Plegridy

Fewer than 1 in 5 people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) or 10 other neurological conditions in the U.S. are on new-to-market medications. That’s according to a large data study funded by the American Academy of Neurology, which also linked more recently available treatments — those approved in the…

Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a), an approved treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), is detected at minimal concentrations in the breast milk of patients using the therapy postpartum, a small study showed. This is in line with label updates on Plegridy and other interferon beta therapies in Europe and…

More than half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with self-injectable therapies — namely, glatiramer acetate, marketed as Copaxone, among others, or any of a host of interferons — showed no evidence of disease activity after two years, according to a study out of Turkey. Among patients treated for…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an intramuscular injection formulation of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This formulation, for injection directly into muscle, is what is typically used to deliver the flu shot. According to Biogen, Plegridy’s…

The European Commission (EC) has approved a new, intramuscular formulation of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This new mode of administration — in which Plegridy is directly injected into the muscle, rather than under the skin (subcutaneously) — does…

Biogen has released new data on several of its therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), including Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), and Tysabri (natalizumab). The data — six presentations — originally were to be presented at the 2020 annual conference of the American…

Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) and Avonex (interferon beta-1a), both by Biogen, may be used — if necessary — by women with relapsing multiple sclerosis who are pregnant or breastfeeding, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in updating prescribing information for these MS treatments. Due to the limited…

The National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) in the U.K. issued its final decision, approving the inclusion of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in England within the National Health Service (NHS). This decision follows a cost-effectiveness review done in May 2018,…

If necessary, women with relapsing multiple sclerosis can continue treatments based on interferon beta while pregnant and breastfeeding, according to an updated recommendation by an office of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Interferon beta-based treatments are a mainstay of approved MS therapies. Three specific treatments were mentioned in press…

Biogen is presenting new data highlighting the potential clinical benefits of Tysabri (natalizumab), Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a), and Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for the treatment of specific groups of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), including pregnant women and patients with relapsing forms of the disease. The new…

Treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) with beta-interferon therapies is associated with extended patient survival, particularly if taking such treatments for more than three years, according to a real-world study in Canada and France. The study, “Multiple sclerosis: effect of beta interferon treatment on survival,” was…

Many of us have received help to pay for our MS medications. Now there’s a chance that assistance could be threatened. A recent article in the The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. government prosecutors are looking into whether some pharmaceutical companies’ patient assistance programs are on the wrong…

The newest kids on the MS block, disease-modifying therapies (DMT) such as Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Sanofi Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), are attracting a lot of interest these days. But, some DMTs that have been around for more than two decades are still being prescribed by a lot of neurologists.

Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “P.” Last in a series of seven. Symptoms of MS Phosphenes If you’ve ever noticed bright, flashing, swirling, or circular light patterns on the…

A British board that recommends what treatments the National Health Service should cover has advised the system to use only Extavia (interferon beta 1b) as a treatment for MS patients who continue to have relapses. Cost was at the heart of the National Institute for Health and Care…

A cost-effectiveness analysis of reimbursement recommendations for four relatively new multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments made by agencies in four countries — Australia, Canada, Sweden, and the U.K. — found overwhelming support (88 percent) for either full or restricted reimbursement for each therapy. The analysis, performed by the Decision Resources Group, is…

The CVS Caremark covered insurance plan has dropped Avonex, Plegridy and Extavia, three multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies, from their 2017 formulary. You say, OK, but what does that really mean? If your prescription insurance is through CVS Caremark, and you want one of those drugs or one…

Advancing key medicinal treatments like TECFIDERA (dimethyl fumarate), the most prescribed oral treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), is a key focus of a company-wide restructuring recently announced by Biogen, Inc. TECFIDERA has been shown to reduce relapse rates, slow disability progression and the number of brain lesions in patients with relapsing forms…

Biogen, a biotechnology company focused on innovative therapies for autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and hematological conditions, recently announced that it will present new data on its multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio of therapeutic agents at the upcoming 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis…

Relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) treatment Plegridy (peg interferon beta-1a) by Biogen Idec, has just received Welsh NHS approval, which should make it available to patients by late October 2015. The decision follows NHS Scotland’s approval earlier this year, however, the biweekly interferon beta shot has yet to be made available in England’s NICE…

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has just approved Biogen Idec’s Plegridy (peg interferon beta-1a) for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients between 18 to 65 years old, making the Consortium the first United Kingdom-based regulatory body to endorse the disease-modifying drug on the…

Now more than ever, groundbreaking, new therapies for chronic diseases and infections come with high price tags. Earlier in the year, Gilead Sciences’ drug Sovaldi for Hepatitis C, as well as Vertex’s Kalydeco for Cystic Fibrosis, both raised eyebrows over their cost. Now, a new MS therapy is doing the…

Biogen Idec revealed data from its second year of the phase 3 ADVANCE clinical trial for the study of Plegridy as a treatment for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, which demonstrated the positive effects of the subcutaneous injectable therapy beyond the first year…

Biogen Idec, a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions and autoimmune disorders, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PLEGRIDYTM (peginterferon beta-1a), a new treatment for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis…

The European Commission granted marketing authorization for the use of Plegridy, a drug developed by Biogen Idec as a treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval comes at a time when…

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency recently offered a positive opinion for the marketing authorization of Biogen Idec’s Plegridy therapy, a pegylated interferon administered subcutaneously for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The positive opinion will now be sent to the European Commission, which grants…