April 1, 2016 News by Malika Ammam, PhD Study Finds Aubagio Well-tolerated and Efficient in Long-term MS Treatment Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, in collaboration with various institutions from north America and Europe, found that teriflunomide (Aubagio) is well-tolerated and efficient for long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings, entitled āLong-term safety and efficacy of teriflunomide,ā were…
March 28, 2016 News by admin MS Lesions in Cerebellum Ably Predict Disability Levels and Disease Progression, Study Suggests DamageĀ toĀ the cerebellum in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is due moreĀ to the death of actual nerve cellsĀ thanĀ the destruction of white matter connections, a new study out of Italy suggests. The article, which challenges previous ideas about how brain damage in MSĀ occurs, is titledĀ “MRI-detectable cortical lesions in the…
March 24, 2016 News by admin MS Animal Study Suggests That Placental Cells Might Serve as Future Stem Cell Therapy Research on a specific type ofĀ stem cell found in the placenta, known asĀ decidua-derived mesenchymal stem cells (DMSC), suggests these cells might be the source of futureĀ treatments for multiple sclerosis. The report,Ā “Restrained Th17 response and myeloid cell infiltration into the central nervous system by human decidua-derived mesenchymal stem…
March 11, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD European Regulatory Agency Finds Gilenya Not of Added Benefit to Certain RRMS Patients A newĀ assessment by a European regulatory agency failed to findĀ fingolimod ofĀ added benefitĀ to comparator therapiesĀ for peopleĀ with highly active relapsing-remittingĀ multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have failed to respond toĀ treatment with at least one other disease-modifying drug. Fingolimod (Gilenya), developed as a therapy for multiple sclerosis, has undergone three early benefit assessments since its…
March 1, 2016 News by admin MS Progression Apparently Not Affected by Number of Pregnancies, Study Reports New long-term research indicates that having multiple children does not lessen or otherwise impact disability in women with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā The study, titled “Offspring Number Does Not Influence Reaching the Disabilityās Milestones in Multiple Sclerosis: A Seven-Year Follow-Up Study,“Ā was published in The International Journal…
February 19, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc ACTRIMS 2016 Talk Weighs Clinical Differences, Similarities in 2 Major Forms of MS Dr. Wayne Moore, from the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver General Hospital, will present an overview and analysis of the major histology and pathology aspects that characterize and differentiate relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and progressive forms of the disease, primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS).
February 15, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Relapse, Remission States Seen to Differ in Gene Expression Between Men and Women A Spanish study showed that relapse and remission in multiple sclerosis (MS) states are regulated by small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) molecules inĀ patterns differing between men and women. Scientists have increasingly realized that sncRNAs play an important role inĀ the regulation of gene expression. Various kinds of these RNA molecules, such as…
February 10, 2016 Columns by Elissa Holzman My MS Diagnosis (How I Got Here) Elissa Holzman is an MS Health Coach who specializes in nutrition and a healthy lifestyle for supporting those with the disease. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, which led her to pay closer attention to how she treats her body. In her new column for Multiple Sclerosis News…
February 8, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Experimental RRMS Therapy, Trimesta, Fails to Demonstrate Efficacy in Review of Clinical Trial Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a clinical stage company focused on the development of therapeutics to protect the microbiome and to target disease-causing pathogens, recently announced disappointing results from an independent third-party analysis of a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Trimesta as a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in women.
January 19, 2016 News by admin Anti-LINGO-1: All You Need to Know Recently, Biogen released results from its Phase 2 acute optic neuritis (AON) RENEW trial which tested Anti-LINGO-1. Learn more about this results here. So what isĀ Anti-LINGO-1? According to the MS Society,Ā Anti-LINGO-1 (also known as BIIB033) is a treatment in development by the pharmaceutical company Biogen which is currently…
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…
December 14, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 2016 Multiple Sclerosis Forum to Focus on Distinctions in Disease Forms Dr. Jerry S. WolinskyĀ ofĀ the University of Texas in Houston, will giveĀ the first Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture at the opening day of the Americas Committee for the Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016 in New Orleans, focusing on distinctions between relapsing and progressive disease forms. ACTRIMS…
December 4, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Some RRMS and SPMS Patients Share a Similar Gene Expression in Response to IFN Treatment In a new study entitled āTranscriptional response to interferon beta-1a treatment in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis,ā a team of researchers discovered a subgroup of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients (SPMS) exhibiting the same gene expression response to interferon (IFN) treatment as patients with relapsing-remitting MS…
December 3, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD RRMS Clinical Study of New Antibiotic Therapy Nearing End RedHill Biopharma, Ltd., recently announced the conclusion of the last dosing and patient follow-up visit for its Phase 2a proof-of-concept study to assess the efficacy and safety of the experimental drug RHB-104 as an add-on therapy to interferon beta-1a in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
December 3, 2015 by BioNews Staff Coral Gables, FL MS Exchange Event This Saturday To Explore Relapsing MS Management An interactive event in Coral Gables, FL this weekend will give relapsing Multiple Sclerosis patients who live in the area access to best practices and therapeutic insights that can help them better manage the disease.Ā The Coral Gables MS Exchange eventĀ will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on…
December 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Experimental Relapsing-Remitting MS Drug Treatment Advancing Synthetic Biologics, which specializes in the development of therapies forĀ pathogen-specific diseases, recently announced theĀ publication of new and positive data on results from a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the companyās product Trimestaā¢ as a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in women. Professor Rhonda Voskuhl, director of theĀ Multiple Sclerosis Program…
