July 6, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD ICER Draft Report Evaluating Therapies for RRMS Now Open for Public Comment TheĀ Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)Ā released the early draft of a paper intended toĀ informĀ a future report evaluating the effectiveness and value of disease-modifying therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The paper, called aĀ draft scopingĀ document, is titled “Disease Modifying Therapies for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Effectiveness and…
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 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…
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 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…
August 5, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cases of Brain Infection Reported in MS Patients Taking Gilenya Multiple sclerosis patients prescribed Gilenya (fingolimod) are now being informed about a handful of documented cases where the therapy was found to have led to a rareĀ brain infection, according toĀ the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has released a public warning indicating thatĀ cases ofĀ progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have been…
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…
April 14, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Novartis Analyses On Gilenya For Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis To Be Presented at Upcoming Conference NovartisĀ will present novelĀ GilenyaĀ data, demonstratingĀ the company’s methods for assessing the impact of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) in bothĀ patients and physicians, during the 67th Annual Meeting of American Academy of Neurology (AAN) that will take place in Washington, DC between the 18th and the 25th of April, 2015. The data will…
October 21, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD David Osmond Sings for Novartis MS Awareness Campaign A member of the musical Osmond family, David Osmond, recently released a music video for his inspirational song “I Can Do This.” He has dedicated it to men and women all over the world who are faced with challenges that make them doubt their abilities and self-worth, but the real…
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,…
September 3, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Importance of Brain Shrinkage for MS Treatment Measure Focus of Novartis Presentation Novartis has announced that it will present new analyses and redefinedĀ treatment goals for multiple sclerosis (MS) at theĀ 2014 Joint Americas and European Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Meeting (ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS), which is taking place in Boston, between September 10 and 13. Novartis claims to have…
August 25, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen’s Tysabri, Novartis’ Gilenya Being Considered For Funding In New Zealand Health System The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) is consideringĀ a funding proposal that includes five treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), namely two key MS drugs, Ā Biogen‘s TysabriĀ andĀ Novartis‘ Gilenya, thatĀ are not currently funded. PHARMACĀ is the New Zealand Crown agency that decides, on behalf of District…
June 24, 2014 News by admin Multiple Sclerosis Drug Gilenya May Also Stop Chemotherapy Pain, According To Research A team of researchers from the University of Saint Louis has found a molecular pathway involved in a painful chemotherapy side effects, and a drug that might be able to stop it. Paclitaxel (also known as Taxol) is a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat different forms of cancer…
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…