safety

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019

Two-year Efficacy with Short-course Treatment Sets Mavenclad Apart, EMD Serono Executive Says

News

Mavenclad (cladribine) tablets stand out as a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), providing two years of proven efficacy with a maximum of 20 days of oral treatment, a top ... Read more

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

EMA Reviewing Safety Data for Lemtrada After Reports of Serious Treatment Side Effects

News

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is reviewing safety data for Sanofi Genzyme‘s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) following new reports of serious treatment side effects. Lemtrada is a humanized monoclonal antibody used to slow ... Read more

March 15, 2019April 1, 2019

#AAN2019 — Ublituximab Safe, Well-tolerated in Extension Study of Phase 2 Trial in Relapsing MS

News

Treatment with ublituximab continues to be safe and well-tolerated by patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, according to an extension study of a Phase 2 trial. According to a press ... Read more

March 5, 2019March 7, 2019

#ACTRIMS2019 – Botox Earns High Marks from Patients, Physicians as Treatment for Spasticity, ASPIRE Follow-up Finds

News

Patients with a range of diseases and disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS), report high satisfaction with botulinum toxin — also known as Botox  — as a treatment for spasticity, ... Read more

March 1, 2019March 7, 2019

#ACTRIMS2019 — Use of Ocrevus at Cleveland Clinic Backs Phase 3 Trial Data

News

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) was shown to be a highly effective therapy for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in real-world clinical practice, according to Brandon Moss, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic. The data ... Read more

February 21, 2019February 27, 2019

FDA Warns Against Plasma Transfusions from Young Donors Being Used to Treat MS and Other Diseases

News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against the use of plasma transfusions from young donors to alleviate or treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis or other diseases, noting such ... Read more

January 25, 2019January 28, 2019

Positive Safety Data Reported for High-dose MS Treatment Candidate Temelimab

News

GeNeuro has reported positive data from a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT03574428) evaluating the safety and tolerability of high doses of GNbAC1, developed for the treatment of neurological and autoimmune disorders, ... Read more

January 23, 2019March 11, 2019

Favorable Efficacy and Similar Safety with Ocrevus in Relapsing MS, Study Finds

Aubagio, News

Treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has superior or comparable effectiveness and a similar safety profile to other available disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for treating relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a ... Read more

January 15, 2019March 11, 2019

UK Experts Propose New Guidelines to Treat Women with MS Before, During, After Pregnancy

Aubagio, News

Multiple sclerosis (MS) experts in the United Kingdom have proposed consensus guidelines for the management and treatment of pregnant women with the disease, and couples affected by MS who ... Read more

November 28, 2018December 4, 2018

Artificial Intelligence May Help Reduce Dosage of Gadolinium in MRIs, Researchers Suggest

News

Artificial intelligence can help reduce the amount of gadolinium used as a contrast agent in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans, preventing the agent’s potential toxicity when accumulated in body ... Read more

November 26, 2018December 19, 2018

FDA Warns of Rare Risk of Severe Worsening in MS Disability After Stopping Gilenya Use

News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety alert, warning that people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who stop using Gilenya (fingolimod) may experience disease worsening beyond that when starting ... Read more

May 31, 2018May 31, 2018

HPV Vaccine Not Seen to Raise Risk of Autoimmune Disease in Canadian Study

News

Girls given the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) vaccination, commercialized as Gardasil, showed no increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new Canadian study. The ... Read more

May 21, 2018May 21, 2018

Fat-Derived Stem Cells a Potential Safe, Feasible Treatment for Secondary Progressive MS, Trial Shows

News

Fat-derived stem cells are a safe and feasible treatment strategy for patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, results from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial show. Findings were published in ... Read more

May 11, 2018May 10, 2018

MS, Walkers, Wheelchairs, and Guns (Part 2)

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A little over a year ago, in this column, I asked if it was safe for someone with MS to handle a gun. I wondered whether there would be ... Read more

April 27, 2018May 1, 2018

#AAN2018 – Stem Cell Transplant is Effective Treatment for ‘Aggressive’ MS, Study Shows

News

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, also known as aHSCT, has been shown to be safe and highly effective to treat patients with “aggressive” multiple sclerosis. Tested in 19 patients, ... Read more

April 13, 2018May 1, 2018

Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis Linked to Lemtrada Use in RRMS Patients, FDA Reports

