapse Recovery and Timing of DMT Use, Study Says Recovering well after a first relapse and starting aĀ disease-modifying therapy (DMT) immediately afterward considerably increases the likelihood of slowing progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. Its findings support relapse recovery as a critical factor for DMT initiation, and one that should be assessed routinely in MS…
December 11, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tysabri May Promote Inflammatory B-Cell Activation in MS Patients, Study Says Tysabri (natalizumab), an effective T-cell targeting treatment for multiple sclerosisĀ (MS),Ā seems to also promote the activation of pro-inflammatory immune B-cells in people with this disease, a studyĀ found. The study, “Natalizumab promotes activation and pro-inflammatory differentiation of peripheral B cells in multiple sclerosis patients,” was published in the…
November 26, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD GI Symptoms with Vumerity Fewer and Milder Than Tecfidera, Phase 3 Trial Shows Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) carries fewer and less severe gastrointestinal side effects compared toĀ TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate), new data from a Phase 3 trial directly comparing the GI tolerability of these twoĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS) treatments show. These results were presented at the 27thĀ Annual Meeting of the European Charcot Foundation,…
November 22, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Ocrevus Top Choice of US Neurologists for Active SPMS, But Mayzent and Mavenclad Gaining Interest, Report Says Genentech‘sĀ OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) continues to be the most prescribed medication to reduce inflammatory disease in people with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS) amongĀ U.S. neurologists, even though Novartis’Ā MayzentĀ (siponimod) and EMD Serono’sĀ MavencladĀ (cladribine) were approved in March to treat this same MS…