April 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lemtrada Might Outperform Ocrevus in Preventing MS Relapses, Italian Researchers Say Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) may be more effective in preventing relapses in multiple sclerosis patients than the newly approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), according to a study presented April 28Ā atĀ the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2017 Annual MeetingĀ in Boston. TheĀ study, supported by Sanofi Genzyme and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, compared…
April 26, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Sanofi Genzyme to Present New Data on MS Treatments Lemtrada and Aubagio Sanofi Genzyme will present new results on follow-up studies of its products Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio (teriflunomide), both of which have been approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The new data will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual MeetingĀ taking…
April 20, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD AAN Annual Meeting Offers First Ocrevus Data Update Since MS Therapy’s Approval by FDA New data on the recently approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting 2017, which will take place April 22-28 in Boston. The meeting is the first scientific conference focusing on neurology since the U.S.
April 19, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Sanofi Genzyme to Discuss Three Multiple Sclerosis Therapies at Boston Event Sanofi GenzymeĀ will discuss three of its multiple sclerosis therapies at theĀ American Academy of Neurology annual meetingĀ in Boston, April 22-28. The presentations will cover two approved treatments for relapsing MS ā LemtradaĀ (alemtuzumab) and AubagioĀ (teriflunomide) ā and one that has been in a Phase 1 clinical…
March 28, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias My MS Is Getting to Be a Pain, Literally For most of the 36 years since I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis I’ve not been bothered by pain. Just lucky, I guess. Until last month. Suddenly, I’ve developed pain in both hips and I don’t know why. The pain is most intense when I first put my feet on…
February 23, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Lemtrada Maintains Durable Positive Effects in MS Without Additional Treatment Two Phase 3 clinical trials investigating the long-term effects of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed the drug maintained improved outcomes, even in the absence of further treatment. Both studies were presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum, held…
February 17, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Drug Costs: The Elephant in the Examination Room A lot of factors go into our decisions when we selectĀ the drug we’re going to use to fight our multiple sclerosis. How well will it work? What are the possible side effects and how serious could they be? How will using the drug (taking a pill, giving myself a…
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.
January 27, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias My Lemtrada Coaster Has Been Rolling About two weeks ago I wrote about my roller-coaster ride being pretty smooth since my first round of Lemtrada infusions ended in early December. Well, the loops are now looping. Month two post-infusion began with a good lab report, but also with an appearance of the up-down fatigue monster.
January 24, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD 2 Cases of Brain Inflammation Raise Questions of Lemtrada Safety, But Link Uncertain Two multiple sclerosis (MS) patients developed severe brain inflammation after being treatedĀ with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), researchers report, raising questions about the therapy. A definite link between the lesions and the treatment, however, was not established. The patients’Ā symptomsĀ were successfully controlled with a blood transfusion and treatment with rituximab (brand name Rituxan,…
December 6, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Starting Down My Lemtrada Road Here we go. This is the week my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) infusions begin. A few weeks ago I wrote about how Lemtrada has been successful in stopping disease progression in folks with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, andĀ those who have transitioned to secondary progressive MSĀ but continue to have relapses. There have…
December 2, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Lemtrada Lessens MS Disability in People Who Respond Poorly to Other Therapies, Study Says Data from the CARE-MS II clinical trialĀ showed that Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) canĀ lessen pre-existing disabilities in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who failed to respond adequately to previous disease-modifying therapies, according to a study of the trial’s data. The treatment was evaluated againstĀ Rebif (interferon beta-1a)Ā therapy. The study, āAlemtuzumab…
November 22, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Information Overload Precedes Lemtrada Infusions You know the saying about having too much of a good thing? I think that’s me, right now, as I think about starting infusions of the multiple sclerosis drug Lemtrada on Dec. 5. Lemtrada is supposed to be a super drug. As I wrote in an earlier column,…
November 8, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Plans by 4 Countries to Subsidize Cost of Newer MS Drugs May Weight on US A cost-effectiveness analysis of reimbursement recommendationsĀ for four relatively new multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments made by agencies in four countries ā Australia, Canada, Sweden, and the U.K. ā found overwhelming support (88 percent) for either full or restricted reimbursement for each therapy. The analysis, performed by theĀ Decision Resources Group, is…
November 3, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Lemtrada Targets Circulating Innate Immune Cells in RRMS Patients Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), a humanized monoclonal antibody, is able to remodel the immune responses of innate immune cells in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a recent study. This previously unreported phenotype may contribute to the benefits of the drug for RRMSĀ patients. The study, āAlemtuzumab…
October 18, 2016 Columns by Ed Tobias Are the Benefits Worth the Risks of Lemtrada? My neurologist calls Lemtrada “HSCT lite.” Ā She says that not only is the drug able to reduce exacerbations and limit the overall progression of multiple sclerosis, it’s actually reversed some symptoms in some of her patients. Ā I guess I’m going to find out if she’s right about…
