February 21, 2018 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Gilenya Continues to Demonstrate Effectiveness as Therapy for RRMS Patients in Study Gilenya (fingolimod) is an effective treatment forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in everyday clinical practice, a new study shows. The therapy was shown to be effective even in patients switching from Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment. The study, “Effectiveness and baseline factors associated to fingolimod response in a…
February 8, 2018 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet: Plaquenil, PML, Prevalence, and Other ‘P’ Words (Part 6 of 7) Editorās note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “P.” This post comes sixth in a series of seven. Symptoms of MS Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) Though progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) isnāt an actual symptom of MS,…
February 6, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #ACTRIMS2018 – Prior Therapies Don’t Affect Gilenya’s Benefits, Study Shows Changing from injectable disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) to Gilenya (fingolimod) can benefit people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), regardless of prior therapy regimens. The PREFERMS Phase 4 trial (NCT01623596) concluded that Gilenya, marketed by Novartis, reduces annualized relapse rates (ARR) and brain volume loss (BVL) in both…
January 24, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Study Identifies MS Patients at Risk of Severe Disease Reactivation After Gilenya Is Discontinued Multiple sclerosis patients with high relapse rates but less physical impairment before starting on Ā Novartisā Gilenya (fingolimod) are likely to experience a surge in disease activity if they stop the treatment, researchers in Turkey report. The study, which dealt with patients with relapsing forms of MS, referred to the surge as "severe disease reactivation," or SDR. Researchers published their article, āFactors Predictive of Severe Multiple Sclerosis Disease Reactivation After Fingolimod Cessation,ā in the journal The Neurologist. Studies have shown that Gilenya, whichĀ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved in 2010, can benefit adults with relapsing MS. It reduces annualized relapse rates and prevents more brain lesions from forming, compared with standard interferon treatments. Lesions are damaged nerve cell areas. Despite its benefits, Gilenya is not recommended for patients with heart or liver problems, low levels of white blood cells, severe herpes virus infections or other infections. Also, patients who do not respond to Gilenya and women who are planning to become pregnant are advised to stop the treatment. Discontinuing Gilenya can lead to a return to pretreatment disease activity, or severe disease reactivation, in some patients. It is unclear why this happens and why it affects only some patients. To better understand what risk factors could be associated with reactivation, a team at Istanbul UniversityĀ compared the demographic and disease features of patients who developed SDR after stopping treatment with Gilenya. SDR was defined as including these elements within 6 months of Gilenya discontinuation: more than 5 gadolinium-enhanced lesions or a tumefactive demyelinating lesion detectable by magnetic resonance imaging, the disease progressing to the point that additional treatment with methylprednisolone or plasma exchange was required, and progressive physical disability reflected by a 1-point or more increase in patients' scores on the Expanded Disability Status Scale, or EDSS, Thirty-one patients at the universityās MS clinic who had discontinued Gilenya were included in the study. Eight experienced SDR and 11 relapses. The mean time for SDR patients' reactivation to occur was 2.6 months, researchers said. Patients had significantly higher levels of lymphocytes ā white blood cells involved in autoimmunity ā than during Gilenya treatment. When the team compared the disease features of SDR and non-SDR patients, they found that SDR patients had significantly higher annualized relapse rates before starting Gilenya and lower EDSS scores. āA higher ARR [annualized relapse rate] is the major contributory factor toward development of SDR,ā the researchers wrote. āPatients who had higher ARRs before fingolimod [Gilenya] treatment must be closely followed up both clinically and radiologically in terms of the early signs of severe reactivation,ā they wrote. About 38 percent of the SDR patients failed to respond to steroid treatment. They received a plasma exchange, which led to moderate improvement in their condition. Based on this finding, the researchers suggested that āplasmapheresis [plasma exchange] must be considered in patients exhibiting steroid-refractory SDR.ā "In conclusion, SDR may be observed within the first 3 months after cessation of fingolimod," the team wrote. "This may be explained by the rapid influx of lymphocytes into the CNS [central nervous system]. Patients with higher annualized relapse rates and lower Expanded Disability Status Scale scores before commencing fingolimod treatment were more likely to exhibit SDR." Ā
January 11, 2018 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Newly Diagnosed MS Patients Stay Longer on Rituxan Than Other Therapies, Study Finds Multiple sclerosis patients whose first treatment is Genentech'sĀ Rituxan (rituximab) stay on it longer than other disease-modifying drugs that patients start with, a Swedish study reports. When they stop taking Rituxan, Ā it usually isn't for lack of effectiveness or side effects...
