December 17, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study: Anti-CD20 Therapies, Gilenya Lower Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines Certain treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) ā specifically, anti-CD20 antibody therapies and Gilenya (fingolimod) ā are likely to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19, according to a new study. “Highlighting groups who have mounted an inadequate vaccine response has already been helpful in guiding who should receive…
September 22, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Stopping Fingolimod ā Gilenya ā for Pregnancy Raises Relapse Risk Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) who suspend their use of fingolimod ā sold as Gilenya, among others ā to conceive or during the early stages of pregnancy have a significantly higher risk of relapse during and after pregnancy, a new study finds. Stopping fingolimod resulted in a…
July 29, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Oral CKD-506 Lessens Symptoms, Demyelination in MS Mouse Model Chong Kun Dang (CKD) Pharmaceuticalās experimental oral therapy CKD-506 suppressed inflammation, myelin loss (demyelination), and lessened symptoms in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Notably, the therapy resulted in benefits generally comparable to those of GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) in these mice. But it also…
July 26, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gilenya Started Earlier in RRMS Disease Course in Recent Years People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have switched to treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) at an earlier stage in their disease in recent years, compared to individuals who switched to the treatment around the time it became available, a new study indicates. The findings suggest “an increased experience in…
June 28, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Early Use of High-efficacy DMTs Favor Lesser Disability Over Time Long-term disability outcomes tend to be better in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who are treated early on with highly effective therapies, a study based on patient registry data indicates. The study, “Long-term disability trajectories in relapsing multiple sclerosis patients treated with early intensive or…
June 10, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gilenya’s Optimal Dose for RRMS Confirmed in Review of Clinical Trials Gilenya (fingolimod) at itsĀ approved 0.5 mg daily dose continues to be the optimal dose for peopleĀ with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a systematic review of 11 clinical trials confirmed. A 0.25 mg/day dose, however, also showed improvement over placebo in MRI outcomes and patient satisfaction, the researchers noted, and further…
May 27, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Mayzent, Zeposia May Lose Ground in Canada, Report Finds Mayzent (siponimod) and Zeposia (ozanimod), the two sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators most recently approved in Canada for treatingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), showed strong launches in the country, according to the latest Spherix Global Insightsā report. However, due to several internal and external factors, sustained relevance of these…
May 14, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Varies by DMT, Study Finds Are you being treated with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) and wondering how it might affect the efficacy of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine? If so, a recent study may provide some clarity. The study, published in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, looked at 125 MS patients either being treated with…
May 5, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Safety of Oral DMTs for RRMS in Real-world Use Seen to Match Trial Findings People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using approved oral disease-modifyingĀ therapiesĀ generally tolerate the treatments well, with real-world adverse event profiles similar to those seen in clinical trials, an analysis of U.S. data indicates. Results also suggest high adherence to these therapies ā meaning patients are usually taking the therapies…
April 26, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gilenya Increases Patient Infection Risk, Clinical Data Suggest The multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Gilenya (fingolimod) is associated with a 16% greater risk of infections,Ā compared with a placebo or control treatment, according to data from 12 randomized clinical trials. The findings were published in a study, āIncidence and Risk of Infection Associated With Fingolimod in Patients…
April 7, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Tecfidera, Gilenya and Ocrevus Losing Favor as Switch Therapies in US, Spherix Finds Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), Gilenya (fingolimod), and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) are losing ground to more recent therapies among U.S. multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients switching treatment, according to the latestĀ Spherix Global Insightsā report. The launch of MS generics, bioequivalents, and new brands in the U.S. market over the past year has increased…
April 5, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Switching From Gilenya to Lemtrada May Not Be Optimal Choice, Study Says Previous treatment with oral Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā is associated with a suboptimal response to Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and an increased risk of secondary autoimmune disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a study reports. However, Lemtrada showed an efficacy in patients switching from various other disease…
March 26, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Ocrevus and PML: Should We Be Worried? The journal JAMA Neurology recently reported that a 78-year-old man with progressive multiple sclerosis died after being diagnosed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a brain disease. The man, diagnosed with MS about 30 years ago, had been treated for two years with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and had no previous…
March 8, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Lipid Signaling Molecule Regulates Immune Responses in Mice Lipid (fat) molecules can function as chemical couriers, taking messages from tissue to tissue, organ to organ as part of the body’s immune defense guidance system. But in certain diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), the courier service may go awry. One such lipid molecule, called sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P),…
November 9, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Tysabri Superior to Gilenya at Easing Activity in RRMS, Study Reports Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) was more effective thanĀ Gilenya (fingolimod) in helping people with relapsingāremitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) achieve no evidence of disease activity, a head-to-head study suggested. The study, “BEST-MS: A prospective head-to-head comparative study of natalizumab and fingolimod in active relapsing MS,” was…