October 27, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 2 Forms of Multiple Sclerosis Exhibit Differences in Cognitive Performance Study In a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, a team of researchers explored the differences in cognitive performance and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates of cognitive deficits in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS) and patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) to underscore the importance…
October 20, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Generic Form of Glatiramer Acetate Has Equivalent Gene Expression Profile as Teva’s Copaxone In a recent study entitled āEquivalent Gene Expression Profiles between Glatopaā¢ and CopaxoneĀ®,ā authors determined potential differences in treatment responses by investigating the gene expression profile of two approved treatments for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis ā Copaxone and Glatopa. Both of these MS therapies are glatiramer…
October 20, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD RIKNO 1.0: New Risk Knowledge Assessment Tool for Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis A recently published study in the journal PLOS One reported a new tool to assess risk knowledge in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study was conducted by an international team led by researchers at the University Medical Center Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany, and is entitled ā…
October 15, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD EMD Serono Announces Publication of PRISMS-15 Years Follow-up Study Results on Rebif for RelapsingāRemitting Multiple Sclerosis 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 RebifĀ® (interferon beta-1a), a high-dose, high-frequency interferon beta for the treatment of…
October 9, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Promising Data on ZINBRYTA (Daclizumab High-Yield Process) Compared to Interferon Beta-1a in RRMS, ECTRIMS 2015 Lead scientists representing Biogen and AbbVie presented new data on clinical results from the Phase 3 study DECIDE on the compound ZINBRYTA TM at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS) in Barcelona, Spain. The full results of the 2 to 3-year long…
October 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Potential MS Drug Cladribine Reported To Have No Impact on Cancer Incidence A new study recently published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation revealed that the drug Cladribine does not increase the risk of cancer in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as previously thought. The study was led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)…
October 9, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ocrelizumab: Could Genentech/Rocheās Experimental Drug Be the First Effective Progressive MS Therapy? Roche announced positive results for three pivotal Phase III studies of experimental MS therapy ocrelizumab in relapsing multiple sclerosis and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients at this year’s ECTRIMS 2015 conference. The results, particularly for treating PPMS, indicate that the novel therapy may represent…
October 8, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen to Present Update on TECFIDERA (Dimethyl Fumarate) for Early Stage Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis at ECTRIMS 2015 Biogen is scheduled to present the latest efficacy and safety profile updates on TECFIDERA (dimethyl fumarate), its lead treatmentĀ forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), during theĀ 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) happening now in Barcelona, Spain until October 10, 2015. The…
September 29, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Approves BETACONNECT Autoinjector for BETASERON Delivery Bayer HealthCare is pleased to announce the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the approval ofĀ BETACONNECT, a first-of-its-kind electronic autoinjector indicated as a treatment forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). For now, theĀ drug delivery device is only compatible with BETASERONĀ®Ā (interferon beta-1b), and will soon be available come early 2016. Ā While…
September 28, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD EMD Serono To Present New Data on Rebif, a Therapy for RRMS, at Upcoming ECTRIMS Congress EMD Serono, the subsidiary of Merck KGaA in the United States, recently announced that it will present new data on RebifĀ®, 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…
September 22, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Clinical Benefit of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Therapies Highlighted in Review A review study recently published in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Review (CDSR) focused on the clinical benefit of different therapiesĀ available for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study is entitled āImmunomodulators and immunosuppressants for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysisā and was led…
September 21, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Fingolimod (Gilenya) Found to Be an Effective Multiple Sclerosis Therapy for Up to Three Years of Treatment An encouraging newĀ analysis reveals that fingolimod isĀ an effective multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy forĀ a treatment period of up to three years. The results were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Consortium of MS Centers. MS is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is the result ofĀ anĀ attack onĀ the central nervous system…
September 17, 2015 News by Malika Ammam, PhD Ocrelizumab: a Promising New Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis with Minimal Side Effects On September 16, 2015, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche announced that ocrelizumab, a drug originally designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis that saw its development stopped due to an association with infections, could potentially treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as well as primary progressive MS (PPMS) with minimal sides effects compared…
September 14, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Merck Prepares to File for European Marketing Authorization for Cladribine Tablets as a Multiple Sclerosis Therapy MerckĀ recently reported its intention to file for European registration of its product candidate forĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis – Cladribine, a synthetic anti-cancer agent able to suppress the immune system. Cladribine causesĀ relatively few side effects and results in very little non-target cell loss. Merck’s decision follows new findingsĀ and further characterization of…