Disease modifying therapies (DMT)

I was in Boston last week at the headquarters of Sanofi Genzyme. Yes, the big drug company. They brought together several people they consider to be “digital influencers” to pick their brains about what’s on the minds of people like you, who read what we write. Sanofi…

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…

Already an approved treatment for relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is still undergoing scrutiny in several clinical trials. Most focus on the drug’s effects in specific patient groups, but one study aims to advance understanding of how Ocrevus works to harness disease. To do so, the open-label Phase 3…

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. Acne Therapy Reduces Rate of Multiple Sclerosis Progression, Canadian Study Reports At first glance, the headlines about this drug announced what seemed to be…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a supplemental biologics license application for two Bayer products that help multiple sclerosis patients keep track of their injections of Betaseron (interferon beta-1b). The products are the myBETAapp and the Betaconnect Navigator software. A biologics license application is a request for permission to market…

Older patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) as well as older relapsing patients whose MS has been inactive after five years may safely discontinue their treatments, Canadian researchers at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia argue. Their Sanofi Genzyme-sponsored study, “When Should Disease-Modifying Treatments Be Discontinued in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: An…

A real-world medical-facilities setting has confirmed clinical trial findings that Gilenya (fingolimod) can reduce multiple sclerosis relapses, according to a Spanish study published in Plos One. Gilenya, developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, was the first oral disease-modifying therapy to obtain U.S. and European approval. The Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency authorized…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are largely moving away from injectable drugs and towards oral treatments when they switch from first to second-line MS therapies. But that might change with the introduction of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which has become the drug of choice for many neurologists advising patients on drug switches. The real-world analysis by…

Two studies that recently appeared in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal shed light on how contraceptive use may affect women with MS, as well as how the disease might affect the safety and effectiveness of birth-control medications. Relapsing MS patients treated with older drugs such as interferons and Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) have a…

A multiple sclerosis (MS) trial now underway in Colorado is assessing the safety and tolerability of switching from Rituxan (rituximab) to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and its lead investigator, Dr. Timothy L. Vollmer, largely expects no problems. The neurologist believes the two Genentech therapies — both antibody-based drugs that target the CD20 molecule on B-cells —…

I knew it was only a matter of time before my MS neurologist would have MS PATHS available to collect clinical data from people who have agreed to participate. MS PATHS is an information- and biological sample-gathering clinical study from Biogen, the leading manufacturer of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying…

Many life-affecting decisions are made at the time of an MS diagnosis. Top of the list? The moment you decide your course of treatment. In my case, the decision was entirely up to me. This isn’t typical, I’ve discovered. Many people with MS aren’t…

Real-world data of treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Tysabri (natalizumab) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients suggest that treatment at early disease stages improves outcomes and prevents disability development. The studies, presented by Biogen at the American Academy of Neurology 2017 Annual Meeting in Boston, might challenge the…

The American Academy of Neurology‘s (AAN) 2017 annual meeting will bring together physicians who practice in all areas of neurology, including our own multiple sclerosis (MS) specialists. In a recent interview with Anthony Traboulsee, MD, associate professor and research chair of the MS Society of…

The latest results on Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Tysabri (natalizumab) use in a clinical practice setting suggest that early treatment can improve outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This and other recent data on Tecfidera and Tysabri for the treatment of MS will be presented by Biogen at the…

It’s been less than a month since Ocrevus was approved by the FDA, and the buzz hasn’t died down. Though there is some trepidation, the MS community is incredibly excited about what the new “game-changing” medication can do for patients all across the country. Here are just a few…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who used the RebiSmart (Merck Serono) device to inject themselves with interferon beta-1a (INF β-1a) did an excellent job of sticking to their treatment timetable without skipping treatments, according to a study. They also had a lower annual disease relapse rate and more relapse-free periods,…

With last month’s approval of the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus, I’ve again heard the plea “But how can I afford it?” Ocrevus carries a price tag of about $65,000 a year. That’s not high compared to some other MS drugs, but it still can mean a higher…

Ampyra (dalfampridine) shows long-term efficacy in improving walking ability in people with multiple sclerosis, according to a study evaluating the treatment’s use in progressive and relapsing MS patients over two years. The study, “Monitoring long-term efficacy of fampridine in gait-impaired patients with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the…

There was much fanfare when the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) finally was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week. Perhaps a little too much fanfare? For example, a story broadcast on the NBC Nightly News focused on a woman, apparently a participant in an…

A prominent neurologist, who was involved in early research into B-cell therapy, tells Multiple Sclerosis News Today about his positive experience of using ocrelizumab, now branded Ocrevus, with patients. Michael Racke, MD, Department of Neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center took time to talk with me about…

Ocrevus is a “fabulous” drug that does wonders for those who respond to it. That’s the view of an MS nurse practitioner in Florida, with whom I spoke this week. Tricia Pagnotta works at the Multiple Sclerosis…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), now approved for both relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), is expected to become available in the coming week. While patients and neurologists are waiting, Multiple Sclerosis News Today spoke to Genentech about the treatment’s approval, future research plans, and what patients can expect in terms…

“Is the MS drug news good for u?” my friend’s text asked. It was Wednesday morning, March 29. Genentech had just announced  that Ocrevus, the “First and only approved disease-modifying therapy for primary progressive form of multiple sclerosis (PPMS) – one of the most disabling forms of…

Here is a transcript of the Multiple Sclerosis News Today interview about Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) with Dr. Robert Lisak of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC). Lisak, a professor of neurology and of immunology and microbiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, is a former…

Interest in  Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the first FDA-approved treatment for both relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis, is running high among patients and the organization representing them — as, arguably, are expectations of its use. But how do physicians involved in MS care view the newcomer? Dr. Robert Lisak (Photo courtesy…

History has been made because of a major breakthrough for multiple sclerosis sufferers everywhere. Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), by Genentech, has been finally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is the first drug treatment that includes my type of MS, primary progressive. This is what I’ve…

Diplomat Pharmacy, the largest independent specialty pharmacy in the U.S., has been selected to dispense Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a limited-distribution drug, to people with relapsing  and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Ocrevus was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 28, becoming the first therapy approved for both RMS and…

At long last, and for the first time in medical history, people with both relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis have reason to celebrate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)  as a disease-modifying therapy for both forms of MS, a chronic autoimmune disease.

Twenty years ago, the idea that B-cell depletion could treat multiple sclerosis would have been greeted with a hearty laugh by any well-respected neurologist or MS researcher — or perhaps a scoff. But times change and research advances. Today, a medicine that gets rid of certain B-cells may be the most powerful drug yet developed against…