January 2, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gilenya Halts Brain’s Gray Matter Atrophy in RRMS Patients, Study Suggests Treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) may limit cerebral gray matter atrophy in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, researchers at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s HospitalĀ have found. Their report, āA two-year study using cerebral gray matter volume to assess the response to fingolimod therapy in multiple sclerosis,ā appeared in the…
December 20, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc FDA Gives Fingolimod a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Relapsing MS in Children The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has givenĀ fingolimodĀ a Breakthrough Therapy designation as a treatment for children 10 years and older and adolescents with relapsing multiple sclerosis. NovartisĀ is marketing it in the United States under the brand name GilenyaĀ for adults with relapsing MS. It has yet to approved…
December 15, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ocrevus’ Use Continues Rising, with RRMS Patients Receiving the Most Attention U.S. neurologists are increasingly prescribing Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) to their multiple sclerosis patients, Spherix Global InsightsĀ reports. Another good sign for Genentech is that, in just three months, neurologists have increased by 50 percent their estimate of the numbers of relapsing-remitting MS patients who could benefit from Ocrevus.
December 8, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novartis’ Gilenya Improves Cognition, Reduces Relapses and MS Lesions, Phase 4 Trial Shows Ā Novartis' Gilenya and interferon beta-1b-based therapies stop multiple sclerosis patients' cognitive decline, a Phase 4 clinical trial shows. Gilenya (fingolimod) also reduces patients' relapses and the number of their brain lesions ā areas where a protein coating that protects nerve cells has deteriorated, researchers found.
November 8, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Global Phase 3 Trial of Oral Ponesimod Plus Tecfidera Enrolling Relapsing MS Patients Actelion is recruiting about 600 relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to a Phase 3 trial testing the addition of oral ponesimod to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate)Ā in people who continue experiencing relapses while on the treatment. Ponesimod works in a similar way to Novartisā Gilenya (fingolimod) ā making immune…
October 30, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Promising Work in Pediatric and Secondary Progressive Patients Is Focus, Novartis Says in Interview Gilenya (fingolimod) lowered relapse rates in children and adolescents with relapsing multiple sclerosis at a “magnitude” ā almost 82 percent ā never before seen in a scientific study and could be “life changing” for these hard-to-treat patients, a top researcher withĀ Novartis, the treatment’s developer, said in an…
October 30, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #MSParis2017 ā Gilenya Seen to Reduce Relapses in Children with Active MS Gilenya (fingolimod) was seen to significantly reduce relapses in children and teenagers with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 3 study ā the first successfully conducted in pediatric patients. Novartis, the therapy’s developer, is preparing to file requests for Gilenya to be approved to…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Early High-Efficacy Treatment Reduces Disability Accumulation in Young MS Patients While early use of high-efficacy treatments lowers relapse rates among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to lower-efficacy ones, starting these therapies earlier may only impact the accumulation of disability among young patients, according to data presented at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, France. Earlier treatment…
September 7, 2017 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #MSParis2017 – Gilenya Reduces Relapses in Children and Adolescents with MS, Novartis Trial Shows Gilenya decreased relapses in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis in the phase 3 PARADIGMS trial, according to the therapy's developer, Novartis. The Swiss company will present the trial's results at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting, set for Oct. 25-28 in Paris. The study addressed the safety and efficacy of an oral, once-daily dose of Gilenya in 215 MS patients aged 10 to 17. Participants received 0.5 mg or 0.25 mg of Gilenya, according to their body weight, and results were compared with those of intramuscular Avonex (interferon beta-1a given once weekly). The trial ā conducted at 87 sites in 25 countries ā was designed in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group. Gilenya led to a "clinically meaningful decrease in the number of relapses" over a period of up to two years, compared to Avonex, according to the trial. The safety results of Gilenya matched those observed in previous trials, with adverse events more likely among the Avonex group. Importantly, the PARADIGMS trial is the first-ever randomized, controlled Phase 3 study of a disease-modifying therapy in pediatric MS. No treatment is currently available for children and adolescents with MS. Novartis will now complete a thorough evaluation of the results and later submit Gilenya for approval by regulatory agencies. It will also extend the study to a five-year period.
