June 24, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Uncontrolled Hypertension More Likely in Black Americans With MS Black Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher chance of having uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension), despite being more likely to receive anti-hypertensive medication than white patients, a large study found. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and…
January 21, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Real-World Data Shows Tecfidera Comparable to Gilenya at Preventing Relapses Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) appears to have similar benefits to Gilenya (fingolimod) in preventing relapses and the loss of motor function and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study with real-world data found. The two medications also led to similar findings on MRI scans, including in…
February 26, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD #ACTRIMS2021 – Blood NFL Levels Seen to Rise With Markers of MS Progression Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25ā27. GoĀ hereĀ to see all the latest stories from the conference. Higher blood levels of neurofilament light chain (sNfL) were linked with disability, brain atrophy, and other features of…
February 28, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Depression in MS Linked to Worsening Neurological Function Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression are more likely to have worsening neurological function compared with those who do not have the mood disorder, results from a real-world study show. The findings were presented Feb. 27 by Jenny Feng, MD, in an oral presentation ā titled “…
September 11, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Real-world Data Supports Serum Neurofilament Light as Potential MS Biomarker Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in the blood ā a proposed biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS) ā is linked with worse neurologic function at levels above a certain threshold, according to data from a large, real-world study. Kathryn Fitzgerald, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of…
October 16, 2018 News by BioNews Staff #ECTRIMS2018 – MS PATHS Just Starting to See Potential, Aims for Remission as Treatment Goal, Biogen Exec Says MS PATHS, a way of capturing data on disease progression and treatment response in thousands of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients being treated at any of 10 participating clinics, has among its goals that of making clinical remission ā a prolonged absence of any disease activity ā possible, said an…
October 5, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 ā Biogen’s MS Treatments Found Safe, Effective in Clinical and Real-world Data Clinical data and real-world results support the long-term efficacy of Biogenās medications for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to scientific presentations being released by the company. Specifically, findings support the effectiveness ofĀ Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Tysabri (natalizumab) used early in the disease’s course, as well as the…
April 19, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #AAN2018 – Biogen Data Covers Work into an MS Blood Biomarker, Cognition and Life Quality Research that points to aĀ potential blood biomarker ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, relates cognitive difficulties to patients’ employment and other measures of socioeconomic status, and one-year results of an ongoing clinical trial are among data presentations planned byĀ BiogenĀ for theĀ annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This year’s…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Real-world Data Leading Way to Personalized Treatment, Biogen Says in Interview Personalized medicine is the future of multiple sclerosis treatment, and research now taking place to collect and analyze data and pinpoint biomarkers will help make possible approaches that ā one day ā will put MS into “complete remission” patient by patient, said Richard Rudick, vice president of Development Sciences at…
October 23, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Biogen to Focus on Real-world Data from Range of Efforts to Understand MS In its work on multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā Biogen has adopted a comprehensive approach that ranges from Ā drug development to the exploration of real-world data and digital markers of disease. The company will showcase these efforts at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris on October 25ā28. Among its more than 80 presentations at the meeting are updates from its collaboration with Verily and Brigham and Womenās Hospital on using digital sensors that gather data on MS patients between physician visits. Biogen will also share data on the possibility of using such biomarkers to help neurologists in diagnosing and following MS patients āĀ offering information that could potentially help them in making treatment decisions given the variability of the disease in MS patients. The company is also involved in a collaboration with 10 MS centers that aims to generate data collected during routine care. The MS PATHS study includes data from physical examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and biological samples. A third and similar project ā the Big Multiple Sclerosis Data (BMSD) Network ā Ā is merging data from five MS registries, holding prospective information on nearly 140,000 patients. Taken together, these large collections of high-quality, real-world data will help researchers better understand the disease, and so, increase the potential of new treatment discoveries, Biogen says. The company is also working to discover and develop biomarkers that are not digital that may also advance the understanding of MS and its treatment. One such marker is neurofilament light, which signals damage to neuronal axons. Biogen will share data on how this marker changes over time in MS patients. Among presentations focusing on treatment development, Biogen will highlight new efforts with opicinumab . The treatment āĀ intended to repair damage by triggering remyelination āĀ failed to reach it primary goal in the Phase 2 SYNERGY trial earlier this year. Still, Ā data indicated that some trial participants did respond to the treatment. At ECTRIMS, Biogen will present an analysis of the SYNERGY data that identifies factors ā including specific MRI features ā that may be linked to a treatment response. Ā
April 27, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Crossing MS PATHS ā and Taking a Stand for Patient Rights I knew it was only a matter of time before my MS neurologist would have MS PATHS available to collect clinical data from people who have agreed to participate. MS PATHS is an information- and biological sample-gathering clinical study from Biogen, the leading manufacturer of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying…
January 11, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski MS PATHS: Be Aware of the Info You Share Would you open your bank account and write a blank check to just anyone requesting something of value from you? Of course not. So, why would we do that with our healthcare information? I was recently sent an informed consent form from the MS clinic where I am treated,…