FDA

MMJ Bio Science has become the first company to obtain a Canadian license to produce medical cannabis, with the initial authorization covering products for multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease. The Health Canada license allows the company to extract cannabinoids from plants that it grows to produce therapies that will be tested in U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Celgene to add more information to its New Drug Application for ozanimod as a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Celgene said it plans to meet with FDA officials to make sure it understands exactly what new information the agency…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new dose of Sandoz’s multiple sclerosis therapy Glatopa (glatiramer acetate injection) that is twice as large as the currently authorized one. Regulators’ approval of the 40 mg/mL applies to people with relapsing forms of MS. A mg/mL designation refers to the concentration of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved technology that the Swedish company SyntheticMR developed to give doctors more information from magnetic resonance imaging scans. This means the company can begin selling its SyMRI NEURO packages to American medical facilities. Traditional MRIs offer only one level of contrast when depicting tissue. SyMRI NEURO…

American CryoStem has received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing its adipose-derived stem cell product Atcell without required regulatory approval, and for "significant deviations" from manufacturing processes that potentially raise safety concerns. The company has 15 working days to respond to the concerns raised by the agency and detail how they will be corrected, or risk "enforcement actions," the FDA said in a Jan. 4 press release. Studies suggest that mesenchymal stem cells can be used to alleviate symptoms and possibly treat several degenerative disorders, including multiple sclerosis. Atcell is a therapy based on the ability of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from adipose tissue (fatty tissue) to transform into a subset of mature cells, which include adipose cells, bone cells, and cartilage cells. Although not approved for use, Atcell is being distributed directly to physicians to treat patients affected by several life-threatening diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, and multiple sclerosis, the FDA said in its release. It is administered intravenously, intrathecally (injection or infusion into the central nervous system) or by aerosol inhalation. The product is designed to be used in the same individual (autologous use) the cells are collected from, an approach intended to reduce risk. The cells are extracted using the company’s proprietary Cellect collection system. They are then expanded in the laboratory using the company's ASCelerate SF-M serum free (animal-product free) media, providing compounds needed for the cells to survive and proliferate. Stem cells put through this process are  ready to be used as therapy or to be stored for future use. A recent FDA inspection found that Atcell’s manufacturing steps are not in line with current good manufacturing practice requirements. Specifically, the manipulation of the adipose tissue was more than "minimal," the FDA reported, changing "relevant characteristics" of the original tissue that could introduce contamination by microorganisms or product defects and represent a "risk of harm" to patients. Because of this manipulation, FDA review is required by law to ensure Atcell's safety and efficacy, the agency said. Evidence of an inadequately controlled manipulation environment, lack of control of components used in production, and insufficient and inadequately validated product testing were also reported. “The use of Atcell raises potential significant safety concerns, due in part to the fact that there is little basis on which to predict how the product will perform in a patient,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the release. “In addition, this product may also cause harm to patients who may put their trust in an unproven therapy and make the decision to delay or discontinue medical treatments proven to be safe and effective,” Marks added. American CyroStem, based in New Jersey, did respond to observations raised by the FDA at the time of its inspection. But they were found inadequate to support Atcell’s marketing, and failed to acknowledge that FDA approval was required, either by filing a biological license or investigational new drug application. “As part of our comprehensive policy framework for the efficient development and regulation of cell-based regenerative medicine, we’re going to be stepping up enforcement activities against those who manufacture and market products in ways that put patients at risk,” said Scott Gottlieb, FDA commissioner. “We see great promise from the field of cell based regenerative medicine, but there are also novel risks,” Gottlieb added. Healthcare professionals and patients who have used Atcell are asked to report any adverse events related to the treatment using the FDA’s MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form. Completed forms can be submitted online, or via fax to 1-800-FDA-0178.  

