December 29, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Receptos Begins RMS Patient Enrollment in SUNBEAM and RADIANCE Trials Biopharmaceutical company Receptos, Inc. is enrolling the first patient in theirĀ SUNBEAM phase 3 trial to evaluateĀ the company’s investigational therapy for the treatment ofĀ patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) and ulcerative colitis (UC), calledĀ RPC1063. In addition, Receptos has recently started its phase 3Ā …
December 19, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Mapi Pharma Treats First RRMS Patient with Once-A-Month GA Depot Mapi Pharma Ltd.,Ā a development stage pharmaceutical company specializingĀ in the development of high-barrier to entry and high-added value generic drugs, announced it has treated the first patient in theĀ Phase IIa study of GA Depot forĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Lead investigatorĀ ProfessorĀ Ariel Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Head of the Multiple Sclerosis & Brain…
December 10, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Nursing School Researchers Create 24-Week Exercise Program for MS A team of researchers from theĀ Case Western Reserveās Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing has designed a 24-week exercise program tailored specifically for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā in varying states of disease progression. The program drew inspiration and structure from a series of informational pamphlets…
December 9, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 3 Times a Week Dose Copaxone for Relapsing MS Receives Positive Outcome in Europe Israel-based biopharmaceutical companyĀ Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced last week that its thrice-weekly COPAXONEĀ® (glatiramer acetate) 40mg/ml treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has received positive results in a decentralized procedure. The favorable outcome proceeds aĀ Positive Assessment Report from the United Kingdom, the Reference Member…
December 4, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD GeNeuro and Servier to Co-Develop Breakthrough Multiple Sclerosis Drug Neurology and autoimmune therapeutics companyĀ GeNeuro SA has just announced the formation of a partnership with independent French pharmaceutical companyĀ ServierĀ for the co-development and marketing of GNbAC1 for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It is the first humanized monocloncal antibody treatment formulated to address one of this disease’s causal factors, making it…
December 2, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Aubagio for Relapsing-Remitting MS Now Funded in Alberta 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 AubagioĀ® (teriflunomide) 14mg in the provincial drug formulary, indicated for the first-line…
November 17, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Teva Pursues Regulatory Approval in Japan for MS Drug Copaxone Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the company that developed the injectable multiple sclerosis treatment Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate), Ā 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…
October 21, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD David Osmond Sings for Novartis MS Awareness Campaign 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…
October 13, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD PHARMAC Approves Funding New RRMS Treatments in New Zealand New Zealand-basedĀ Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) has approved the funding of new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), which are expected not only to reach more patients, but also be more effective in curtailing the disease’s progressive symptoms. The therapies currently funded are meant for the treatment ofĀ …
October 9, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Long-lasting Multiple Sclerosis Drug Will Come At a Steep Price Now more than ever, groundbreaking, new therapies for chronic diseases and infections come with high price tags. Earlier in the year, Gilead Sciences’ drugĀ 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…
October 2, 2014 News by Charles Moore QuĆ©bec Government Covers Lemtrada Second-line Treatment For Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis Genzyme, a Sanofi company, has announced that the Canadian province of QuĆ©bec’s Institut national d’excellence en santĆ© et services sociaux (INESSS) has recommended that the company’s multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) 12 mg be included on the provincial drug formulary under “MĆ©dicament d’exception” as a second-line treatment for…
October 2, 2014 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Multiple Sclerosis Patients Could Benefit From Placenta-based Cell Therapy Recent research reveals that placenta-based cell therapy is both safe and effective for treating both Relapsing-Remitting and progressive forms of MS. A new study entitled āHuman Placenta-Derived Cells (PDA-001) for the Treatment of Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multiple-Dose Studyā and published in August…
October 1, 2014 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Why MS Patients Should Know What Glatiramer Acetate Therapy Is A new study, entitled āThe Effect of Glatiramer Acetate Therapy on Functional Properties of B Cells From Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosisā published online inĀ JAMA Neurology,Ā reports the effect of Glatiramer acetate therapy on B cells in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This first-of-its-kind study could…
September 24, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Multiple Sclerosis Summit in Quebec to Feature “Deepelling” As Encouragement for Active MS Lifestyles 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…
September 23, 2014 News by Maureen Newman RRMS Treatment from Antisense Highly Effective in Clinical Trials For the first time, an antisense oligonucleotide has been shown to be effective in treating relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis. A phase 2a clinical trial of Antisense Therapeutics Limited’s ATL1102, a CD49d antisense drug, showed that the treatment quickly reduced brain lesions in RRMS patients following the start of therapy.