October 17, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lemtrada Seen to Help Reverse MS Disability in People in Earlier Stages of Disease Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) was seen to help reverse disability among patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in relatively early stages of the disease, researchers report. The study, āAlemtuzumab improves preexisting disability in active relapsing-remitting MS patients,ā published in the journal Neurology, supports the idea that treatment…
September 26, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patient’s Pick of the Week’s News: Most Effective, Brain MRIs, Vit D3, Lipoic Acid, Modeling Hereās my Pick of this Weekās News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. This week is a rather special one because itĀ spotlights the work done by our news team in following and reporting the major events at ECTRIMS 2016. Here, I set out my choice of what I…
September 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – 2 Rounds of Lemtrada Seen to Effectively Treat MS Relapses for Years Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) as a first treatment option for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reduced relapse rates and disability progression throughout a study period of six years ā although most patients received treatment only in the first two years. The study showed that Lemtrada has the potential to harness disease activity…
September 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Few Serious Autoimmune Reactions to Lemtrada Treatment Seen in 3 MS Clinical Trials Autoimmune side effects during five years of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) treatment were generally not serious and mainly affected the thyroid, according to an analysis of patients in three large, Phase 3 clinical trials of the therapy. The data were presented at the Free Communications 1 session of the European Committee…
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…
August 29, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lemtrada to Treat Relapsing MS Now Part of New Brunswick, Canada, Drug Program The Government ofĀ New Brunswick added Ā Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), byĀ Sanofi Genzyme,Ā to the New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program (NBPDP) through special authorization for eligibleĀ patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). New BrunswickĀ joins other Canadian provinces, includingĀ Ontario, Saskatchewan,Ā Quebec, and Manitoba, in making this treatment available to RRMS patients, ages 18 andĀ older,Ā who have had…
August 8, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Best First-Line Treatment for Aggressive MS May Be Equally Aggressive Immunotherapies Patients with aggressive onset multiple sclerosis, characterized by a rapidly progressing disease course and accumulation of disability, may benefit from early aggressive therapies instead of the escalation approach commonly givenĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to researchers atĀ Weill-Cornell Medical College. Their article, titledĀ “A study of patients with…
July 25, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ontario Adds Lemtrada, a Relapsing MS Therapy, to Its Drug Coverage Program Sanofi GenzymeĀ announced that the Government ofĀ Ontario has added Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) to the province’s Exceptional Access Program (EAP), opening coverage to the treatment for eligible patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The programĀ facilitates patient access to drugs not funded on the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) Formulary, or those…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – RRMS Patients on Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) Show Slowed Disability Progression Over Five Years A study of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who had one or more relapses on earlier treatment, showed that alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) improved disability progression over five years, even thoughĀ most patients received treatment only during the first two years. The study showed that alemtuzumab is a viable option for long-term…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – MS Patients of African Descent May Fare Better on Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) A study, recently presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Md., showed MS patients of African decent might better benefit from treatment with alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) compared to subcutaneous interferon beta-1a (Rebif) – with lower rates of relapses evident over five years…
April 20, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Sanofi Genzyme Presenting New Data on Lemtrada’s Beneficial Effects, Drawn from RRMS Extension Study, at AAN 2016 Sanofi GenzymeĀ is presenting promising data regarding brain volume and retinal nerve fibers in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ā drawn from an ongoing extension study intoĀ the disease-modifying drugĀ alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) ā at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting Ā taking place in Vancouver, Canada, through April…
April 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Sanofi Genzyme Presenting New Data on Its Approved and Investigational Multiple Sclerosis Treatments at AAN Sanofi GenzymeĀ will present new data onĀ itsĀ approved multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments āĀ LemtradaĀ (alemtuzumab) and AubagioĀ (teriflunomide) ā at the 68thĀ annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), taking place in Vancouver, Canada, through April 21, as well asĀ data on investigational therapies in its pipeline. In total, the meeting…
March 30, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) Seen to Slow Disease Progression by Targeting Key Brain Systems Several clinical trials have shown thatĀ alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) effectively reduces relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and improves disability in the early stages of the disease. A new studyĀ adds to evidence of the drug’s efficiency by finding that it affects different aspects of disability to varying degrees, a finding…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Sanofi Genzyme Symposium on MS Therapies Targeting T and B Cells; Exclusive Interview with Lead Researcher Sanofi Genzyme,Ā one of the companies participatingĀ in the four-dayĀ 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) in Lisbon, Portugal, that concludedĀ on March 20, 2016, supported several symposiums focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) ā including one on B-cell and T-cell therapies. For over a decade, Sanofi Genzyme has workedĀ to developĀ effective therapies…