Pharmaceutical giant Novartis recently announced it has signed an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline for exclusive rights to GSK’s investigational CD20-specific monoclonal antibody, Ofatumumab, indicated for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and other autoimmune diseases. Novartis had previously acquired rights to the drug for its indications in oncology, effectively marketing it under brand name Arzerra®.

A recent research study focused on whether regular exercise can benefit children with multiple sclerosis (MS). The article appeared in the August 12, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. MS is characterized by inflammation, which manifests as an…

Most people know that eating too much salt is bad for your health, but a new study suggests that it could also increase the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS). The work appeared in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal, the journal of the Federation of…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating, progressive disease of the nervous system. It is caused by loss of myelin, a fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells and allows them to conduct impulses and communicate. When myelin is lost, areas of damage called “lesions” result, which appear in the brain and…

A new study recently published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry revealed that long-term fingolimod therapy (marketed as Gilenya by Novartis) can maintain a low disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study was conducted by an international team of researchers and…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) presents many life-altering challenges, but most patients naturally focus most often on the physical challenges associated with the condition: problems with movement, sensation and vision that occur as part of disease progression. Unfortunately, depression and suicidal thoughts are common as well. New research suggests that there could be a relationship…

The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) will initiate a clinical trial of guanabenz in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Guanabenz is FDA-approved for high blood pressure, but it may also prevent myelin loss. The drug could be the first for MS to protect myelin from…

Bayer HealthCare recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the filing of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for BETACONNECT for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). BETACONNECT is a new drug delivery option for patients under Bayer’s BETASERON® (interferon beta-1b) therapy. MS is a…

MedDay, a French biotechnology company that studies treatments for nervous system disorders, including multiple sclerosis, announced that MD1003, a highly-concentrated biotin, is effective for treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis, according to results from a recent Phase III trial. MD1003 may have two beneficial effects: 1) increasing myelin, the fatty nerve-insulating…

Biogen has recently announced novel results to support the effectiveness of TECFIDERA (dimethyl fumarate) in the treatment of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The results revealed that TECFIDERA significantly reduced disability progression and relapses in RRMS patients who received their diagnosis for the first time and had a highly active form of the disease. TECFIDERA…

Two already available medications could be used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). In a new study titled, “Drug Based Modulation of Endogenous Stem Cells,” published in the journal Nature on April 20, 2015, scientists report that two drugs could activate stem cells in the brain, possibly repairing MS-induced damage to…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the approval of the first generic version of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The administration has granted Sandoz marketing authorization for glatiramer acetate in 20 mg/1 ml…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly experience a low pain threshold and sensitivity to heat and cold. If a person has multiple sclerosis along with fibromyalgia (FM), that could make this sensitivity even more intense. Until now, no group has studied this phenomenon. In a study titled “…

Biogen plans to present new clinical data at the 67th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., April 18 – 25, 2015, including numerous presentations focusing on multiple sclerosis.  In a company press release, Biogen stated “At AAN, we will feature new scientific data, including research highlighting the…

What may work better than existing drugs to treat severe multiple sclerosis? Stem cells. A phase 2 clinical study from an international group of research centers compared head-to-head autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) and mitoxantrone in treating patients with secondary progressive or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The findings showed that…

Tyler Campbell, the son of the NFL Hall of Famer Earl Campbell, and professional basketball player Chris Wright are not only well-known sports figures, but also for inspiring others with their life journey and struggle with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, Campbell and Wright are inviting other patients who…

Mapi Pharma Ltd., a development stage pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of high-barrier to entry and high-added value generic drugs, announced it has treated the first patient in the Phase IIa study of GA Depot for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Lead investigator Professor Ariel Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Head of the Multiple Sclerosis & Brain…

Genzyme, a Sanofi company with over 30 years of dedication to researching and developing novel treatments for rare and orphan diseases, has just announced the Alberta Drug Program has finally decided to include Aubagio® (teriflunomide) 14mg in the provincial drug formulary, indicated for the first-line…

Lexington, MA-based biopharmaceutical company Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. has just announced its new license partner Pharmsynthez has completed dosing in its ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial with pipeline product MyeloXen™ for relapsing remitting and secondary progressive (SPMS) multiple sclerosis. The MyeloXen trial is currently underway in Russia with…

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the company that developed the injectable multiple sclerosis treatment Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate),  has announced their pursuit of regulatory approval in Japan. This development comes a year after signing an agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. According to a…

Sanofi subsidiary and rare disease treatment specialist Genzyme has just announced the successful enrollment of the first participant in their multicenter Phase II clinical trial for the company’s pipeline intravenous drug for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), vatelizumab. This novel drug is composed of humanized monoclonal antibodies that specifically target…

A member of the musical Osmond family, David Osmond, recently released a music video for his inspirational song “I Can Do This.” He has dedicated it to men and women all over the world who are faced with challenges that make them doubt their abilities and self-worth, but the real…

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…

Deepelling International conferences on multiple sclerosis (MS) typically gather the most accomplished experts and leading biotech companies under one roof to exchange discoveries and celebrate new hope for MS patients all over the world. Quebec is one of North America’s epicenters for MS research and developments. This year, on…

During the 30th Congress of the European Committee for Research and Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) last week in Boston, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA), together with Active Biotech (NASDAQ OMX NORDIC:ACTI), presented new follow-up data evaluating the clinical safety of laquinimod in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)…

Biopharmaceutical company Receptos, Inc. announced that they will review data from the phase 2 portion of the RADIANCE trial, the company’s phase 2 / 3 study testing RPC1063 in the treatment of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS). The data is being presented at the largest meeting dedicated to multiple sclerosis…

Those attending this week’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS convention set to take place on the 10th of September until the 13th in Boston, can expect Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to present promising findings on Gilenya (fingolimod) — the company’s leading oral formulation for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previously completed studies and clinical trials,…

A dynamic research team composed of doctors and scientists recently completed and published a study that sought to gain a better understanding of walking impairment, as it is manifested in patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease wherein the impulse-conducting myelin sheath is attacked by the body’s own…

As researchers continue to develop a clearer understanding of the underlying causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is becoming increasingly apparent that the future of treating the disease is likely to center on neural protection and a reversal of the demyelination process that strips away the critical insulation…

Fingolimod is a disease modifying therapy (DMT) used to treat relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients as well as patients who continue to present with relapses despite treatment with beta interferon drugs, and is the first oral medication to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug…