May 30, 2017 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD ‘Disabled? You Seem Perfectly Fine to Me!’ The casual remark, “You seem perfectly fine to me!”Ā bothers me (and others) becauseĀ eligibility forĀ Social Security Disability benefits requires proving we are not fine. In fact, we must prove that we are disabled, which is no small burden when we “seem perfectly fine.” ‘Looking’ disabled An acquaintance of mine…
May 22, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Real-world Spanish Study Confirms Gilenya’s Ability to Reduce Multiple Sclerosis Relapses A real-world medical-facilities setting has confirmed clinical trial findings thatĀ GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) can reduce multiple sclerosis relapses, according to a Spanish study published inĀ Plos One. Gilenya, developed byĀ Novartis Pharmaceuticals,Ā was the first oral disease-modifying therapy to obtain U.S. and European approval. TheĀ Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency authorized…
May 19, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Phase 3 Study of High-Dose Biotin, MD1003, in Treating Primary and Secondary MS Patients Underway A Phase 3 clinical trial has been launched by MedDay Pharmaceuticals to investigate whether treatment with high-dose biotin (MD1003) may easeĀ disability and improve mobility in non-relapsing primary or secondary progressive MS patients. The study is recruiting participants across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Biotin is a form of…
May 12, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Loss of Spinal Cord Neurons May Not Be a Good Predictor of MS Disability, British Study Finds Loss of spinal cord neurons may not be a reliable tool to predict disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), contrary to what was originally thought, according toĀ researchers at Queen Mary University of London. Their study, āAxonal loss in the multiple sclerosis spinal cord revisited,ā appeared in the journal…
May 9, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MedDay’s New Phase 3 Trial and Belief in Biotin’s Potential to Treat Progressive MS: An Interview with Dr. FrĆ©dĆ©ric Sedel A global Phase 3 clinical trial assessingĀ MD1003 ā also known as high-dose biotin ā for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) might lead to the approval of one of the first treatmentsĀ helping selectĀ progressive patients to improve. The trial aims to prove that high-dose biotin can reverse disability in non-active progressive MS.
May 8, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD United Spinal’s ‘Roll on Capitol Hill’ to Push for Better Access to Complex Rehab Technology People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and others with spinal cord injuries and disorders will speak at theĀ United Spinal Association’sĀ upcoming 6thĀ AnnualĀ Roll on Capitol Hill, which takes place June 11-14 inĀ Washington, D.C. Andrea Dalzell, Ms. WheelchairĀ New YorkĀ 2015, will be among those advocating for greater access to complex rehabilitation technology.
May 5, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Burden of Multiple Sclerosis Relapses Is Underappreciated, Study Says The burden of moderate-to-severe relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is underappreciated, according to a study sponsored by the pharmaceutical companyĀ Mallinckrodt. Researchers discussed the findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th annual meeting in Boston, April 22-28. The title of the presentation was āThe Economic Burden Of…
May 2, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Remyelination Candidate Opicinumab Failed in Phase 2 Trial in MS, But Biogen Won’t Give Up Although a Phase 2b trial of the remyelination drug candidate opicinumabĀ (also known as anti-LINGO-1 and BIIB033) failed to meet its primary goal of improving disability in relapsing and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers believe the drug did cause āfairly strongā improvements. The trial evaluated four doses of the…
March 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ocrevus’ Journey from Defiant Idea to Game-Changing Treatment Twenty years ago, the idea that B-cell depletion could treat multiple sclerosisĀ would have been greeted with a hearty laughĀ byĀ any well-respected neurologist or MS researcher ā or perhapsĀ a scoff. But times change and research advances. Today, a medicine that gets rid of certain B-cells may beĀ the most powerful drug yetĀ developed against…
March 7, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Older SPMS Patients More Likely to Suffer from Fatigue, Limited Leg Function, Study Says People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS)Ā are more likely to feel exhausted and haveĀ limited leg function than those without progressive MS as they age, a preliminary study suggests. The findings will be presented atĀ the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 69th Annual Meeting, set for April 22-28 in Boston.
