October 30, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NEDA 3 and 4 ‘hard to achieve’ with relapsing MS, real-world study finds Achieving NEDA ā no evidence of disease activity ā after two years of treatment was not common among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at a center in Italy. NEDA more often was reached, however, when researchers didn’t include the first few months of treatment in their analysis, suggesting…
November 16, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Benefited RRMS Patients Who Responded Poorly to DMTs Most relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients switching to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) following suboptimal responses to other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) show no evidence of disease activity, according to final two-year data from the European-based CASTING Phase 3b trial. These clinical benefits, which entail no relapses or disease progression and no…
July 7, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Early High-efficacy Therapies May Be Better to Eliminate MS Activity Using high-efficacy therapies as a first treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients significantly increases the likelihood of having no evidence of disease activity after one and two years, compared to using moderately effective therapies, according to a real-world study of Norwegian patients. However, with each additional attempted treatment, the…
November 10, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stem Cell Transplant More Effective Than Lemtrada in Treating RRMS, Study Suggests An autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantĀ (AHSCT) is more effective than LemtradaĀ (alemtuzumab) at achieving no evidence of disease activity and preventing relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), a real-life study in Sweden reported. Adverse events (side effects) were more frequent with AHSCT over the first three…
November 9, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Tysabri Superior to Gilenya at Easing Activity in RRMS, Study Reports Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) was more effective thanĀ Gilenya (fingolimod) in helping people with relapsingāremitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) achieve no evidence of disease activity, a head-to-head study suggested. The study, “BEST-MS: A prospective head-to-head comparative study of natalizumab and fingolimod in active relapsing MS,” was…
September 24, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Older Age at DMT Discontinuation Linked to Sustained NEDA in CIS Patients Older age at disease-modifying therapy (DMT) discontinuation is the main predictive factor of sustained “no evidence of disease activity” (NEDA) in people starting DMT immediately after being diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), according to a study in Austria. In particular, patients discontinuing DMT at age 45 or…
September 16, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Pediatric MS Patients May Do Best on Intravenous DMTs, Study Finds Most children and adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), especially those treated intravenously with a disease-modifying therapyĀ (DMT), achieve no evidence of disease activity within two years of diagnosis, according to a real-life study from the U.S. Patients whose DMTs are infused into a vein (intravenous treatment) areĀ more likely…
September 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 ā No Evidence of Disease Activity Seen in Most RRMS Patients After Switching to Ocrevus, Data Show Switching to Genentechās OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) following suboptimal treatment responses significantly lessens symptoms and leads to high rates of no evidence of disease activity in people withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), according to data from a Phase 3b clinical trial. That finding, as well as data about patients’ adherence and…
October 16, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Tysabri Treatment Leads to Disease Activity-free Status in Patients with Pediatric-onset MS Early treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) of patients with aggressive pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis is highly effective at achieving disease activity-free status and preventing cognitive decline, a new study shows. The study, āNo evidence of disease activity including cognition (NEDA-3 plus) in naĆÆve pediatric multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab,ā…
September 13, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplants Safe and Help Stop Progressive MS, Trial Data Show Transplanting mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is safe and can delay disease progression in people with active, progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from a single-center clinical trial conducted in Israel. Six months after the transplant, a considerable proportion of patients showed no signs of disease activity, compared to…
February 28, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – No Evidence of Disease Activity Seen in POMS Adolescents Taking Rituximab, Small Study Shows Data supporting the off-label use of rituximab in adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) was presented atĀ the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2019. The session, titledĀ āNo Evidence of Disease Activity in the Majority of Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Rituximab,ā…
October 15, 2018 News by BioNews Staff #ECTRIMS2018 – Post-hoc Analyses Support Safety and Efficacy of Mavenclad, Merck KGaA Says Substantial data supporting both the effectiveness and safety of Mavenclad (cladribine tablets) is before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and may lead to its approval as a short-course oral treatment for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) some seven years after a first such request…
April 23, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #AAN2018 ā Neurofilament Light Blood Levels Can Help Define Disease Activity in RRMS, Study Shows Analysis of a potential blood biomarker linked to brain cell damage can help define disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Results of a study showed that determining blood levels of neurofilament light chain, or NfL, could help in establishing āno evidence of disease activity,ā or NEDA, status…
March 29, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Ocrevus Outperforms Rebif in Preventing Relapsing MS Activity, Analysis Shows Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) was more effective thanĀ RebifĀ (interferon beta-1a) at preventing relapsing multiple sclerosis activity, according to an analysis that covered two Phase 3 clinical trials. The comparison dealt with the therapies’ ability to generate and maintain a condition known as no evidence of disease activity,…
