November 2, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Still Reigns for Progressive MS, Spherix Reports, But Challenges Noted GenentechāsĀ OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) continues to be the most prescribed treatment for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) amongĀ U.S. neurologists, according to the latestĀ Spherix Global Insightsā report. However, NovartisāĀ MayzentĀ (siponimod) āis beginning to close the gapā with Ocrevus among those with active secondary progressive MS…
October 19, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Mayzent in the UK, Aubagio and Other DMTs, Unemployment Mayzent Approved for Active SPMS Patients in England and Wales This is great news for people with MS in England and Wales. Mayzent (siponimod) is a needed weapon in the MS battle. It is approved for use in active cases of secondary progressive MS (SPMS), while most other disease-modifying…
October 16, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mayzent Approved for Active SPMS Patients in England and Wales Mayzent (siponimod) has become the first oral medication to be approved for people with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in England and Wales. Following this decision by England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ā which reversed itsĀ opinion announced in June ā the…
October 15, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Mayzent Approved for Active Secondary Progressive MS in Scotland The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has approved Mayzent (siponimod) for the treatment of active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in Scotland. Mayzent, developed by Novartis, is a tablet taken once daily to counter a person’s disability progression. SPMS gradually develops from relapsing-remitting MS, and is…
October 7, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Rituximab Seen to Affect How B-cells Return After Treatment Stops Rituximab, an investigational B-cell depletion therapy that target CD20 to treat people with multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā has significant effects on the characteristics of B-cells that return after treatment is stopped, with cells being less mature yet more activated toward a pro-inflammatory state, a study showed. Treatment also…
October 5, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gilenya and Tecfidera Similarly Effective at Treating RRMS, Real-world Study Says Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are similarly effective at lowering the frequency of relapses and delaying disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a real-world study from Switzerland reported. These efficacy measures were also consistent whether patients were new to aĀ disease-modifying therapy (DMT)…
September 23, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Siemens Healthineers, Novartis Partner to Develop NfL Diagnostic Test The development of a diagnostic test using neurofilament light chain (NfL) ā a biomarker for nerve cell damage ā for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will be part of a collaboration program between Siemens HealthineersĀ and Novartis. The goal of this new collaboration is to design, develop,…
September 22, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Gilenya Remains Favorite S1P Receptor Modulator in US, But Zeposia May Catch Up, Survey Finds Among oral sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators for multiple sclerosis (MS), Novartisās GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) remains physiciansā favorite in the U.S., but prescriptions of recently-launched Bristol Myers Squibbās Zeposia (ozanimod) are beginning to rise,Ā according to a survey conducted by Spherix Global Insights. Also, COVID-19Ā not…
September 11, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Progressive MS Trial of Kesimpta Not on Horizon, But Other Possibilities in Works Novartis is not planning to open a clinical trial ofĀ Kesimpta (ofatumumab)Ā as a potential treatment for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) anytime soon, a company executive said. But it is well aware of the “unmet need” for therapy options among this patient group, and is exploring avenues. “We do…
September 11, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Novartis to Present Latest Data on Kesimpta, Mayzent and Gilenya Novartis will present the latest clinical data on three of its approved multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies ā Kesimpta (ofatumumab), Mayzent (siponimod), and Gilenya (fingolimod) ā at the Ā MSVirtual2020 meeting that opens today. The 8th joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and…
September 10, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New and Ongoing Trials Evaluating Kesimpta, Including as Switch Therapy Upcoming and ongoing clinical trials aim to expand an understanding ofĀ Kesimpta (ofatumumab), theĀ Novartis therapy recently approvedĀ by theĀ U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationĀ (FDA) to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Kesimpta is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, a type of treatment that is thought to work…
September 1, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Kesimpta Meets Safety, Efficacy and Flexibility Needs of Relapsing MS, Experts Say Kesimpta (ofatumumab) is a safe and effective treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), with an ease of delivery that makes it more convenient than comparable therapies, experts say. Developed and marketed by Novartis, Kesimpta was recently approved by the…
August 24, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Kesimpta, Ocrevus and Chickenpox, Generic Tecfidera, UTIs FDA Approves Kesimpta, B-cell Targeting Therapy for Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Kesimpta (ofatumumab) this month is a pretty big deal. Kesimpta is a once-a-month injectable disease-modifying therapy. There’s nothing else like it, because Kesimpta targets B-cells in the immune system. Until now, only…
August 21, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS FDA Approves Kesimpta, B-cell Targeting Therapy for Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novartis‘ Kesimpta (ofatumumab) as a self-administered treatment for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), meaning those withĀ clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS). According to Novartis,…
August 17, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ofatumumab, Aubagio, Oral DMTs, PoNS Device Ofatumumab Seen as Superior to Aubagio at Lowering Relapse Rates in Phase 3 Trials Ofatumumab is a cancer medication that’s awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency to treat MS patients. It’s delivered by injection once a month and aims to reduce…
