Natalizumab

Decisions to Stop Taking Tysabri for MS Are Often Subjective, Study Concludes

Many decisions to stop taking the multiple sclerosis treatmentĀ Tysabri (natalizumab)Ā appear to be based largely on subjective factors such as patients’ or physicians’ view of the risk, rather thanĀ objective assessments of the risk, a study indicates. TysabriĀ is an approved immunotherapy for active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Despite its benefits, there…

Tysabri May Be More Effective Than Gilenya at Reducing Disease Activity in MS Patients, Study Says

An indirect comparison of results from randomized clinical trials in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients suggests that Tysabri (natalizumab) is more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) at reducing disease activity. The study, ā€œThe Efficacy of Natalizumab versus Fingolimod for Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review, Indirect…

MS Treatments May Lower Levels of Immune White Blood Cells

Multiple sclerosis patients are at risk ofĀ developing lymphopenia, or abnormally low levels of immune defense white blood cells, called lymphocytes, according to a study that investigatedĀ lymphocyte counts in people with relapsing MS both before and after the start of treatment. The study, ā€œLymphopenia in treatment-naive relapsing multiple…

Tysabri’s Success in Impairing the Immune System in RRMS May Be Source of Its Problems

Although Tysabri (natalizumab) is a highly effective in treatingĀ patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), some may developĀ progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). According to a new study,Ā this occurs because TysabriĀ impairs immune surveillance in the central nervous system and reactivates the latentĀ John Cunningham polyomavirus (JCV). The study, “Natalizumab Affects…

Cognitive Skills Maintained in RRMS Patients Treated with Gilenya or Tysabri in Yearlong Study

Disease-modifying therapies, a groupĀ of treatments for peopleĀ withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), work to stabilize patients’ cognitive functionsĀ just as they do their physical symptoms. Research, conducted over the course of a year, also reportedĀ no differences between two types of DMTs,Ā Gilenya (fingolimod) andĀ Tysabri (natalizumab). The study, ā€œ…

MS Patients Need a Drug Therapy Without Awful Side Effects

Never having been offered, let alone received any disease modifying therapy, I can address the subject of disease modifying therapies, and their side effects, with complete impartiality. Of course, the reason for the lack of any medication is because none has yet been approved for use with MS patients who…

#CMSC16 – STRIVE Study Confirms Tysabri (Natalizumab) Safety in Early Relapsing-Remitting MS

Results from the STRIVE study support the safety of natalizumabĀ (Tysabri) as a therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study, “Natalizumab in Anti-JC Virus Seronegative Patients with Early Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Interim Results from the STRIVE Study,”Ā was recentlyĀ presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis…

Lymphoma Drug, Rituximab, Highly Effective in Treating Relapsing MS, Study from Sweden Reports

Mabthera (rituximab), a widely approved drug for treating lymphoma and/or rheumatoid arthritis, is highly effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers reported in an observational study in Sweden, where Mabthera is increasingly being used outside of its approved indications to treat relapsing-remitting MS patients. The study, published in the journal…

Array of Multiple Sclerosis Trial Data to Be Presented by Biogen at 2016 AAN Meeting

A rangeĀ of new multiple sclerosis (MS) data from Biogen will be revealedĀ atĀ the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Vancouver, Canada, on April 15ā€“21. Presentations will include studies on TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate),Ā one of the most frequently usedĀ oral MS treatments worldwide, as well as several other…

CONy16: Debate Weighs MS Therapy Risks of Infections Like PML in Terms of Benefits Offered

Certain therapies used toĀ treat multiple sclerosis (MS) have been associated with opportunistic infections of the central nervous system, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but often fatal brain disorder caused by the John Cunningham (JC) virus. The question of whether the risk for opportunistic infections to MS patients outweighs…

MS Patients Under Natalizumab Treatment May Be at Risk of Rare Brain Infection

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with natalizumab have an increased risk of developing high levels of antibodies associated withĀ a virus causing aĀ rare, but often fatal, brain infection known asĀ progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), researchers reported. TheirĀ study, ā€œTherapy with natalizumab is associated with high JCV seroconversion and rising JCV index values,ā€…

Protein Seen to Impede Remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Researchers from Karolinska Institute, Sweden, reported that the immune-associated protein lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is increased in multiple sclerosis, particularly inĀ patients with progressive MS. The researchers, however, concluded that the factor cannotĀ be used as a biomarker for the disease. The study, “Lipocalin-2 is increased in progressive multiple sclerosis…

2 New Treatments for Relapsing-Remitting MS Now Available in New Zealand

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of New Zealand (MSNZ)Ā announced thatĀ PHARMAC has agreed with its requestĀ toĀ finance two novel first-in-line therapies for relapsing-remitting forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), making them accessible to patients there. PHARMAC recently agreed to fund theĀ two treatments, teriflunomide (Aubagio), supplied by Sanofi-Aventis NZ, and dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera),…

Clinical Benefit of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Therapies Highlighted in Review

A review study recently published in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Review (CDSR) focused on the clinical benefit of different therapiesĀ available for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study is entitled ā€œImmunomodulators and immunosuppressants for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysisā€ and was led…

New MS Study Shows TYSABRI Improves Cognitive Impairment

Researchers at Spedali Civili of Brescia in Italy recently published findings in the journal PLoS OneĀ that Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) can improve cognitive impairment in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over the course ofĀ at least three years. The study is entitled ā€œNatalizumab Significantly…

PHARMAC Approves Funding New RRMS Treatments in New Zealand

New Zealand-basedĀ Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) has approved the funding of new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), which are expected not only to reach more patients, but also be more effective in curtailing the disease’s progressive symptoms. The therapies currently funded are meant for the treatment ofĀ …

Researchers Find MS Drug Fingolimod Decreases Gd-enhancing Lesions

Fingolimod is a disease modifying therapy (DMT) used to treat relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients as well as patients who continue to present with relapses despite treatment with beta interferon drugs, and is the first oral medication to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug…