April 4, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD KYV-101 helps 2 hard-to-treat progressive MS patients: Case study Kyverna Therapeutics‘ cell-based therapy KYV-101 had an acceptable safety profile and promising treatment effects when given to two people with hard-to-treat progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a case study. “We are very pleased about offering this potentially paradigm-shifting treatment opportunity to patients that have exhausted other medical…
March 27, 2024 Columns by Mike Parker I had smooth sailing on my Ocrevus infusion day Where does the time go? Six months had passed since my last treatment, which meant it was time for another. After my August 2022 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), I was given only one option for treatment: Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which is a disease-modifying therapy that’s used…
March 8, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Briumvi, an infusion treatment for MS, granted 3 more patents TG Therapeutics has secured three additional U.S. patents for Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), an anti-CD20 antibody that’s been approved to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent numbers 11,807,689; 11,814,439; and 11,884,740 specifically cover the composition and…
October 20, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Why Do We Turn Into MS Monsters Just Before an Ocrevus Infusion? Something is happening to me. All four limbs have become heavier than usual over the past two weeks. My arms and fingers are stiffer and less responsive, and Iāve somehow managed to effect a shuffling gait in my wheelchair. My eyes tire quickly, to the point it seems like Iām…
September 2, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Delayed Ocrevus Infusion May Increase MRI-based RRMS Risk An extended interval between maintenance doses of OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) may increase the risk of MRI-based disease activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), according to a real-world, multicenter study in Italy. In fact, an extended interval dosing (by one month or longer) was associated with a fivefold higher risk…
December 7, 2018 Columns by John Connor The Right Hand of Lightness There’s a joy in going on a long journey in which I get the luxury of sleeping through the whole thing. It’s practically magical. Or scientifically, like teleportation. I was there and now I’m here without any effort! I’ll never be able to afford a first-class bed on a…
October 19, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – TG Therapeuticsā Ublituximab Depletes Harmful B-cells and Lowers MRI Lesions, Trial Shows TG TherapeuticsāĀ ublituximab nearly eradicated a type of immune B-cell believed to be involved in multiple sclerosis,Ā according to a Phase 2 clinical trial. The result was that none of the patients had a relapse during the first six months of the trial, which is continuing, researchers said. In addition,Ā ublituximabĀ reduced the brain and spinal cord lesions of the relapsing MS patients involved in the trial and prevented new ones from forming. The company will present the interim trial results in threeĀ poster presentations at theĀ 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, Oct. 25-28. Meanwhile, researchers will continue to study the effectiveness of ublituximab, a B-cell-depleting antibody, versus a placebo, for another six months. The trial is being held at several U.S. medical facilities. Participants receive two initial infusions of ublituximab or a placebo on day 1 and 15 during the first 28 days. After this initial period, those in the placebo-group are also given ublituximab and followed for 52 weeks. A key trial finding was thatĀ over the initial 24 weeks of the trial, the treatment nearly wiped out a type of B-cell known as CD20 that scientists believe is involved in the development of MS. Only 1 percent of the B-cells remained after a month. While helpful immune T-cell numbers dropped slightly after the first ublituximab infusion, they bounced back quickly. Researchers also reported a reduction in patients' magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions, with no new inflammatory lesions appearing during the six months. So far, none of the trial participants has had a serious adverse event. Most of the adverse events were mild or moderate and related to the infusions. The trial also demonstrated that speeding up infusions did not increase infusion-related reactions.Ā The speed-up results indicated thatĀ ā if proven effective and safe ā ublituximab will be more convenient for patients than B-cell-depleting drugs that require infusions stretching over several hours.
July 13, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Ocrevus and Me, Part 2: Infusion Time and Side Effects Editor’s note: This column is second in a series. Read the first part here. Just you wait! How many times have we heard those words or said them to someone else? I find that now itās my turn to wait. What Iām waiting for is six months…
June 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD In Ongoing Phase 2 Trial, Ublituximab Seen to Effectively and Safely Deplete B-cells TG Therapeutics’ investigational treatment āĀ ublituximab (TG-1101)Ā ā led toĀ a near total depletion of B-cells in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) taking part inĀ an ongoing Phase 2 trial, the company recently announced. In addition, the company said that ublituximabĀ hadĀ anĀ infusion time as short as one hour,Ā without excessive side…