August 30, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Long-term Ponvory Treatment Safe, Effective in RRMS, Trial Data Show Long-term treatment with Ponvory (ponesimod) safely and effectively reduces the rate of relapses, slows disability worsening, and prevents brain volume decline in adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Thatās according to eight years of data from patients enrolled in a now-completed Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT01006265)Ā and its…
July 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Rituximab Outperforms Tecfidera at Preventing Relapses in Phase 3 Trial Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with rituximab were more than five times less likely to experience a relapse compared with patients given Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), according to data fromĀ a Phase 3 clinical trial. Patients on the experimental therapy also were 32% more likely to have no evidence…
July 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Aubagio May Significantly Lower Relapse Risk in Children With MS Treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) may significantly reduce the risk of relapse in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of the TERIKIDS clinical trial that took into account data from adult trials. Results wereĀ in the paper “Reinterpreting Clinical Trials in Children With…
December 2, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tecfidera May Be Effective Option for Relapsing MS Patients Who Fail to Respond to Glatiramer Acetate Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) may be an effective treatment option for patients with early relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who fail to respond adequately to glatiramer acetate, according to a post-hoc analysis of an observational study. The findings were reported in an article, āEffectiveness…
March 27, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Smoking Increases Relapses in RRMS Patients Receiving Interferon-beta, Study Suggests Cigarette smoking increases the relapse rate in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who are being treated with interferon-beta, a study suggests. The findings suggest that RRMS patients who smoke may have fewer relapses if they quit. An article on the results, āSmoking affects the interferon beta treatment response in multiple sclerosis,ā appeared in the journal Neurology. A number of studies have looked at the link betweenĀ environmental and lifestyle factors and the risk of developing MS. These factors include how much sunlight and vitamin D patients get and whether they have anĀ Epstein-Barr virus infection. Cigarette smoking is a well-documented risk factor in MS, but most of the studies on it have focused on the link between smoking and MS, or the link between smoking and the Ā disease's progression. āStudies that addressed the relationship between smoking and disease activity in RRMS are rarer,ā the researchers wrote. The team decided to investigate whether smoking during interferon-beta treatment would affect relapse rates. Previous research had set the stage for the study by showing a link between smoking and gene mutations that make people more susceptible to developing MS. The mutations were in theĀ HLA and NAT1 genes. The team looked at DNA from 834 RRMS patients in the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Biobank who were treated with interferon-beta. Well-known brand names of the treatment include Rebif, Avonex, and Plegridy. There are also other brand names and biosimilar drugs. Researchers also looked at patientsā medical records two years before they started on interferon-beta. Before making any conclusions on possible links between smoking and patients' relapse rate, the team adjusted for patientsā sex, age at the start of treatment, and number of relapses in the two years before treatment began. Their key conclusion was that smoking increased by more than a quarterĀ the number of relapses in patients on interferon-beta therapy. āEach pack of cigarettes more per day during IFN-Ī² [interferon-beta] treatment increased the number of relapses by 27%,ā the team wrote. The researchers found no association among smoking, relapses, and mutations of the HLA or NAT1 genes. āOur results confirm that lifestyle factors are important in MS, suggesting that smoking cessation may be associated with a reduction in disease activity,ā they wrote. āAlthough not formally proving that smoking cessation will decrease disease activity in RRMS, the results should encourage physicians to inform patients with MS about the harmful effect of smoking and increase focus on smoking cessation,ā they observed.
April 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lemtrada Might Outperform Ocrevus in Preventing MS Relapses, Italian Researchers Say Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) may be more effective in preventing relapses in multiple sclerosis patients than the newly approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), according to a study presented April 28Ā atĀ the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2017 Annual MeetingĀ in Boston. TheĀ study, supported by Sanofi Genzyme and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, compared…
October 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Phase 3 Study to Test Oral Combination, Tecfidera and Ponesimod, to Treat Relapsing MS ActelionĀ announced that it will investigate the therapeutic potential of a new, oral combination therapy with ponesimod andĀ Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) asĀ a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The Phase 3 clinical study, being conducted underĀ a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aims to find…
September 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Data on Merck Treatment for Relapsing MS, Cladribine Tablets, Show Long-Term Benefit MerckĀ recently presented new efficacy data from itsĀ three Phase 3 clinical trials, showing that a relatively short course of treatment withĀ Cladribine tabletsĀ led to long-term reductions in annualized relapse rate (ARR) in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The data were givenĀ in two oral presentationĀ at the 32nd Congress of the…
June 13, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Genmab to Begin Phase 3 Trials of Ofatumumab to Treat Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis GenmabĀ announced plans to soon begin a Phase 3Ā clinical trial program assessing the subcutaneous formulation of ofatumumabĀ as a potential treatment forĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The company, workingĀ in collaboration with its partnerĀ Novartis, will begin enrolling patients in September in trials that willĀ evaluate the efficacy and safety of ofatumumab compared…
February 24, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Relapsing MS Treatment Showing Efficacy in Phase 2 Extension Study, Celgene Reports at ACTRIMS 2016 Celgene CorporationĀ announced theĀ results from anĀ extension studyĀ of theĀ RADIANCE Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating ozanimod in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The results were also presented at the recentĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016Ā in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ozanimod is a small…
January 13, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Patients Treated in Clinical Practice with Fingolimod Show Benefits New research evaluating fingolimodās clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) largely supported its use, finding that the oral drugās efficacy in a real-world settingĀ was comparable to results observed in Phase 3Ā clinical studies. The research article, āEfficacy and Safety of Fingolimod in an Unselected…