February 27, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Smoking Significantly Worsens Quality of Life for MS Patients, Study Shows Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who smokeĀ have a significantly worse quality of life than non-smoking MS patients, concludes a new study. Researchers presented the study,Ā āSmokers with MS have greater decrements in quality of life and disability than non-smokers,ā at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in…
February 24, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Sun Exposure May Lower Fatigue, Slow Disability Progression in MS Spending more time in the sunshineĀ could make people with multiple sclerosis (MS) feel more energetic, though dietary vitamin D intake’s effect is mixed, depending on what type of MS a particular patient has. That’s the conclusion of a study āĀ “Dietary intakes of vitamin D, sunshine exposure, EDSS and fatigue…
February 23, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Lemtrada Maintains Durable Positive Effects in MS Without Additional Treatment Two Phase 3 clinical trials investigating the long-term effects of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed the drug maintained improved outcomes, even in the absence of further treatment. Both studies were presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum, held…
February 23, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – No Evidence of Progression More Likely Among PPMS Patients on Ocrevus Genentechās Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) increased the proportion of patients with no evidence of progression (NEP) in the recently concluded ORATORIO Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). The evaluation of NEPĀ ā a combined measure of three disability assessments ā was a secondary exploratory endpoint of…
February 22, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Apitope’s ATX-MS-1468 Therapy Decreases Brain Lesions in Relapsing MS Patients Treatment with Apitopeās lead agent, ATX-MS-1467, decreased brain lesions in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in a now-completed Phase 2aĀ clinical trial. ATX-MS-1467 is a potential disease-modifying agent with anĀ immune-tolerating action. It consists of four short peptides derived from the myelin basic protein, and is designed to reduce…
February 20, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ozanimod Reduces Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Rate, Phase 3 Trial Shows A Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of ozanimod (RPC-1063) in patients withĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS)Ā shows treatment reduced the disease’s annualized relapse rate (ARR), researchers reported. The Phase 3 SUNBEAM trial (NCT02294058)Ā testedĀ ozanimod, anĀ oral, selective sphingosine 1-phosphate 1 (S1PR1) and 5 (S1PR5) receptor modulator designed to…
February 14, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cladribine Tablets Reduce Brain Atrophy in MS Patients, Merck Study Finds EMD SorenoĀ has recently published Phase 3 clinical data showing that CladribineĀ tablets reduced the annualized rate of brain volume loss (BVL, brain atrophy) compared toĀ placebo in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study, āReduced brain atrophy rates are associated with lower risk of disability progression…
February 3, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Clinical Trial Supports Stem Cell Transplants to Treat RMS Patients with High Disease Activity A newly concluded clinical trialĀ gives scientificĀ evidence of the benefits that a stem cell transplantĀ holds forĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who fail to respond toĀ medicationsĀ ā withĀ researchers calling the procedureĀ a reasonable option for thoseĀ with high disease activity. Five years after the treatment ā high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed byĀ autologous hematopoietic cell transplant ā furtherĀ disease…
January 17, 2017 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD Like the ADA, the ABLE Act Has Significant Potential When the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, there seemingly were as many opponents as there were proponents. All these years later, the standards and expectations of that landmark legislation have become second-nature in mainstream America. Concerns about costs and consequences were…
January 11, 2017 Columns by Judy Lynn Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies Can Help You Find and Keep a Job At the time of my MS diagnosis I was a full-time graduate student with plans to obtain a joint Masters of Public Administration/Juris Doctor degree. After six years as a stay-at-home mom and military spouse, I was anxious to complete this next stage of my education and return to…
January 11, 2017 Columns by Cathy Chester Speak Up, Truthfully, About ‘Unseen’ But Real MS Symptoms When thinking about multiple sclerosis (MS), itās important to remember there are four distinct types of the disease. Most of you well know this, so Iāll just mention them here: relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS); secondary progressive MS; primary progressive MS, and clinically isolated syndrome. (Anyone needing or wishing more information…
January 6, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cyclophosphamide May Delay Disability in Secondary Progressive MS, but Tolerability Is an Issue, Study Shows Cyclophosphamide (CPM) may delay the progression of disability in the first years of secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS), but patients must take it for two years — and many are unlikely to tolerate it for that long. The study, āDouble-Blind Controlled Randomized Trial of Cyclophosphamide versus Methylprednisolone in Secondary Progressive…
January 3, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ocrevus Seen in Phase 3 Trials to Benefit Both Primary Progressive and Relapsing MS Patients Recently published data from three Phase 3 trials of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) show that the investigational drug does what no other therapy has achieved so far ā working to prevent disease in both relapsing and primary progressive (PP) forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Publications in the New England Journal…
November 11, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Ampyra/Fampyra for MS Patients ‘Not Recommended’ by NHS Scotland Despite recent studies showing that treatment with Ampyra (Fampyra in Europe; fampridine) improves both walking speed and ability, and offers psychological benefits to patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)Ā recently decided to not recommend the drug for use on the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland.
November 9, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD UK Announces New Employment Support Package for Health-Disabled People The British government announced on Oct. 31 that a new Personal Support Package will be available for people with health disabilities, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), ensuring theyĀ receive personalized health and employment support. A Green Paper ā a government document for consultation ā is available online to open…
November 3, 2016 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD ABLE Accounts: Comparing Plans in 3 States Open to All ABLE AccountsĀ and Amendments In my previous column, I introduced the exciting new program for people with disabilities, called the ABLE Act (Achieving a Better Life Experience Act). The final bill, signed into law in 2014, deviated substantially from the original proposal and that needs to…
October 20, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD RedHill Awaits Patent for RHB-104, Potential MS Treatment, from Japan RedHill BiopharmaĀ recentlyĀ announcedĀ that it hasĀ received a Notice of Allowance from theĀ Japan Patent Office for a new patent coveringĀ RHB-104 as a potentialĀ treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā Once granted, the patent will be valid until 2032. The European Patent Office also recently approvedĀ a patent application for the drug with this…
October 17, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lemtrada Seen to Help Reverse MS Disability in People in Earlier Stages of Disease Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) was seen to help reverse disability among patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in relatively early stages of the disease, researchers report. The study, āAlemtuzumab improves preexisting disability in active relapsing-remitting MS patients,ā published in the journal Neurology, supports the idea that treatment…
October 12, 2016 Columns by Patricia Silva, PhD The ABLE Act: A Tax-free Benefit for People with MS That Could Be Better Disability from multiple sclerosis develops, on average, within 10Ā years of diagnosis. Financial catastrophe was often the consequence, until Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act) ā signed into law on Dec. 19, 2014, by President Obama. This act allows you or anyone to…
September 23, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Primary Progressive MS Patients May Soon Have Ocrevus as Treatment Results from the ORATORIO trial, exploring Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for the treatment of primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), showed that the drug stopped disease progression for more than two years in more patients than a placebo. The findings, a highlight at the European Committee for Treatment and Research…