September 16, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen’s Two-Year Study Confirms Plegridy’s Efficacy and Safety as Relapsing MS Treatment Biogen Idec revealed data from itsĀ second year of the phase 3 ADVANCE clinical trial for the study of Plegridy as a treatment for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, which demonstrated the positive effects of the subcutaneous injectable therapyĀ beyond the first year…
September 15, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Teva, Active Biotech Present Positive Findings for RRMS Experimental Therapy Laquinimod 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)…
September 15, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen Idec’s Study Reviews Positive Results Over Five Years of Tecfidera RRMS Treatment Biogen Idec presented theĀ five-year results from its ENDORSE phase 3 extension study of TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate), which revealed that the treatment is able to provide strong and sustained efficacy to patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), at last week’sĀ ACTRIMS-ECTRIMSĀ summit. Not only did…
September 8, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Novartis to Present New Gilenya Data at ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting Those attending this week’sĀ ACTRIMS-ECTRIMSĀ conventionĀ set to take place on the 10th of September until the 13th in Boston, can expect Swiss pharmaceutical companyĀ NovartisĀ to present promising findings on Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā — the company’s leading oral formulation for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previously completed studies and clinical trials,…
September 4, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Walking Speed in MS Patients May Indicate Worsening of Disease 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…
September 1, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Multiple Sclerosis Drug May Repair Nerve Demyelination As researchers continue to develop a clearer understanding of the underlying causes ofĀ 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…
August 20, 2014 News by admin New Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Drug Approved By FDA Biogen Idec, a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions and autoimmune disorders, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PLEGRIDYTMĀ (peginterferon beta-1a), a new treatment for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis…
August 11, 2014 News by BioNews Staff Higher Body Temperature in RRMS Patients Could Cause Increased Fatigue Researchers have recently discovered that the fatigue that patients withĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) experience is not the same kind of fatigue that healthy people feel from time to time, nor is it caused by the same factors. The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ reports that around 80% of people who suffer from…
July 28, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen Idec’s Injection Plegridy Approved in Europe to Treat RRMS The European Commission granted marketing authorization for the use of Plegridy, a drug developed by Biogen IdecĀ as a treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS),Ā the most common form of multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval comes at a time when…
July 22, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD NICE Turns Back and Approves Biogenās Oral MS Drug Tecfidera in the UK The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) gave a positive final appraisal determination to the use of the Biogen Idec‘s drugĀ Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) in adults for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), having turned back on their preliminary negative recommendation. TheĀ oral…
July 16, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lemtrada For RRMS Still Under Review in the U.S., Now Approved in Scotland The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) Ā announced the approval of the drug Lemtrada, produced byĀ Genzyme, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and active disease defined by clinical or imaging features, within the national health system (NHS) in Scotland. Lemtrada…
June 18, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Biogen Idec, AbbVie Show Superiority of Daclizumab High Yield Process in RRMS Biogen Idec, who recently presented over 60 company-sponsored presentations at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and the Sixth Cooperative Meeting with Americas Committee for Treatment and…
June 10, 2014 News by admin Experimental Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Therapy From Receptos Reveals Positive Endpoint Data in Phase 2 Results Following the promising results of prior trials, Receptos, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the treatment of immune and metabolic diseases, announced that the Phase 2 portion of the RADIANCE trial has met the primary endpoint, a reduction in MRI brain lesion activity in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis…
June 3, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Interferon Beta-1a Protects Relapse-Remitting MS Patients from Brain Volume Reduction Research from the State University of New York at Buffalo suggests a protective link between interferon beta-1a treatment and brain volume loss (atrophy) in patients with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis. Michael Dwyer, PhD, presented his study at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and…
May 28, 2014 News by Charles Moore Study Finds MS Drug Gilenya May Point To Development Of New PTSD Therapy A new study on mice published in Nature Neuroscience finds that fingolimod (Novartis brand name Gilenya) a first-in-class sphingosine-1-phosphate-receptor modulator currently used in treating persons with severe relapsing remitting MS, may also have therapeutic value in treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Nature Neuroscience study is titled…