interferon

Headaches and MS linked, and therapies may affect them: Study

A large proportion of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience headaches as a result of their condition, and treatment with interferon-based therapies seems to increase the risk of worsening headaches or developing new ones, a study found. In contrast, the CD20 antibody rituximab that’s used off-label in MS…

Interferon beta corrects gene processing disrupted in MS: Study

Alternative splicing, a biological process that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins, is extensively disrupted in immune cells isolated from untreated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and long-term treatment with interferon beta-based therapies largely corrects the defects, a study found. ā€œAlternative splicing is a potential biomarker warning…

Long-term IFN-Beta Treatment Normalizes Immune Balance in RRMS, Study Shows

Long-term treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) corrects the defective immune balance characteristic of people withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), a study has found. The study also identified more than 200 genes with significantly different activity between complete and partial responders to IFN-beta treatment, which could be used to identify which…

What’s Hot and What’s Not Among MS Therapies?

The newest kids on the MS block, disease-modifying therapies (DMT) such as Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Sanofi Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), are attracting a lot of interest these days. But, some DMTs that have been around for more than two decades are still being prescribed by a lot of neurologists.

Nurses, Physicians’ Assistants Prescribe Antibody-based Therapies More Than Neurologists, Survey Shows

U.S. nurses and physicians’ assistants prescribeĀ antibody-based disease-modifying therapies to their multiple sclerosis patients more than neurologists do, a survey indicates. The trend has been for the doctors to stick with interferon therapies, the study said. Antibody-based disease-modifying therapies are also known as monoclonal antibodies. They are designed to harness the…

Interferon Hangovers: Managing Treatment Side Effects

Interferons (Beta and Alpha) are the oldest of the disease-modifying treatments, or DMTs, for people with MS. Interferons include Avonex, Betaseron, Rebif, and Plegridy. This column wonā€™t get into the pros and cons of each of these treatments. Instead, Iā€™d like to focus on one of the more…

#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, ā€œComparison of 5-year treatment outcomes between alemtuzumab versus natalizumab, fingolimod and interferon Ī²-1a,ā€…

EMD Serono Announces Publication of PRISMS-15 Years Follow-up Study Results on Rebif for Relapsingā€“Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

EMD Serono, the U.S. biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, recently announced that the results of the 15 year follow-up trial PRISMS-15 (Prevention of Relapses and Disability by Interferon beta-1a Subcutaneously in Multiple Sclerosis) evaluating RebifĀ® (interferon beta-1a), a high-dose, high-frequency interferon beta for the treatment of…

FDA Approves BETACONNECT Autoinjector for BETASERON Delivery

Bayer HealthCare is pleased to announce the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the approval ofĀ BETACONNECT, a first-of-its-kind electronic autoinjector indicated as a treatment forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). For now, theĀ drug delivery device is only compatible with BETASERONĀ®Ā (interferon beta-1b), and will soon be available come early 2016. Ā While…

Rocheā€™s Ocrelizumab Found to be Superior to Standard Interferon Therapy in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Roche recently announced encouraging results on its investigational medicine ocrelizumab as a therapy for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, which includesĀ either RRMS or SPMS with relapses. Ocrelizumab was evaluated in two pivotal studies (OPERA I and OPERA II), where it was compared to interferon (IFN) beta-1a (RebifĀ®), the standard-of-care…

FDA Accepts Bayerā€™s BETACONNECT License Application for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Bayer HealthCareĀ recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the filing of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for BETACONNECT forĀ the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). BETACONNECT isĀ a new drug delivery option for patients under Bayerā€™s BETASERONĀ® (interferon beta-1b) therapy. MS is a…