Rebif

Two years of treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) outperformed Rebif (interferon beta-1a) at preventing myelin loss in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of data from the OPERA II clinical trial. Ocrevus’ protection against demyelination was observed both in MS lesions,…

Regular feedback from doctors about dosing data and health status is associated with high and sustained treatment adherence to Rebif (interferon beta-1a) among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using the RebiSmart autoinjector, a two-year observational study shows. This study’s level of treatment adherence — 97.9% — was comparable or superior to the…

Nasal delivery of Rebif’s active ingredient interferon-beta, loaded in carbohydrate-based nanoparticles, reduced disease progression and nerve cell inflammation in a preclinical mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study demonstrated. This alternate, non-invasive, low-cost treatment strategy…

EMD Serono will present new data from programs assessing the efficacy and safety of Mavenclad (cladribine) and Rebif (interferon beta-1a), as well as investigative evobrutinib in treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) at the MSVirtual2020 meeting. Findings are part of 54 abstracts being presented by EMD Serono,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved adding new safety data on pregnancy and breastfeeding to the U.S. label for Rebif (interferon beta-1a), a disease-modifying treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The label update draws on findings from a large population-based study, together with…

I was bruised, broken, and in pain. I had been struggling with Rebif (interferon beta-1a) side effects for over a year, ever since my diagnosis. It was the first multiple sclerosis medication doctors put me on, and it did not work…

Treating relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is not associated with retinal thinning — unlike treatment with Rebif (interferon beta-1a), according to two Phase 3 trials. The findings also showed a link between retinal thinning and brain volume loss. The study, “…

Results from a large observational study of pregnant women with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with an interferon (IFN) beta-1a, like Rebif, before and during the first trimester showed no elevated risk of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy compared to those not using the medicine. This finding was presented at…

Merck KGaA presented new evidence supporting the safety and clinical efficacy of Rebif (interferon beta-1a) for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at the 5th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), June 29–July 2 in Oslo, Norway. The company, known as EMD Serono in the U.S. and Canada, presented 16…

Use of Hospital Palliative Care by MS Patients in US Rose 30-fold Between 2005-14, Study Finds Palliative care emphasizes prevention and relief of a patient’s suffering. Its goal is to improve the quality of life of that patient and his or her family. It’s usually thought of…

Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) on Rebif (interferon beta 1-a), using the RebiSmart autoinjector, have high treatment adherence, despite seasonal weather or temperature fluctuations, as well as fewer relapses over one year, a real-world study reports. The study, “Seasonal adherence to, and effectiveness of,…

Multiple sclerosis patients using Rebif (interferon beta-1a) are not at an increased risk of a stroke, even if remaining on this therapy for more than two years,  a study analyzing safety data from more than a dozen clinical trials and post-marketing surveillance shows. The…

Four disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for  multiple sclerosis — Avonex, Rebif, Betaferon, and Copaxone — are cost-effective and reduce disease progression in MS patients, especially those with relapsing-remitting disease, according to 10-year, real-world results from U.K.’s MS Risk Sharing Scheme (RSS). But the long-term benefits observed wane over…

Long-term treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)  — as well as switching from Rebif (interferon beta-1a) to Ocrevus — leads to a significant and sustained reduction in disease activity in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These previously reported findings are further supported by the latest results drawn from pooled data…

After an agreement to lower their prices, four treatments for relapsing multiple sclerosis — Biogen’s Avonex and Merck KGaA‘s Rebif (both interferon beta-1a), Novartis’ Extavia (interferon beta 1b), and Teva’s Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) — were recommended as cost-effective and long-term therapy options within the National Health Service…

Continuous treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or switching from Rebif (interferon beta-1a) to Ocrevus leads to a significant long-term reduction in relapsing multiple sclerosis activity, a two-year extension study shows. Ocrevus’s maker, Genentech, drew the results from an open-label extension of the Phase 3 OPERA trials. Researchers will present the findings at…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) was more effective than Rebif (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,…

When choosing between the single use autoinjector Rebif Rebidose or the reusable autoinjector Rebiject II, patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) found both easy to very easy to use, according to the results of a study. A higher number of the patients reported a preference for the single-use autoinjector…

Long-term exposure of at least three years of beta-interferon therapies such as Rebif or Avonex may increase the survival of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a population-based study suggests. The study reporting the findings, titled “Beta-interferon and mortality in multiple sclerosis: a population-based international study,” was presented Friday at the ongoing ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting…

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients accurately report the use of the RebiSmart autoinjector to their neurologists, a questionnaire-based study has found. The Phase 4 noninterventional CORE study also suggests that being knowledgeable about RebiSmart is a key factor in improving usage in younger patients and those with lower disability levels.

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is a less expensive treatment option for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) than subcutaneous interferon beta-1a (Rebif) in the long-run, according to a cost-effectiveness analysis published in the Journal of Medical Economics. In addition to lower total costs over a 20-year period, the analysis suggested that Ocrevus…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who used the RebiSmart (Merck Serono) device to inject themselves with interferon beta-1a (INF β-1a) did an excellent job of sticking to their treatment timetable without skipping treatments, according to a study. They also had a lower annual disease relapse rate and more relapse-free periods,…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. National MS Society-Sponsored Group Creates Tool Set to Measure Outcomes in MS Clinical Trials Speeding up clinical trials should have the knock-on effect of shortening the whole process of developing and approving new…

An extension of a Phase 3 clinical trial has shown that early treatment with Rebif (interferon beta-1a) in patients with initial manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS) can prolong the time to a clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) diagnosis over five years. The study, “Subcutaneous interferon β-1a in…

People with relapsing multiple sclerosis who use a device called RebiSmart (Merck Serono) to self-inject medications like Rebif (interferon [IFN] beta-1a) are more likely to take their therapies on a regular schedule and adhere to that schedule, resulting in fewer relapses than those not using the device, according to a retrospective study by  researchers…

EMD Serono, the U.S. and Canadian subsidiary and biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, focuses exclusively on specialty care. With expertise in fertility, endocrinology, oncology and neurology, the company is featuring several innovative products with therapeutic potential in the oncology, immuno-oncology, and immunology fields. Rebif (interferon beta-1a), EMD Serono’s therapy for patients with relapsing…

EMD Serono, the North American biopharmaceutical business arm of Merck, announced it has gained exclusive rights over Rebif (interferon beta-1a) in the United States. Rebif  is a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Rebif, an approved drug, is used to decrease the frequency of MS relapses and delay the occurrence of…

EMD Serono, the U.S. biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, recently announced that the results of the 15 year follow-up trial PRISMS-15 (Prevention of Relapses and Disability by Interferon beta-1a Subcutaneously in Multiple Sclerosis) evaluating Rebif® (interferon beta-1a), a high-dose, high-frequency interferon beta for the treatment of…

EMD Serono, the subsidiary of Merck KGaA in the United States, recently announced that it will present new data on Rebif®, an interferon beta-1a therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), at the upcoming 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), to be…