September 20, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Gilenya Study Shows Long-term Benefits for MS Patients NovartisĀ recently announced positive results from the ACROSS study, which is assessing the clinical effect of Gilenya (fingolimod) in 10-year disability outcomes in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The results were presented at theĀ European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple SclerosisĀ (ECTRIMS) Sept. 14-17 in London. The ACROSS study…
September 20, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Lemtrada and Tysabri Seen as Most Effective Therapies for MS in 5-Year Study A five-year study comparing theĀ efficacy of different treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) foundĀ that, in general, Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Tysabri (natalizumab) are more effective asĀ therapies than Gilenya (fingolimod) and interferon Ī². StudyĀ results were presentedĀ in an oral presentation, āComparison of 5-year treatment outcomes between alemtuzumab versus natalizumab, fingolimod and interferon Ī²-1a,ā…
September 20, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Laugh with TV Ads that “Get” Disabilities You don’t see people with disabilities very often in television ads.Ā And when you do, the person with the handicap is usually playing a secondary role or the ad uses the disabled person for an emotional appeal.Ā It’s not real-life.Ā It’s not us. So, a tip of my hat to…
September 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Antioxidant Lipoic Acid Appears to Slow SPMS Patients’ Neurodegeneration A pilot study exploring the antioxidant lipoic acid in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) demonstrated that treatment for two years reduced the speed of brain tissue loss and improved the patients’ walking speed. The surprising finding was presented during the āNew directions in progressive MS researchā…
September 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Biogen and AbbVie Present New Positive Data on Zinbryta to Treat Relapsing MS BiogenĀ andĀ AbbVieĀ presented positive new post-hoc analysis from the pivotal DECIDE clinical trial, whichĀ showed that a significantly larger number of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) patients treated with Zinbryta (daclizumab) hadĀ no evidence of disease activity (NEDA)Ā compared to thoseĀ treated with Avonex (interferon beta-1a).Ā The data wereĀ given at the recentĀ 32nd Congress of the European…
September 16, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Stem Cell Transplantation Shows High Efficiency A high fraction of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who underwent a transplant with their own bone marrow stem cells after immunosupression therapy, show no signs of disease activity after treatment, according to a new study. The results were presented inĀ a talk, āClinical experience in aggressive multiple sclerosis treatment with…
September 16, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Eye Imaging Tools May Help Predict 5- or 10-Year MS Disability Two presentations at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) 2016 Congress,Ā now underwayĀ in London, underscored the value of measures of neurodegeneration in the eye in predicting a patient’s futureĀ disability. Peter Calabresi with theĀ Johns Hopkins School of MedicineĀ opened the session with the presentation,Ā āTools for…
August 31, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Lifestyle May Impact MS Disability, Study Suggests Previous studies have pointed toward certain lifestyle factors such as nutrition, sedentary behavior, and stress as possible key determinants in multiple sclerosis (MS) progression but few studies have been dedicated to learning more about theĀ impact of lifestyle risk factors on patient disability and disease progression. AĀ recent study supports the…
August 23, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Video Series Helps to Guide MS Patients in US with Legal and Planning Issues A new video series for multiple sclerosis patients in the U.S. looks to help them better understand the complex legal and planning issues they face. The series, put together by theĀ National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)Ā andĀ Stetson University College of Law,Ā in consultation withĀ theĀ National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is…
July 13, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Side Effects and Convenience of MS Therapies Seen to Determine Patients’ Adherence to Them Despite the existence of several disease-modifying drugs for peopleĀ with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), patients’ satisfaction plays a critical role in their adherence to treatment. ImprovingĀ adherence should be a major concernĀ in the clinicĀ to prevent patients from evolving to more debilitating stages of the disease. AĀ team of researchers in Germany reportĀ that side…
June 27, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vitamin D Levels Seen to Predict Relapse Rates Only in Younger MS Patients A retrospective study of vitamin DĀ status andĀ disabilityĀ progression in multiple sclerosis patients āĀ using real-life, clinical data from a large and varied group ā found no Ā correlation between the two, althoughĀ vitamin D levels may predict the occurrence ofĀ relapses in some patients. But these findingsĀ may haveĀ beenĀ limited by the lower doses of daily vitamin…
June 24, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Study Finds PoNS Neurostimulator Plus Physical Therapy of Benefit to Advanced MS Patients Helius Medical Technologies announced results of a pilot study, demonstrating the benefits ofĀ PoNS Therapy ā aĀ combination of the investigational Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device with physical therapy ā in patients with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the treatmentĀ was seen to improve both patients’ quality of life, andĀ physical and…
June 7, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD #CMSC16 – Fingolimod (Gilenya) Offers Consistent Health Benefits in Relapsing-Remitting MS Patients Researchers at the Swedish Neuroscience InstituteĀ inĀ Washington and Novartis Pharma revealed that Gilenya (fingolimod) induced a consistent and significant reduction in disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The results wereĀ recently presented at the June 1-4Ā Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC16 – MS Patients at Higher Risk for Loneliness, Study Shows Researchers who looked atĀ manifestations of lonelinessĀ found that the burden of loneliness is much higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients when compared to healthy people. The study, āLoneliness in Multiple Sclerosis: Putative Antecedents and Manifestations,ā was recently presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā June…
June 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – Study of PPMS Patient Characteristics Highlights Need for More Information PeopleĀ with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)Ā are usually older and more disabled than thoseĀ withĀ relapsing-remitting MS, researchers atĀ Washington UniversityĀ reported. The team is studying demographic and clinical characteristics of PPMS patients enrolled in theĀ NARCOMSĀ registry, to better understand their unmet needs and possibly improve research into potential treatments. The study, ā…