October 26, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā Mavenclad Is ‘Smart’ Therapy for Active Relapsing MS, Researcher Says MavencladĀ (cladribine tablets), an oral therapy byĀ MerckĀ that’s approved to treat people with active relapsing multiple sclerosis in much of Europe, is a “smart therapy” that is showing real and long-term benefit after a short treatment course, said Gavin Giovannoni, chair of neurology atĀ Barts and The London School of Medicine…
August 31, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Tecfidera Shows Promise as Replacement MS Therapy for Tysabri, Study Shows Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) can be a suitable replacement therapy whenĀ Tysabri (natalizumab) is discontinued, keeping low levels of disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a report published in theĀ Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness and…
July 24, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Study Draws Reverse Link Between Number of a Patientās MRI Scans a Doctor Checks and Worsened-MS Declarations A new study draws a reverse link between the number of MRI scans of multiple sclerosis patients who are on interferon-beta 1a and doctors declaring there is evidence of the patients’ disease worsening. When doctors looked at one scan, rather than multiple ones, they were more likely to say that…
April 25, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Real-world Data of Gilenya Treatment Validates Slowed Brain Shrinkage as Disease Progression Measure A real-world study of Gilenya (fingolimod) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) confirms benefits of the treatment seen in clinical trials. The Novartis-sponsored study also demonstrated that measures of brain shrinkage can be used in a clinical setting to evaluate disease progression. The data, presented at theĀ American Academy of…
March 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Approves Ocrevus as 1st MS Treatment for Both Relapsing and Primary Progressive Forms At long last, and for the first time in medical history, peopleĀ with both relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis have reason to celebrate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)Ā as a disease-modifying therapy for both forms of MS, aĀ chronic autoimmune disease.
March 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ocrevus’ Journey from Defiant Idea to Game-Changing Treatment Twenty years ago, the idea that B-cell depletion could treat multiple sclerosisĀ would have been greeted with a hearty laughĀ byĀ any well-respected neurologist or MS researcher ā or perhapsĀ a scoff. But times change and research advances. Today, a medicine that gets rid of certain B-cells may beĀ the most powerful drug yetĀ developed against…
February 27, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Ocrevus Significantly Decreases Disease Activity in MS Patients, Study Shows Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), an investigational monoclonal antibody, significantly decreases disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and is associated with a higher proportion of patients reaching no evidence of disease activity (NEDA), according to a new analysis. The study,Ā āNEDA analysis by epoch in patients with relapsing multiple…
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…
January 3, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ocrevus Seen in Phase 3 Trials to Benefit Both Primary Progressive and Relapsing MS Patients Recently published data from three Phase 3 trials of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) show that the investigational drug does what no other therapy has achieved so far ā working to prevent disease in both relapsing and primary progressive (PP) forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Publications in the New England Journal…
September 22, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Treatment for Relapsing MS, Ozanimod, Shows Efficacy in 2-Year Extension of Phase 2 Study Results from the extension period of aĀ Phase 2 trial,Ā assessingĀ ozanimod as a potential treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, showed that the drug can effectively and safely improve clinical measures of RRMS after two years of treatment. The announcement was made by Celgene International SĆ rl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation,…
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 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Biogen and AbbVie Present New Positive Data on Zinbryta to Treat Relapsing MS BiogenĀ andĀ AbbVieĀ presented positive new post-hoc analysis from the pivotal DECIDE clinical trial, whichĀ showed that a significantly larger number of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) patients treated with Zinbryta (daclizumab) hadĀ no evidence of disease activity (NEDA)Ā compared to thoseĀ treated with Avonex (interferon beta-1a).Ā The data wereĀ given at the recentĀ 32nd Congress of the European…
September 16, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Stem Cell Transplantation Shows High Efficiency A high fraction of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who underwent a transplant with their own bone marrow stem cells after immunosupression therapy, show no signs of disease activity after treatment, according to a new study. The results were presented inĀ a talk, āClinical experience in aggressive multiple sclerosis treatment with…
September 15, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – New Data Show Ocrevus Effective in Treating Primary and Relapsing MS Positive new dataĀ from Phase 3 clinical trials assessingĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as a treatment for both relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) were recently announced by Roche, the company responsible for marketing and developing this investigationalĀ therapy. The results are being presented at the 32nd Congress of the…
August 11, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Early Disease Activity in MS Seen to Have Little Long-Term, Prognostic Value A large study of multiple sclerosis patients (MS) came to the conclusion that clinical and brain imaging assessments drawn from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scansĀ areĀ poor measures of long-term prognosis for patients. The study, āLong-term evolution of multiple sclerosis disability in the treatment era,ā published in the journal…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #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…