August 2, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Gilenya generic safe and effective, adherence good: Real-world study A generic equivalent of oral Gilenya (fingolimod) significantly lowers relapse rates, slows disability progression, and works against new lesions developing in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a real-world study in Turkey. Feedback from patients also was favorable, with most being satisfied with the generic treatment…
August 26, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Guidelines for Approval of DMT Biosimilars, Use In Europe Drafted Biosimilar, or āfollow-on,ā forms of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that have been approved in a highly regulated area can be considered as safe and effective as their reference medications, according to multiple sclerosis (MS) experts. A biosimilar is a medication that’s highly similar to an existing biological medication in…
October 5, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Amalgam Fillings, COVID-19 and MS, Tecfidera Generic MS Patients Should Avoid āSilverā Tooth Fillings Due to Mercury, FDA Advises Concerns about the possible danger of amalgam dental fillings have been floated for years. Several European countries already have banned their use in certain cases. Now, regulators in the U.S. have taken a small step in that…
August 11, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Are Insurance Companies Forcing You to Switch from Generics to Brand-Name Drugs? Insurance companies want people to use generics, rather than the more expensive brand-name drugs, right? Maybe not. Because, at least in some cases, they’re doing just the opposite. Some patients are being forced to use brand-name drugs even when those drugs have generic equivalents. Not surprisingly, that means…
July 18, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Fighting in Court Over MS Generics Biogen is a big pharmaceutical company that produces a half-dozen MS drugs. Among them are Tysabri, Avonex and Tecfidera. And Biogen is doing all it can to protect its turf, particularly when it comes to its best seller,Ā Tecfidera. Last month the company filed lawsuits against several…
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…