August 11, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Rituximab More Effective Than Gilenya, Tecfidera, and Comparable to Tysabri, Study Finds Rituximab is more effective and leads to fewer treatment discontinuations in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS)Ā than Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), according to real-world data based on two years of therapy. Rituximabās effectiveness appeared to be comparable to that of Tysabri (natalizumab), but with fewer…
August 10, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD 1 in 5 MS Patients Don’t Adhere to Daily Oral DMTs, Real-world Study Finds About 20%, or 1 in 5,Ā multiple sclerosis (MS) patients fail to adhere to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) taken each day, and about 1 in 4 stop using a prescribed daily oral treatment within one year, a study based on reported real-world use found. The study āReal-world adherence to,…
August 7, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ofatumumab Seen as Superior to Aubagio at Lowering Relapse Rates in Phase 3 Trials Novartis‘ ofatumumab outperformedĀ Aubagio (teriflunomide) at lowering the frequency of relapses and preventing disability progression among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study based on clinical trial data reports. The study, “Ofatumumab versus Teriflunomide in Multiple Sclerosis,” was published in…
June 26, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NICE Does Not Favor Adding Mayzent to NHS England for Active SPMS TheĀ National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending againstĀ Mayzent (siponimod) as a treatment for active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the U.K., because its cost-effectiveness relative to an existing treatment for these patients is not known. NICE’s draft guidance for Mayzent is open…
June 22, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Gilenya and COVID-19, Depression, Switching from Tysabri Gilenya May Help Control Severe Respiratory Disease in COVID-19 This story caught my eye, but not because of the possibility that Gilenya may help someone recover from COVID-19. It caught my eye because this information may give false hope to some people. Some doctors think that at a…
June 19, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Gilenya May Help Control Severe Respiratory Disease in COVID-19 Gilenya (fingolimod), which works to modulate immune system activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), may benefit people with severe respiratory disease associated with COVID-19, a case report highlights. The study, āSevere COVID-19 infection in a patient with multiple sclerosis treated with fingolimod,ā was published in…
June 5, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias Another Medication, Zeposia, Joins the MS Treatment Arsenal By my unofficial count, disease-modifying therapy No. 19 has just become available to people with multiple sclerosis in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zeposia (ozanimod) in late March. While pharmaceutical companies usually rush to make newly approved medications available to patients, with COVID-19 raging,…
June 4, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS FDA Extends Review of Ofatumumab for Relapsing MS to September The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is extending its review of Novartis‘Ā ofatumumab, a possible self-administered injection therapy for relapsingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. Originally expected in June, the FDA decision is now expected in September. “Novartis will continue to work with the FDA to…
May 29, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Ofatumumab Lowers B-cell Counts and Helps Relapsing MS Patients Reach NEDA, Data Show Ofatumumab (OMB157) elicits a strong and fast reduction in the levels of circulating immune cells in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), effectively helping to stop disease activity, according to new data from the Phase 2 APLIOS trial. The medication was also found to be more…
May 12, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD COVID-19 May Not Be Severe in MS Patients, Early Data from Italy Suggest People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be at higher risk of developing a severe COVID-19 infection, according to preliminary data from patients in Italy. āAt the moment, these results seem to be quite reassuring for most people with MS,ā Marco Salvetti, MD, PhD, professor at Sapienza…
May 11, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Bafiertam, Stem Cell Transplant Damage, Gilenya Study, NurOwn Benefits FDA Approves Bafiertam, Tecfidera Bioequivalent, for Relapsing MS This is the second disease-modifying therapy (DMT) OK’d by the FDA in the past few months. Bafiertam is a delayed-release pill that’s similar to Tecfidera, but it’s said that it has fewer side effects. Unfortunately, its manufacturer hasn’t yet made it…
May 7, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Long-term Gilenya Use Helps Delay Disability in Relapsing MS, 10-year Study Reports People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated withĀ GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) for eight or more years show smaller increases in disability over 10 years than those using this treatment for a shorter time, a long-term follow-up study reports. Longer use ofĀ Gilenya also resulted in lesser disability progression,…
April 22, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Starting Mayzent Early of Greater Benefit in SPMS, 5-Year Trial Data Show People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who began treatment with MayzentĀ early and continued its use for years are less likely to experience disability progression than those starting the medication later in their disease course, five-year data from the EXPAND study suggest. Data from this same Phase 3…
April 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Use Still Growing in Europe But Challenges on Horizon, Spherix Reports Prescriptions ofĀ RocheāsĀ OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients initiating or switching aĀ disease-modifying therapy (DMT) continue to rise in Europe, according toĀ a surveyĀ conducted byĀ Spherix Global Insights. Ocrevus, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody administered directly into a vein,Ā was approved in the European UnionĀ to treat active forms…
April 10, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gilenya May Raise Risk of Intestinal Parasitic Infection, Report Suggests Treatment with GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) could make people with multiple sclerosis (MS) more vulnerable to the parasitic infection known as cryptosporidiosis, a case report suggests. The report, “Cryptosporidiosis after treatment with fingolimod: a case report and pharmacovigilance review,” was published in the jorunalĀ BMC Infectious Diseases. Gilenya…