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 14, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Benefits of Gilenya in MS Also Appear Linked to Its Effects on B-Cells Scientists recently reported additional mechanisms of action that may underlieĀ Gilenya (fingolimod) beneficial effects in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The results were in an oral presentation, āFingolimod therapy modulates B cell functions: reduces CXCR4-mediated migration and increases B cell -mediated anti-inflammatory cytokine profile,ā given atĀ theĀ 32nd Congress of theĀ European Committee for Treatment…
September 1, 2016 News by Malika Ammam, PhD MS Treatments May Lower Levels of Immune White Blood Cells Multiple sclerosis patients are at risk ofĀ developing lymphopenia, or abnormally low levels of immune defense white blood cells, called lymphocytes, according to a study that investigatedĀ lymphocyte counts in people with relapsing MS both before and after the start of treatment. The study, āLymphopenia in treatment-naive relapsing multiple…
July 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Low-Quality Generic MS Drugs Can Be Both Toxic and Ineffective, Study Reports Low-quality unauthorized generic versions of approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs can expose patients to danger, both through their toxic properties and a lack of efficacy that allows the disease to progress, researchers reported in the study,Ā “Clinical implications for substandard, nonproprietary medicines in multiple sclerosis: focus on fingolimod,”Ā published…
July 12, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Skills Maintained in RRMS Patients Treated with Gilenya or Tysabri in Yearlong Study Disease-modifying therapies, a groupĀ of treatments for peopleĀ withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), work to stabilize patients’ cognitive functionsĀ just as they do their physical symptoms. Research, conducted over the course of a year, also reportedĀ no differences between two types of DMTs,Ā Gilenya (fingolimod) andĀ Tysabri (natalizumab). The study, ā…
June 27, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Fingolimod (Gilenya) Seen to Promote Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Mice, Aiding Remyelination Fingolimod (Gilenya), a drug approved forĀ patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to prevent neuroinflammation, may also help these patients by directlyĀ enhancing nerve regeneration and increasing myelination in a way that isĀ partly independent of its anti-inflammatory properties. The study reporting this finding, “Fingolimod promotes peripheral nerve regeneration…
June 16, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD New PET Tracers May Work to Detect Neuroinflammation in Brains of MS Patients Novel molecular imaging compoundsĀ that detect neuroinflammation in the brain of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have been developed by researchers at theĀ Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, andĀ may help to uncover the triggers of such inflammation and to better evaluate new disease treatments. The study, “Development 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…
May 10, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Severe Rebound Effects Found in ‘Relevant’ Number of MS Patients After Stopping Fingolimod Rebound symptoms after stoppingĀ fingolimod (Gilenya) treatment affect a “clinically relevant” number of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients,Ā a study byĀ University of California, San Francisco, researchers reported. The study called attention to the need for determining the best method of sequencing or stopping MS treatments, and highlighted the need to identify factors…
April 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lymphoma Drug, Rituximab, Highly Effective in Treating Relapsing MS, Study from Sweden Reports Mabthera (rituximab), a widely approved drug for treating lymphoma and/or rheumatoid arthritis, is highly effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers reported in an observational study in Sweden, where Mabthera is increasingly being used outside of its approved indications to treat relapsing-remitting MS patients. The study, published in the journal…
April 5, 2016 News by admin Fingolimod (Gilenya) Shown to Benefit Neurons as Well as Immune System The immune system-suppressing multiple sclerosis (MS) drug fingolimod (Gilenya) also has potentially beneficialĀ effects on the nervous system, according to a recent study,Ā “The multiple sclerosis drug fingolimod (FTY720) stimulates neuronal gene expression, axonal growth and regeneration.“Ā The article appeared onlineĀ March 12 in an earlyĀ version ofĀ the journalĀ …
March 11, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD European Regulatory Agency Finds Gilenya Not of Added Benefit to Certain RRMS Patients A newĀ assessment by a European regulatory agency failed to findĀ fingolimod ofĀ added benefitĀ to comparator therapiesĀ for peopleĀ with highly active relapsing-remittingĀ multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have failed to respond toĀ treatment with at least one other disease-modifying drug. Fingolimod (Gilenya), developed as a therapy for multiple sclerosis, has undergone three early benefit assessments since its…
February 9, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Patients Seen to Safely Switch to Oral Drugs from Injectable Oral Therapies Stable multiple sclerosis (MS) patients do not appear to be at any increased risk of disease reactivation whileĀ switching to oral therapy following treatment with injectable interferon-Ī²/glatiramer acetate (IFNĪ²/GA), a study reports. Recently publishedĀ in the European Journal of Neurology,Ā the Australian study was titledĀ “Risk of early…
January 29, 2016 News by admin MS Drug May Prevent Brain Damage in Premature Babies Premature infants are known to be at risk of cerebral injury due to oxygen deprivation and later problems with cognitive development, but anĀ immunomodulating drug mostly used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be of help. Researchers in Germany and Switzerland reported that the drug fingolimod (Gilenya)Ā prevented brain…
January 13, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Patients Treated in Clinical Practice with Fingolimod Show Benefits New research evaluating fingolimodās clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) largely supported its use, finding that the oral drugās efficacy in a real-world settingĀ was comparable to results observed in Phase 3Ā clinical studies. The research article, āEfficacy and Safety of Fingolimod in an Unselected…
