November 20, 2017 News by Larry Luxner Nearly 1 Million Americans Have Multiple Sclerosis, NMSS Prevalence Study Finds An estimated 947,000 people in the U.S. have multiple sclerosis (MS) ā more than double the long-accepted figure of 400,000 ā according to a newly completed study organized and funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). āThis is definitely not what we expected,ā Ā Nicholas G. LaRocca, vice…
November 3, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Merck Announces Winners of 1 Million Euro Grant for Innovative Multiple Sclerosis Research Research teams from Canada, Portugal and the United States, each with projects focused on predicting and defining characteristics ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā , will share this year’s 1 million euro ($1,165,700)Ā Grant for Multiple Sclerosis Innovation (GMSI), announced byĀ MerckĀ at theĀ 7thĀ Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meetingĀ in Paris, France,…
November 2, 2017 News by Ashraf Malhas, PhD #MSParis2017 – Almost Half of MS Patients Fail to Report Relapses, Two Surveys Show Nearly half of multiple sclerosis patients do not always report their relapses to healthcare providers, two surveys indicate. MallinckrodtĀ sponsored the surveys to betterĀ understand patients’ experience with relapses, whichĀ are sudden episodes of new symptoms or worsening of existing symptoms. The company presented the survey results at the 7th joint meeting…
November 1, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #MSParis2017 ā EVOLVE-MS-1 Interim Trial Data Shows Alkermes Therapy Safe for Treating Relapsing MS Preliminary data from the Phase 3 EVOLVE-MS-1 trial shows thatĀ ALKS 8700Ā ā an investigative therapy developed byĀ AlkermesĀ to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis ā has a good safety and tolerability profile. ALKS 8700 is an oral compound. Once inside the body, it is rapidly transformed into the therapeutic compound monomethyl fumarate (MMF). Although similar, this drug candidate was designed to offer features different than those achieved with the commercially available Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate). Alkermes is currently assessing the safety and efficacy of ALKS 8700 in the EVOLVE-MS program, which includes two Phase 3 clinical trials in patients with relapsing-remitting MS. The EVOLVE-MS-1 is a two-year study being conducted in 107 U.S. and European research sites. It will evaluate the long-term safety of ALKS 8700 in some 930 RRMS patients. Interim data collected during the first month of treating 580 participants showed low incidence of GI adverse events, with no reports of serious events. The most common adverse side effects associated with the treatment were flushing, pruritus and diarrhea. Alkermes, which is based in Ireland, said additional results from the initial three months of treatment further supported the positive safety data of ALKS 8700, with only 2.3 percent of patients reporting serious adverse events and 3.7 percent having to stop treatment. The EVOLVE-MS-2 trial, being conducted at 48 U.S. sites, will compare the safety and efficacy of ALKS 8700 versus Tecfidera in RRMS patients. The study is still recruiting participants. Recent data of EVOLVE-MS-2 was also subject of a poster presentation at the ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting.
November 1, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #MSParis2017 ā MS Places Heavy Burdens on Women, Study in 8 European Countries Shows Multiple sclerosis (MS) can have severe implications on the lives of European women with the disease, finds a new report, affecting their education, their careers and their relationships. This disproportionate burden of MS in women versus men was the focus of a study, āThe Socioeconomic Impact of…
October 31, 2017 News by BioNews Staff #MSParis2017 ā Advances in Progressive and Pediatric MS Top ECTRIMS Highlights, NMSS Says A giant leap in research and interest in progressive multiple sclerosis ā from a few people pushing for such work to 2,000 listening to updates on it ā a successful first trial in children, and a growing body of potentially safer treatments for relapsing MS were among the highlights of…
October 31, 2017 News by BioNews Staff #MSParis2017 ā Ocrevus Trial Data May Lead to Key Biomarkers of Chronic Inflammation, Genentech Says Potential new ways of capturing disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ā including those with chronic as opposed to active inflammation ā are coming to the fore as analyses continue into the huge amounts of data collected during pivotal clinical trials that led to Ocrevus’ approval, a leadingĀ GenentechĀ researcher…
October 31, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – T-cell vs. B-cell Debate More Meeting of Minds Than ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ News commentary One particular session on Day 2 of the four-day 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting ā which drew 10,000 researchers, doctors, industry representatives, and patient advocates to hear about advances in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment and understanding ā attracted so much interest that all seats were taken in the…
October 31, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Scant Difference Seen in Inflammatory Response to Ocrevus or Rituxan in Small Study Both Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Rituxan (rituximab) trigger a similar release of inflammatory mediators after a first infusion, with little difference seen in infusion reactions among a small group ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with either therapy, said researchers from the Rocky Mountain MS Center at the University of…
October 30, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Aubagio Can Help Slow Progression to an MS Diagnosis, Researcher Says Aubagio (teriflunomide)Ā can help to delay first clinical signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) from progressing to a definite diagnosis in a person, and treatment should likely begin as soon as that first episode is confirmed,Ā Robert Zivadinov, a professor of neurology and director of the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, said…
