October 3, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Acthar Gel Eases MS Flare-up Symptoms After Two Months of Treatment, Observational Study Shows Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) eased flare-up symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experiencing relapses, top-line data from an observational registry study shows. Acthar Gel, a medication developed and marketed by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, is a compound that enhances the production of steroids in the…
September 18, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 ā Ponesimod Superior to Aubagio in Relapsing MS, OPTIMUM Trial Shows Actelion‘s ponesimod, an investigational oral treatment, is superior to Sanofi‘s Aubagio (teriflunomide) in lessening the frequency of relapses and easing fatigue symptoms in adults with active, relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), results of the OPTIMUM trial show. These data will lay the ground for submissions…
September 18, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Acthar Gel Seen as Cost-effective Late-line Treatment Option for MS Relapses Late-line use ofĀ H.P. Acthar GelĀ to treat relapses in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) is linked with lower costs than other therapies used after an initial poor response, including plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin, according to an analysis by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, the treatment’s marketer. George Wan, PhD, Mallinckrodt’sĀ vice president and…
September 17, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Tysabri During Pregnancy and After Delivery Seems Safe, Reduces Relapse Risk, Study Finds Continuing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment up to week 28 of pregnancy, and restarting soon after birth, reduces the risk of relapses in women with multiple sclerosis and appears to be safe for the mother and the baby, new research suggests. Doriana Landi, MD, PhD, from Italy’s University of…
September 17, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 ā Ofatumumab Superior to Aubagio in Lowering Relapse Rates and Lesions, Data Show Monthly under-the-skin injections of ofatumumab are superior to AubagioĀ (teriflunomide) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), leading to over 50% reduction in relapse rates, and more than a 90% reduction in active brain lesions, compared with Aubagio, results from ASCLEPIOS I…
September 17, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Age Seen as Crucial in MS Outcomes, with 40 Marking Shift from Relapses to Progression Age at disease onset is tightly linked to clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosisĀ patients, a Swiss study in those on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) reports. It foundĀ a risk of continuous relapses more likely in pediatric MS, and that of disease progression in those with adult-onset MS. Patients at age 40…
September 17, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Relapses Tied to Greater Medical and Personal Costs in Real-world Data Relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with greater medical and non-medical costs, according to real-world data from two German observational studies. These findings support early treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that help to control disease relapses, its researchers said, as a way of possibly reducing such economic…
September 13, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Longer DMT Use and Female Sex Seen to Protect Against SPMS Conversion Women with multiple sclerosis (MS), and people who stay in a relapsing stage or use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for longer periods are less likely to transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) than others, according to a study based on the Italian MS registry. But patients whose…
September 11, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 ā MS Patients Should Be Informed about Pregnancy Risks and Family Planning, Experts Say While pregnancy does not appear to affect the disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS), questions remain about the best time to stop or resume treatment before conception and after delivery, the safety of new medications, and the importance of family planning. Pregnancy was the “hot topic” discussion today…
August 5, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Vaccines Pose No Risk of Developing MS, Large Population Study in Germany Reports Vaccines are not a risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), a large data analysis spanning more than 12,250 MS patients in Germany shows. Fewer vaccinations were given to people who ā five years later ā would be diagnosed with MS, compared to those who would be diagnosed with…
March 27, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD FDA Approves Novartis’ Mayzent for Relapsing Forms of Multiple Sclerosis, Including Active SPMS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novartis’ Mayzent (siponimod) oral tablets for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), including clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting disease (RRMS), and active secondary progressive disease (SPMS). Mayzent was designed to inhibit the activity of…
December 7, 2018 News by Alberto Molano, PhD Tysabri Seen as Superior to IFN-Ī² in Preventing Relapses, Easing Disability in Small Study Tysabri (natalizumab) was found to be superior to interferon beta (IFN-Ī²) in a small, 12-month study with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, significantly decreasing their disability levels, its researchers report. A vast majority ā 90 percent ā of Tysabri-treated patients experienced no relapses during the study period,…
November 26, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD FDA Warns of Rare Risk of Severe Worsening in MS Disability After Stopping Gilenya Use The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety alert, warningĀ that people with relapsingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā who stop usingĀ Gilenya (fingolimod) may experience disease worsening beyond that when starting the medicine or while taking it. Reported cases of such increases in MS disability upon stopping treatment are…
October 16, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Study Examines Relapses When Stopping Gilenya During, After Pregnancy Up to half of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who stop treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) when planning to become pregnant will experience a relapse during pregnancy, according to a new study. The findings also revealed relapses over the first six months after giving birth in a quarter of…
October 12, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 ā Early Relapses and Larger Lesions Increase Risk of Developing SPMS, Study Reports A higher frequency of early relapses, as well as a larger volume of lesions and older age at disease onset, increase the risk of transitioning from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to a study. The study, āEarly cortical pathology and…
April 30, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AAN2018 – New AAN Guideline Favors Advising Patients to Use DMTs Early in Disease Course A new American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guideline recommends that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in general be counseled to start treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as early as possible. Considerations on switching and stopping treatments are also presented in the guideline. The report, āPractice guideline recommendations…
April 3, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Pain Treatment During Labor Does Not Increase Risk of MS Relapses After Delivery, Study Finds A certain type of pain-relief treatment during childbirth does not increase the risk that women with multiple sclerosisĀ will have relapses after delivering, a European study reports. The research involved treatments called neuraxial analgesia, so the scientists titled their studyĀ āNeuraxial analgesia is not associated with an increased risk of…
March 21, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Blood Stem Cell Transplants Improve RRMS Patients’ Disability, Phase 3 Trial Shows Blood stem cell transplants lead to significant improvements inĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients’ disability, a Phase 3 clinical trial shows. The 110 patients who took part in the MIST study (NCT00273364) were having relapses after receiving standard therapies such asĀ beta interferon, Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), Novantrone (mitoxantrone), Tysabri (natalizumab), Gilenya (fingolimod),…
March 19, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Poorer Sense of Smell Can Be Evident Even in Early Stages of MS, Study Says People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can indeed have a poorer-than-usual sense of smell, with problems possibly starting at early diseases stages, a small Turkish study reports. This work supports previous research noting olfactory problems in MS patients. It also argues that longer disease duration and more relapses are associated…
January 11, 2018 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Newly Diagnosed MS Patients Stay Longer on Rituxan Than Other Therapies, Study Finds Multiple sclerosis patients whose first treatment is Genentech'sĀ Rituxan (rituximab) stay on it longer than other disease-modifying drugs that patients start with, a Swedish study reports. When they stop taking Rituxan, Ā it usually isn't for lack of effectiveness or side effects...