MMJ International Holdings is seeking a patent for a part-cannabinoid and part-non-cannabinoid treatment for multiple sclerosis and other diseases. The company said in a news release that it filed the patent request ahead of Phase 2 clinical trials of the formulation.  The therapy was developed by MMJ Bioscience, an affiliate of MMJ International…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated a safety bulletin about gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs), after studies raised new concerns about them. Doctors often use GBCAs to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS), monitor disease activity and verify the effectiveness of MS therapies. Gadolinium is a metal ion, or electrically charged molecule, that…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given fingolimod a Breakthrough Therapy designation as a treatment for children 10 years and older and adolescents with relapsing multiple sclerosis. Novartis is marketing it in the United States under the brand name Gilenya for adults with relapsing MS. It has yet to approved…

Be careful if you’re using high-dose biotin (vitamin B7). The biotin in your blood could lead to some false readings when you have that blood tested. The level of concern about this is high enough to warrant a warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. High doses of biotin…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) says it’s “disappointed and dismayed” after the House of Representatives voted 227-205 last week to repeal the Orphan Drug Tax Credit as part of a U.S. tax reform package. A similar package before the Senate Finance Committee does not repeal the credit…

Celgene released the results of two Phase 3 trials showing that patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who were treated with ozanimod had lower relapse rates and fewer MRI brain lesions compared to those given a current first-line therapy, Avonex (interferon β-1a). These results will be used to support a request…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved both lower and higher doses of Mylan’s generic versions of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) for relapsing multiple sclerosis. It is the first time the agency has authorized a higher-dose generic. Generic versions of the lower dose of 20 mg/mL — intended for…

Antisense Therapeutics announced that it is proceeding with a Phase 2b clinical trial of ATL1102, its lead candidate to treat multiple sclerosis, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted a clinical hold it had placed on the company’s request — in the form of a trial application or IND —…

TG Therapeutics and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have agreed on a special protocol assessment for a Phase 3 trial program evaluating TG-1101 (ublituximab) to potentially treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). A special protocol assessment (SPA) is a procedure by which the agency officially evaluates the…

The multiple sclerosis therapy Tysabri could trigger melanoma, the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR) has warned. Although its investigation failed to demonstrate that melanoma is more common among Tysabri-treated MS patients than in the general population, unusual features among the patients raise concerns about a possible link, the organization said. Contending that current monitoring efforts are inadequate, it suggested improvements that could generate a better understanding of the relationship between Tysabri treatment and cancer. The organization's report, published in the journal Cancer Medicine, was titled “Melanoma complicating treatment with natalizumab for multiple sclerosis: A report from the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions, also known as SONAR." SONAR is an organization that was formed in the Southern United States in 2010 to investigate adverse drug reactions that regulators might not be aware of. Its goal is to reduce the time it takes between detecting an adverse reaction and have regulators act on it. A case that a SONAR investigator came across led to the group investigating possible links between Tysabri and melanoma. A 43-year-old woman developed melanoma in her urethra, the tubing that drains urine from the bladder, after being treated with Tysabri for about two years. Melanoma is most often a skin cancer that is related to sun exposure, but the woman had no skin lesions. After extensive surgery, she relapsed and died when the cancer spread to other parts of her body. She had declined anti-cancer treatment. The case prompt SONAR to look for similar cases. Its investigators found seven studies that involved Tysabri-treated MS patients developing melanoma. In addition, they looked through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the Tysabri Safety Surveillance Program. The surveillance program is part of the Tysabri Outcomes Unified Commitment to Health (TOUCH) database run by Tysabri's developer, Biogen, The research team found 137 cases in the FAERS database through April 1, 2014. The patients' average age was 45. Seventeen percent of the group developed tumors in locations not exposed to the sun, and nine died. The researchers said the database contained only about half the information it should have, such as tumor site, patients' family history of cancer, and earlier immunosuppressive treatment. Fifteen percent of the cases in the FAERS database were based entirely on information from the TOUCH database. Seventy-three percent were cases initially reported to FAERS but with TOUCH information added. Thirteen percent of the FAERS cases contained no additional information. Importantly, there was even less patient information in the TOUCH database than in the FAERS database. Out of eight items researchers believe a database should contain, TOUCH had information on two, on average. “The existence of the TOUCH Safety Surveillance Program, an FDA-mandated program, did not improve melanoma reporting,” the team wrote. This shortage of data stymies research into possible links between Tysabri treatment and melanoma, the researchers said. As an example, although the death rates in the databases were low, there was no information about survival in many cases, which could lead to flawed survival estimates. The investigation noted that patients received a wide range of Tysabri doses before they were diagnosed with melanoma. While some received only one or a few injections, others had been treated for a long time. These observations do not seem to support a link between Tysabri and melanoma, the team said. “A longer therapy duration would be expected if natalizumab caused melanoma via an immunologic pathway, unless existing nevi [lesions of the skin or mucus tissue] were already premalignant lesions,” the researchers wrote. But other information the team found seemed to suggest a Tysabri-melanoma link. For example, the average age of melanoma patients was much lower than that reported in the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. The average age in the institute's database is 63, compared with 45 in the FAERS database and 41 in cases in academic journals. In addition, many patients developed tumors in unusual places not exposed to sunlight. Finally, the low melanoma death rate in Tysabri-treated patients differed from that seen in the general population. All these factors suggest that melanoma after Tysabri treatment could differ from other types of melanoma, the researchers argued. While the molecular workings of Tysabri might promote melanoma growth, studies so far have not found a relationship between the drug and this cancer. In fact, some studies suggest that MS patients, in general, have a lower risk of melanoma than others. The team said more information on patients could give researchers a better understanding of the potential relationship between Tysabri and melanoma. The implication was that the standard of reporting in the FAERS and TOUCH databases could improve. To minimize the risk of patients who receive Tysabri developing melanoma, the researchers offered a number of suggestions for IV centers, physicians, patients, and educational programs. For instance, they suggested that all patients should have a skin examination before the start of treatment, and regular physical and skin exams while receiving Tysabri. While noting that risk of infection and the development of tumors can occur with all immunosuppressive treatments, the team said more studies are needed to explore the risk of Tysabri-treated patients developing melanoma.