October 30, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #MSParis2017 – RADIANCE Trial Data Shows Ozanimod’s Potential Over Interferon Beta-1a for Relapsing MS Celgene‘s investigative drug ozanimod has been shown to be more efficient thanĀ an intramuscular injection of interferon beta-1a (marketed as AvonexĀ by Biogen) in reducing relapses and disease progression in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results of the two-year Phase 3 RADIANCE trial. The findings were…
October 30, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #MSParis2017 – GNbAC1 Promotes Restoration of Protective Myelin Coating, Phase 2b Trial Shows GeNeuro‘s humanized antibodyĀ GNbAC1Ā promotes the rejuvenation of the myelin coating that protects nerve cells in patients withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS, a Phase 2 clinical trial shows. The treatment is also safe, the study showed. Dr. Hans-Peter Hartung of theĀ Heinrich-Heine-University DĆ¼sseldorfĀ in Germany presented the results at theĀ 7th…
October 30, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Promising Work in Pediatric and Secondary Progressive Patients Is Focus, Novartis Says in Interview Gilenya (fingolimod) lowered relapse rates in children and adolescents with relapsing multiple sclerosis at a “magnitude” ā almost 82 percent ā never before seen in a scientific study and could be “life changing” for these hard-to-treat patients, a top researcher withĀ Novartis, the treatment’s developer, said in an…
October 30, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: #MSParis, Biotin, Tysabri, Lemtrada, Propionic Acid Reports There’s been a lot of interest in the treatments (including natural treatments) for progressive MS that were presented at the ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS conference in Paris last week. Here are a few of our reports involving that research. #MSParis2017 ā MedDayās High-Dose Biotin, MD1003, Improves Disability in Progressive MS…
October 30, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #MSParis2017 – Ibudilast Slows Loss of Brain Tissue in MS Patients, Phase 2 Trial Shows The Japanese companyĀ MediciNova‘s anti-inflammatory agentĀ ibudilast slows multiple sclerosis patients’ brain shrinkage and their loss of the protective myelin coating around nerve cells, a Phase 2 clinical trial shows. Robert J. Fox of Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic Neurological InstituteĀ presented the results at theĀ 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS MeetingĀ in Paris, Oct. 25-28.
October 30, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #MSParis2017 ā Gilenya Seen to Reduce Relapses in Children with Active MS Gilenya (fingolimod) was seen to significantly reduce relapses in children and teenagers with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 3 study ā the first successfully conducted in pediatric patients. Novartis, the therapy’s developer, is preparing to file requests for Gilenya to be approved to…
October 30, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Trial to See if Disease-modifying Therapies Not Necessary in Older MS Patients A clinical study now enrolling people with progressive or relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) will examine the feasibility of older patients stopping use of disease-modifying therapies if they have had no relapses for a number of years. John Corboy,Ā with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, presented the study at…
October 30, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Aerobic Exercise Seen to Quickly Strengthen Brain Connections in Patients Aerobic exercise strengthens brain connections in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, Jan-Patrick Stellmann, with University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, reported at theĀ 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris that ran from Oct. 25ā28. According to Stellmann, "aerobic exercises are considered to improve mobility, fatigue, depression and cognition in MS," and also to "promote neuroprotective or neuroregenerative mechanisms." For the study, the team used MRI to examine how exercise affected different types of brain connections. They recruited 57 RRMS patients and 30 healthy controls to the study. Women made up more than two-thirds of the patient group, which had a mean age of 39. Patients only had mild disability, with a mean score of 1.5 on the Expanded Disability Status Scale. Researchers randomly assigned about half the group to a supervised and individually adapted aerobic exercise program, consisting of 22 sessions of up to one hour each. Others were assigned to a waiting list ā with the intent of taking up exercise after three months ā and served as a control group. MRI scans at the study's beginning revealed that patients had more so-called functional connections, but fewer structural ones, than healthy controls. It is known from earlier studies that most RRMS patients show abnormalities in functional connections, but some researchers find increases while others decreases in these connections. Functional and structural connections appear on different types of MRI scans ā ones that make use either of blood flow changes or of the properties of water molecules in the white matter of the brain. The deviations were particularly pronounced in highly connected hub regions, the researchers said. After three months, functional connections increased across the entire brain among exercising patients, but decreased in those on the waiting list. Structural connections also increased among patients who exercised, while no change was detected among control patients. Researchers also noted that exercising patients grew more local connections, mostly in hub regions, compared to those who did not exercise. While it is generally accepted that aerobic exercise promotes neuroprotective and regenerative processes within the brain, the study demonstrated that exercise, in only three months, did indeed affect how the brain is wired. "Short-term aerobic exercise increases functional and structural connectivity,"Ā Stellmann concluded. "Already after three months, exercise lead to functional and structural reorganization of brain networks." The researcher highlighted the difficulties in obtaining financial support for trials on exercise. And he emphasized that patients should be encouraged by their doctors to exercise regularly.