November 15, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ozanimod Superior to Avonex in Treating Relapsing MS in Phase 3 Trials, Celgene Reports Celgene released the results of two Phase 3 trials showing that patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who were treated withĀ ozanimod had lowerĀ relapse rates andĀ fewer MRI brain lesions compared to those given a current first-line therapy, AvonexĀ (interferon Ī²-1a). These results will be used to support a request…
October 31, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Relapses May Be Significantly Under-Reported. Duh. This comes as no surprise to me and probably not to you. MS patients may not always contact their healthcare providers when they’re having a relapse. This information comes via a pair of surveys that were released at the recent ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS conference in Paris. In the first,…
October 25, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – MOG-associated Demyelination Can Be Treated with Steroids, but Maintenance Is Required People with aĀ demyelinating disease associated withĀ antibodies against a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), most often develop episodes of optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve) that can be treated with corticosteroids, according to data presented today at theĀ 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS MeetingĀ from Oct. 25-28 in Paris. MOG antibody-associated demyelination is a…
September 7, 2017 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #MSParis2017 – Gilenya Reduces Relapses in Children and Adolescents with MS, Novartis Trial Shows Gilenya decreased relapses in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis in the phase 3 PARADIGMS trial, according to the therapy's developer, Novartis. The Swiss company will present the trial's results at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting, set for Oct. 25-28 in Paris. The study addressed the safety and efficacy of an oral, once-daily dose of Gilenya in 215 MS patients aged 10 to 17. Participants received 0.5 mg or 0.25 mg of Gilenya, according to their body weight, and results were compared with those of intramuscular Avonex (interferon beta-1a given once weekly). The trial ā conducted at 87 sites in 25 countries ā was designed in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group. Gilenya led to a "clinically meaningful decrease in the number of relapses" over a period of up to two years, compared to Avonex, according to the trial. The safety results of Gilenya matched those observed in previous trials, with adverse events more likely among the Avonex group. Importantly, the PARADIGMS trial is the first-ever randomized, controlled Phase 3 study of a disease-modifying therapy in pediatric MS. No treatment is currently available for children and adolescents with MS. Novartis will now complete a thorough evaluation of the results and later submit Gilenya for approval by regulatory agencies. It will also extend the study to a five-year period.
July 7, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Mavenclad Reduces MS Relapses by Resetting the Immune System New analyses of how Merckās Mavenclad (cladribine tablets) act to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) give researchers an entirely new picture of immune processes leading to the disease. Data showed that the drug lowers both immune B-cells and, to a lesser degree, T-cells. But the numbers of both cell…
May 16, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Multiple Sclerosis Experts Offer Guidelines on Contraceptive Use Among Women with MS Two studies that recently appeared in theĀ Multiple Sclerosis JournalĀ shed light onĀ how contraceptive use may affect women with MS, as well as how the disease might affect the safety and effectiveness of birth-control medications. Relapsing MS patients treated with older drugs such as interferons and Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) have a…
April 26, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Sanofi Genzyme to Present New Data on MS Treatments Lemtrada and Aubagio Sanofi Genzyme will present new results on follow-up studies of its products Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio (teriflunomide), both of which have been approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The new data will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual MeetingĀ taking…
January 27, 2017 News by Janet Stewart, MSc Sense of Smell Is Impaired in Half of Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Study Many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a reduced sense of smell, and the more relapses they have, the worse the problem, according to a study suggesting that smell may be a marker for the disease’s progression. Findings also suggested a connection between reduced sense of taste and MS progression. The…
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…
November 9, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Gene Test May Predict Which MS Patients Will Respond to Interferon-beta Therapy In multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who do not respond toĀ interferon-beta treatment, autoimmunity may depend on processes that differ from patients helped by this treatmentā a finding that could lead both to better therapies and tests that predict a patient’s likely response. The study, āAn interferon-Ī²-resistant and NLRP3…