August 3, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet, Part 2 of the Letter ‘G’: Gilenya, Genetic, Glial Cells, and More (Editorās note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with theĀ second of two columns about terms starting with the letter āG.ā Read more “G” terms here.) Mastering an understanding of multiple sclerosis means you need to mind your Ps…
May 22, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Real-world Spanish Study Confirms Gilenya’s Ability to Reduce Multiple Sclerosis Relapses A real-world medical-facilities setting has confirmed clinical trial findings thatĀ GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) can reduce multiple sclerosis relapses, according to a Spanish study published inĀ Plos One. Gilenya, developed byĀ Novartis Pharmaceuticals,Ā was the first oral disease-modifying therapy to obtain U.S. and European approval. TheĀ Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency authorized…
April 25, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Real-world Data of Gilenya Treatment Validates Slowed Brain Shrinkage as Disease Progression Measure A real-world study of Gilenya (fingolimod) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) confirms benefits of the treatment seen in clinical trials. The Novartis-sponsored study also demonstrated that measures of brain shrinkage can be used in a clinical setting to evaluate disease progression. The data, presented at theĀ American Academy of…
February 15, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Gilenya Could Help Treat SPMS by Countering Astrocytes, Study Says Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā a multiple sclerosis (MS) drug developed to target the immune system and control inflammation, can also reduce the negative action of astrocytes, further controlling inflammation, says a new study. The article, āSphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor Modulation Suppresses Pathogenic Astrocyte Activation and Chronic Progressive CNS Inflammation,ā appeared in the…
February 6, 2017 News by Ćzge Ćzkaya, PhD Switching From Gilenya to Lemtrada Seen to Trigger Disease Activity in Some MS Patients Switching from Gilenya (fingolimod) to Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) triggers significant and unexpected disease activity in some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in the scientific journal Neurology Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation.
February 2, 2017 News by admin Long-term Treatment with Gilenya Found to Limit Lesions, Relapses in Japanese MS Patients Continuous treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā helps limit relapses and detectable lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a three-year, follow-upĀ studyĀ in Japan. The results confirmĀ the findings of trials conducted in predominantly Caucasian populations. The findings were reported in the study, āLong-term efficacy and safety of fingolimod in…
January 4, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Top 10 Multiple Sclerosis Articles of 2016 A number ofĀ important discoveries, therapeutic developments, and events related to multiple sclerosis (MS) were reported dailyĀ by Multiple Sclerosis News Today throughout 2016. Now that the year is over, it is time to briefly review the articles that appealed most toĀ ourĀ readers. Here are the top 10 most-read articles of 2016, with…
October 31, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD GNS Unveils Platform to Predict New Therapy’s Likely Success in Real World at ISPOR GNS HealthcareĀ isĀ presenting a data-driven causal machine learning solution, called Efficacy to Effectiveness,Ā designed toĀ predict how potential therapies will actually perform in distinct populations. The data, being releasedĀ today at ISPOR 2016, used pre-launch data from a study comparingĀ Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā and other multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies to build and validate causal models…
October 28, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Relapses in MS Patients Using Gilenya May Be Result of Changes Within T-Cells, Study Reports Changes in the composition of certain immune system cells may be associated with relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients being treated with Gilenya (fingolimod), according toĀ a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The study, āAltered T Cell Phenotypes Associated With Clinical Relapse Of Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving…
October 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Tysabri May Be More Effective Than Gilenya at Reducing Disease Activity in MS Patients, Study Says An indirect comparison of results from randomized clinical trials in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients suggests that Tysabri (natalizumab) is more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) at reducing disease activity. The study, āThe Efficacy of Natalizumab versus Fingolimod for Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review, Indirect…
September 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – MS Patients on Oral Gilenya Stick Longer with Treatment in Phase 4 Study A recent study showed that after one year, the majority of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking oral Gilenya (fingolimod) therapy stuck with their treatment, while a large proportion of thoseĀ usingĀ injectable disease-modifying drugs did not. The data, presented at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) 2016…
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 20, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Lemtrada and Tysabri Seen as Most Effective Therapies for MS in 5-Year Study A five-year study comparing theĀ efficacy of different treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) foundĀ that, in general, Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Tysabri (natalizumab) are more effective asĀ therapies than Gilenya (fingolimod) and interferon Ī². StudyĀ results were presentedĀ in an oral presentation, āComparison of 5-year treatment outcomes between alemtuzumab versus natalizumab, fingolimod and interferon Ī²-1a,ā…
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…
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…