October 27, 2017 News by BioNews Staff #MSParis2017 ā Lemtrada Shows Good Safety and Lasting Efficacy Over 7 Years, Doctor Says in Interview Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) remains a “game-changer” of a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), with benefits continuing and no new side effects seen in a study of its use that now goes out seven years, Aaron Boster, a neuroimmunologist at Ohio Health, said in an interview atĀ the…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Early High-Efficacy Treatment Reduces Disability Accumulation in Young MS Patients While early use of high-efficacy treatments lowers relapse rates among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to lower-efficacy ones, starting these therapies earlier may only impact the accumulation of disability among young patients, according to data presented at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, France. Earlier treatment…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Phase 3 Trial Data Show Ozanimod Safe, Effective in MS Patients Ozanimod (RPC1063) was seen to lower relapse rates and reduce brain and spinal cord lesions among patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) participating in a Phase 3 study of the treatment. Giancarlo Comi,Ā from theĀ Vita-SaluteĀ San RaffaeleĀ University, in Italy, announced the results in a presentation during the ongoing…
October 27, 2017 News by BioNews Staff #MSParis2017 ā Potential Progressive MS Treatment on Move in US and Europe, MedDay CEO Says This is a special edition of Multiple Sclerosis News Today's daily Alexa Flash Briefing, covering the latest news from the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting currently underway in Paris, France. The MS News today team in on-site at the conference, providing exclusive coverage of the presentations and speakers.
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Quitting Smoking, Boosting Vitamin D Reduces MS Healthcare Costs, Improves Outcomes People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who quit smoking have better health outcomes than those who continue. Therefore, MS-relatedĀ costs can be reduced by encouraging smokers toĀ quit. Similar results were observed in MS patients with healthy vitamin D levels,Ā Maura Pugliatti,Ā from theĀ University of Ferrara, in Italy,Ā said Friday in a presentation at the…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Beta-Interferon Therapies May Increase Survival of MS Patients, Study Suggests Long-term exposure of at least three years of beta-interferon therapies such as Rebif or AvonexĀ may increase the survival of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a population-based study suggests. The study reporting the findings, titled āBeta-interferon and mortality in multiple sclerosis: a population-based international study,ā was presented Friday at the ongoingĀ ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #MSParis2017 – Multiple Sclerosis Can Stay Mild for Decades, 30-year British Study Shows After the first round of symptoms,Ā multiple sclerosis can stay mild without causing major problems for decades, a 30-year British study indicates. Karen K.Ā Chung of theĀ University College London Institute of NeurologyĀ discussed the findings atĀ the ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meetingĀ in Paris, which started Oct. 25 and runs until 28. His presentation was titled āDoes…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – MS Therapy Aubagio Does Not Appear to Cause Birth Defects, Study Reports Sanofi Genzyme’sĀ multiple sclerosis therapyĀ Aubagio (teriflunomide) does not appear to cause birth defects in humans as it does in laboratory animals, researchers concluded after studying more than 100 pregnant women with MS. Their research indicated that birth-defectĀ findings in rats and rabbits do not translate to humans. The team presented its…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Immune Response to Epstein-Barr and Low Vitamin D Levels Separately Increase MS Risk A strong immune reaction to an Epstein-Barr virus infection and low levels of vitamin D appear to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) independent of each other, said researchers in a presentation at theĀ 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, France. Previous studies have shown that serum antibody titers…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Researchers Suggest Best Time to Stop Tysabri During Pregnancy Babies born to women who are treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) during pregnancy are more likely to develop abnormal blood cell counts if the treatment continues beyond week 30 of pregnancy. Since more relapses occurred in women who quit the treatment before this time, researchers from the Ludwig Maximilian University…
October 27, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #MSParis2017 ā Anti-inflammatory Therapies May Be More Beneficial for Younger SPMS Patients, Study Suggests Older patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have reduced risk of experiencing disease relapse, according to a study presented at theĀ 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting, being held Oct. 25-28, in Paris, France. The study, āRelapses in patients with secondary progressive MS: a matter of disease duration…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Ocrevus Improves Relapsing MS Patients’ Vision Better Than Interferon, Trials Show Genentech’sĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) improved the vision of people with relapsing multiple sclerosis better than the widely used therapyĀ interferon beta-1a, according to clinical trial findings presented at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris. Dr. Laura Balcer of the department of neurology atĀ New York UniversityĀ made the presentation, titledĀ āEffect…