November 9, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Age and DMTs, Tysabri or Gilenya, Sativex Trial, Ocrevus and Mayzent Phase 3 Trial of Sativex, Cannabis Extract Treatment for MS Spasticity, Opens in US This is a major step toward making a clinically tested, cannabis-based medication available in the U.S. I’ve always thought that medications containing a THC/CBD combination are useful to lessen some MS symptoms, but the lack…
November 5, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Tysabri Seen as Superior to Gilenya for RRMS in Limited, Head-to-head Study Adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) had fewer new and accumulated lesions, and a lower relapse rate than those treated with Gilenya (fingolimod) for 24 weeks, according to…
October 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD New Immune Cells Therapy Found to Suppress MS Symptoms in EAE Mice Scientists developed a new therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) that prevents immune cells from exiting the lymph nodes and entering the spinal cord of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) ā a condition that mimics MS in humans. The therapy, which consists of a…
October 5, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gilenya and Tecfidera Similarly Effective at Treating RRMS, Real-world Study Says Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are similarly effective at lowering the frequency of relapses and delaying disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a real-world study from Switzerland reported. These efficacy measures were also consistent whether patients were new to aĀ disease-modifying therapy (DMT)…
September 22, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Gilenya Remains Favorite S1P Receptor Modulator in US, But Zeposia May Catch Up, Survey Finds Among oral sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators for multiple sclerosis (MS), Novartisās GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) remains physiciansā favorite in the U.S., but prescriptions of recently-launched Bristol Myers Squibbās Zeposia (ozanimod) are beginning to rise,Ā according to a survey conducted by Spherix Global Insights. Also, COVID-19Ā not…
September 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Relapses During Pregnancy More Likely on Higher Efficacy DMTs Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā using moderate- or high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before conceiving are more likely to have a relapse during pregnancy than are those taking low-efficacy DMTs or no medicines at all, a registry-based study found. This greater relapse risk during pregnancy could be reduced with…
September 11, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Novartis to Present Latest Data on Kesimpta, Mayzent and Gilenya Novartis will present the latest clinical data on three of its approved multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies ā Kesimpta (ofatumumab), Mayzent (siponimod), and Gilenya (fingolimod) ā at the Ā MSVirtual2020 meeting that opens today. The 8th joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and…
August 25, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mavenclad Effectively Lowers Relapse Rates, Study Comparing DMTs Finds MavencladĀ (cladribine) appears to be better at lowering relapse rates during the first two years of disease in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients than other MS therapies, including interferon, Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), a head-to-head observational study found. Mavenclad, however, was less effective at…
August 11, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Rituximab More Effective Than Gilenya, Tecfidera, and Comparable to Tysabri, Study Finds Rituximab is more effective and leads to fewer treatment discontinuations in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS)Ā than Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), according to real-world data based on two years of therapy. Rituximabās effectiveness appeared to be comparable to that of Tysabri (natalizumab), but with fewer…
August 10, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD 1 in 5 MS Patients Don’t Adhere to Daily Oral DMTs, Real-world Study Finds About 20%, or 1 in 5,Ā multiple sclerosis (MS) patients fail to adhere to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) taken each day, and about 1 in 4 stop using a prescribed daily oral treatment within one year, a study based on reported real-world use found. The study āReal-world adherence to,…
June 19, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Gilenya May Help Control Severe Respiratory Disease in COVID-19 Gilenya (fingolimod), which works to modulate immune system activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), may benefit people with severe respiratory disease associated with COVID-19, a case report highlights. The study, āSevere COVID-19 infection in a patient with multiple sclerosis treated with fingolimod,ā was published in…
May 7, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Long-term Gilenya Use Helps Delay Disability in Relapsing MS, 10-year Study Reports People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated withĀ GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) for eight or more years show smaller increases in disability over 10 years than those using this treatment for a shorter time, a long-term follow-up study reports. Longer use ofĀ Gilenya also resulted in lesser disability progression,…
April 10, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gilenya May Raise Risk of Intestinal Parasitic Infection, Report Suggests Treatment with GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) could make people with multiple sclerosis (MS) more vulnerable to the parasitic infection known as cryptosporidiosis, a case report suggests. The report, “Cryptosporidiosis after treatment with fingolimod: a case report and pharmacovigilance review,” was published in the jorunalĀ BMC Infectious Diseases. Gilenya…
April 9, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Zeposia Is Now Approved, But Expect Delays Zeposia’s recent approval in the U.S. is exciting news for all in the MS community. Unfortunately, we will need to table that excitement a bit longer. Despite its approval, the treatment’s commercial distribution will be delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am confident, however, that it will be…
March 20, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD Gilenya Outperforms Avonex in Lessening Brain Lesion Activity, Atrophy in Children with MS, Trial Shows Oral treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) is more effective than Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for controlling brain lesion activity and brain volume loss in children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosisĀ (POMS), two-year results of the PARADIGMS study show. That means Gilenya provides an effective treatment option for…