December 17, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New MS Drug Shows ‘Excellent Profile’ in Preclinical Tests Against Approved Therapy Akaal Pharma, a developer of small molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammation and autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS), recently announced highly positive preclinical trial results on the safety and efficacy of its drug candidate AKP-11 when compared to Gilenya (fingolimod, FTY-720), an oral MS drug approved by…
December 14, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 2 New Treatments for Relapsing-Remitting MS Now Available in New Zealand The Multiple Sclerosis Society of New Zealand (MSNZ)Ā announced thatĀ PHARMAC has agreed with its requestĀ toĀ finance two novel first-in-line therapies for relapsing-remitting forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), making them accessible to patients there. PHARMAC recently agreed to fund theĀ two treatments, teriflunomide (Aubagio), supplied by Sanofi-Aventis NZ, and dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera),…
November 10, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novartisā MS Drug Gilenya Prevents Activation of Key Immune Cells in Study In a recent study entitled āMyeloid cells as target of fingolimod action in multiple sclerosis,ā a team of scientists investigated the impact of fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis), an approved drug for multiple sclerosis (MS), on the reactivity of myeloid cells, a key group that comprises several immune cells that…
October 9, 2015 News by Malika Ammam, PhD Gilenya’s Clinical Trial Results Presented at ECTRIMS Reinforce Long-Term Efficacy Profile in RMS Patients On October 8, 2015, data on two Phase III clinical trials called FREEDOMS and FREEDOMS II on Gilenya (fingolimod), a drug developed byĀ Novartis, were presented at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), currently being held in Barcelona, Spain (October 7-10).
September 22, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Clinical Benefit of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Therapies Highlighted in Review A review study recently published in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Review (CDSR) focused on the clinical benefit of different therapiesĀ available for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study is entitled āImmunomodulators and immunosuppressants for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysisā and was led…
September 21, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Fingolimod (Gilenya) Found to Be an Effective Multiple Sclerosis Therapy for Up to Three Years of Treatment An encouraging newĀ analysis reveals that fingolimod isĀ an effective multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy forĀ a treatment period of up to three years. The results were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Consortium of MS Centers. MS is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is the result ofĀ anĀ attack onĀ the central nervous system…
July 20, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Study Evaluates Gilenya’s Impact on Central Autonomic Dysfunction In MS With Delayed Heart Rate Fingolimod, also known by its brand name Gilenya, is an oral immunotherapy approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). In a recent study published in the Journal PLOS One, a team of researchers found that the autonomic cardiovascular dysfunction in MS patients with delayed heart ratere-acceleration…
June 29, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Novartis’ Gilenya Found to Have Long-Term Positive Effects on Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis A new study recently published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry revealed that long-term fingolimod therapy (marketed as Gilenya by Novartis) can maintain a low disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study was conducted by an international team of researchers and…
June 17, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Suggest Short Transition Period Between Natalizumab and Fingolimod Therapies to Control RRMS Disease Activity An international team led by researchers at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland revealed that a short period of 8 to 12 weeks is the optimal timing to be considered when patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are switched from natalizumab to fingolimod therapy. The study was recently published…
December 8, 2014 News by Isaura Santos Disappointing Results for Fingolimod Phase III Trial In Primary Progressive MS Novartis International recentlyĀ provided an update on itsĀ fingolimod Phase III trial evaluating the use of the drug inĀ primary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (PPMS), reporting that the study did not reveal any significant benefits of prescribing fingolimod over a placebo.Ā However, results regarding…
September 12, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Novartis Presents Impressive Gilenya Updates at MSBoston 2014 This past Wednesday, September 10th, the largest, most anticipated multiple sclerosis (MS) convention — the 6th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Triennial Meeting, MSBoston 2014 — kicked off with a whopping 8,000 registered attendees, all eager to learn more about the latest developments in MS. One of the highlights of the event…
September 8, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Novartis to Present New Gilenya Data at ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting Those attending this week’sĀ ACTRIMS-ECTRIMSĀ conventionĀ set to take place on the 10th of September until the 13th in Boston, can expect Swiss pharmaceutical companyĀ NovartisĀ to present promising findings on Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā — the company’s leading oral formulation for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previously completed studies and clinical trials,…
August 21, 2014 News by admin Researchers Find MS Drug Fingolimod Decreases Gd-enhancing Lesions Fingolimod is a disease modifying therapy (DMT) used to treat relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients as well as patients who continue to present with relapses despite treatment with beta interferon drugs, and is the first oral medication to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug…
May 28, 2014 News by Charles Moore Study Finds MS Drug Gilenya May Point To Development Of New PTSD Therapy A new study on mice published in Nature Neuroscience finds that fingolimod (Novartis brand name Gilenya) a first-in-class sphingosine-1-phosphate-receptor modulator currently used in treating persons with severe relapsing remitting MS, may also have therapeutic value in treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Nature Neuroscience study is titled…