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this first of two columns about terms starting with the letter “F.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded approval of Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) for treatment of spasticity in adults, a condition that affects many people in the United States, including multiple sclerosis patients. The decision was based on Dysport’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA)…

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…

American patient groups and neurologists have clearly been giving Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) plenty of attention since news of its approval landed, as a sweep of U.S. reaction to the FDA’s decision showed. But what is happening elsewhere in regard to this first treatment for both primary progressive and relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS)?…

The historic approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the first-ever treatment for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), set off ripples in the relatively calm waters of MS news reporting. The drug, which was also approved Tuesday as an unusually effective and safe treatment for relapsing MS, is viewed as a game-changer…

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.

The potential approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) this month supports the idea that, someday, a world free of multiple sclerosis (MS) is possible, according to Dr. Tim Coetzee, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s chief advocacy, services and research officer. While Coetzee — and the society he represents — realize the potential of…

Here is a transcript of Multiple Sclerosis News Today‘s interview with Dr. Tim Coetzee — chief advocacy, services and research officer for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society — about the importance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s awaited decision on Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and the other ongoing research. Tim…

Medicare spent more $650 million in 2013 and 2014 on one single medication — H.P. Acthar Gel —— that was prescribed by fewer than 1 percent of clinicians to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), with questionable results. That’s the conclusion of new research by Oregon Health and Science University (OSHU), which presented its…

March 28, at the latest, may be a historic date for the multiple sclerosis (MS) community — patients, families, caregivers, researchers, and physicians alike. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have its say about the marketing approval for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). The drug will be the first to offer benefit to…

Below is a transcript of the Multiple Sclerosis News Today interview with Dr. Peter Chin — principal medical director at Genentech — about the importance of the pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a Biologics Licensing Application (BLA) for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). An an indepth article on this interview, looking Ocrevus…

Long-awaited approval of the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has been delayed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What had been publicized widely as a late December 2016 FDA approval hearing has now been pushed to late March 2017. The drug’s manufacturer, Genentech, issued a very…

A number of important discoveries, therapeutic developments, and events related to multiple sclerosis (MS) were reported daily by Multiple Sclerosis News Today throughout 2016. Now that the year is over, it is time to briefly review the articles that appealed most to our readers. Here are the top 10 most-read articles of 2016, with…

The 21st Century Cures Act, recently signed into law by President Barack Obama, includes provisions that aim to speed up the process by which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews stem cell treatments for patients with degenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease. This act also…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently extended until the end of March its review of the Biologics License Application (BLA) for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). The application was submitted by Roche, requesting FDA approval for Ocrevus as a treatment for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and — for a first…