May 13, 2016 News by Ćzge Ćzkaya, PhD Fatigue in MS Patients Can Cause Depression and Impair Life Quality, Regardless of Disability A new study suggests a strong association in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients between high levels of fatigue and mental health, quality of life (QoL), and the ability to move about and participate in daily activities, althoughĀ disability is not related to fatigue levels. Ā These findings are of importance and highlight the…
April 20, 2016 News by admin Biogen Releases New Data Showing Effectiveness of Tecfidera in Newly Diagnosed MS Patients at AAN 2016 BiogenĀ reported new data describing the effectiveness of TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate) in newly diagnosed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients in a recent presentation at the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The conference, taking placeĀ in Vancouver, Canada, runs through April 21. Tecfidera is an…
April 19, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Promising Phase 1 Trial Results of Stem Cell Therapy in Progressive MS Patients Being Presented at AAN Meeting Potentially groundbreaking research byĀ the Tisch Multiple Sclerosis Research Center of New YorkĀ (MSRCNY) will be presented on April 19 at the 68thĀ American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual MeetingĀ taking place in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Saud A. Sadiq, director and chief research scientist at the Tisch center, will present results of a…
April 13, 2016 News by admin Study Associates Obesity in Youth, Low Vitamin D Levels with MS Onset and Progression A systematic review of existing medical literature on multiple sclerosis (MS) could shed light on MS causes and predictors for diseaseĀ progression, and on lifestyle changes ā ranging from vitamin D intake to weight loss ā that might reduce a person’s risk. The report,Ā “Factors associated with onset, relapses…
April 13, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Urinary Tract Symptoms Found to Affect 70% of MS Patients in Study and Contribute to Disability Urinary tract symptoms affect a large proportion of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet their extent and type is not well-known. A study reported that among a cohort of people with the disease, almost 70 percent had urinary tract problems, adding to the extent of their disability. The study,…
March 30, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) Seen to Slow Disease Progression by Targeting Key Brain Systems Several clinical trials have shown thatĀ alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) effectively reduces relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and improves disability in the early stages of the disease. A new studyĀ adds to evidence of the drug’s efficiency by finding that it affects different aspects of disability to varying degrees, a finding…
March 28, 2016 News by admin MS Lesions in Cerebellum Ably Predict Disability Levels and Disease Progression, Study Suggests DamageĀ toĀ the cerebellum in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is due moreĀ to the death of actual nerve cellsĀ thanĀ the destruction of white matter connections, a new study out of Italy suggests. The article, which challenges previous ideas about how brain damage in MSĀ occurs, is titledĀ “MRI-detectable cortical lesions in the…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Should RRMS Disease-Modifying Drugs Be Used to Treat Secondary Progressive MS? A majorĀ dilemma facing clinicians is whether to continue treatment withĀ disease-modifying drugs, effective in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), as the disease progresses to secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In SPMS, Ā these treatments seem to lose their benefits and ā as they areĀ often associated with severe side effects and high costs ā clinicians…
March 9, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Damage to Nerve Synapses in MS Mouse Model Found to Be Unrelated to Myelin Destruction ResearchersĀ found that nerve cell connections in the brain, called synapses, wereĀ damaged in aĀ mouse model ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) through a process wholly unrelated toĀ myelin destruction. As the damaged mice synapses studied were inĀ regions crucial for memory processing, findingĀ ways of protecting these neurons would be a crucial step toward developing a…
March 8, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Foundation MS Researcher Awarded $70,000 Fellowship to Investigate Cognitive Function Silvana L. Costa, PhD fromĀ the Kessler Foundation,Ā wasĀ recently awarded a Switzer Research Fellowship by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Dr. Costa is a Hearst Fellow in Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research at Kessler, where she investigates cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS). The Merit Fellowship,…
March 1, 2016 News by admin MS Progression Apparently Not Affected by Number of Pregnancies, Study Reports New long-term research indicates that having multiple children does not lessen or otherwise impact disability in women with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā The study, titled “Offspring Number Does Not Influence Reaching the Disabilityās Milestones in Multiple Sclerosis: A Seven-Year Follow-Up Study,“Ā was published in The International Journal…
February 29, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Gait Analysis Identifies 2 New and Highly Sensitive Markers of Disability and Fatigue Researchers analyzingĀ gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) usingĀ wearable inertial sensors have established two newĀ and highlyĀ sensitive observer-independent measures of disability that strongly correlate with fatigue and patient-perceived health status. Their article, titled āDisability and Fatigue Can Be Objectively Measured in Multiple Sclerosis,ā was published in the journal PLOS…
February 17, 2016 News by admin MS Patients’ Likely Response to Interferon-Ī² May Be Evident in a Blood Biomarker A new study underscoresĀ the variability of immune responses in different people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and suggests this heterogenityĀ affects responsesĀ to the commonly prescribed MS medication interferon-Ī², but blood biomarkers may exist that can help to determine those most likely to benefit from such treatment. The study,Ā “Cytokine profiles…
February 11, 2016 News by Charles Moore Assess MS: a New Therapy Assessment Tool Developed by Microsoft – Novartis Collaboration When Microsoft rolled out its original Kinect system for playing Xbox video games in November 2010, the technology caught the eye of giant multinational healthcare company Novartis. A longstanding research challenge for Novartis has been to devise and design more consistent methods of quantifying whether multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments…
January 25, 2016 News by admin Some Forms of MS Might Be Treatable with Hematopoietic Stem Cells Clinical trials suggestĀ that hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), a common treatment for bone marrow and blood cancers, could also help people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The technique involves harvesting new, undeveloped blood or bone marrow (hematopoietic) cells, typically from the person affected with the disease (autologous). The goal is to…