Lemtrada, News

Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is a rare but potentially life-threatening adverse effect linked to treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a U.S. Food ... Read more

March 28, 2018May 21, 2018

Ocrevus a Year After Approval: Views of Some MS Experts

News, Ocrevus

A year after U.S. regulators approved Genentech’s Ocrevus as the first treatment for both the relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, a prominent neurologist involved in the Phase 3 clinical ... Read more

March 9, 2018March 9, 2018

NIH Trial Confirms Raxone’s Safety Profile in PPMS, Santhera Reports

News

An exploratory Phase 1/2 clinical trial in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirms the safety profile of Raxone (idebenone) at a dose ... Read more

February 15, 2018February 20, 2018

Clinicians Who Prescribe Cannabis Should ‘Start Low and Go Slow,’ Study Advises

News

Use of medicinal cannabis may pose risks as it may trigger psychiatric problems, but also because it lacks standardized chemical composition, according to a study published in the Journal ... Read more

January 16, 2018January 16, 2018

Long-term Rituxan Treatment Is Effective and Safe in MS, Study Shows

News

The approved lymphoma therapy Rituxan (rituximab) has shown promise as a treatment for  multiple sclerosis. A new study indicates the Genentech treatment is effective and safe against neurological diseases ... Read more

January 9, 2018January 11, 2018

American CyroStem Warned by FDA to Stop Using Stem Cell Therapy Without Approval and to Correct Safety Issues

News

American CryoStem has received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing its adipose-derived stem cell product Atcell without required regulatory approval, and for ... Read more

December 15, 2017December 14, 2017

Using Biotin? It Could Impact Your Lab Results

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Be careful if you’re using high-dose biotin (vitamin B7). The biotin in your blood could lead to some false readings when you have that blood tested. The level of ... Read more

November 6, 2017November 6, 2017

National MS Society, Corrona to Launch Registry Comparing Approved MS Therapies

News

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has officially announced its collaboration with Corrona on the launch of the Corrona Multiple Sclerosis Registry to compare the safety and effectiveness of approved ... Read more

November 1, 2017November 13, 2017

#MSParis2017 – EVOLVE-MS-1 Interim Trial Data Shows Alkermes Therapy Safe for Treating Relapsing MS

News

Preliminary data from the Phase 3 EVOLVE-MS-1 trial shows that ALKS 8700 — an investigative therapy developed by Alkermes to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis — has a good safety and tolerability ... Read more

October 30, 2017October 30, 2017

#MSParis2017 – RADIANCE Trial Data Shows Ozanimod’s Potential Over Interferon Beta-1a for Relapsing MS

News

Celgene‘s investigative drug ozanimod has been shown to be more efficient than an intramuscular injection of interferon beta-1a (marketed as Avonex by Biogen) in reducing relapses and disease progression in patients ... Read more

October 30, 2017November 4, 2017

#MSParis2017 – GNbAC1 Promotes Restoration of Protective Myelin Coating, Phase 2b Trial Shows

News

GeNeuro‘s humanized antibody GNbAC1 promotes the rejuvenation of the myelin coating that protects nerve cells in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS, a Phase 2 clinical trial shows. The treatment is ... Read more

October 30, 2017October 31, 2017

#MSParis2017 – Ibudilast Slows Loss of Brain Tissue in MS Patients, Phase 2 Trial Shows

News

The Japanese company MediciNova‘s anti-inflammatory agent ibudilast slows multiple sclerosis patients’ brain shrinkage and their loss of the protective myelin coating around nerve cells, a Phase 2 clinical trial shows. Robert ... Read more

October 27, 2017May 1, 2018

#MSParis2017 – Lemtrada Shows Good Safety and Lasting Efficacy Over 7 Years, Doctor Says in Interview

Lemtrada, News

Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) remains a “game-changer” of a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), with benefits continuing and no new side effects seen in a study of its use that ... Read more

October 27, 2017October 27, 2017

#MSParis2017 – Phase 3 Trial Data Show Ozanimod Safe, Effective in MS Patients

News

Ozanimod (RPC1063) was seen to lower relapse rates and reduce brain and spinal cord lesions among patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) participating in a Phase 3 study of ... Read more

October 19, 2017October 20, 2017

#MSParis2017 – TG Therapeutics’ Ublituximab Depletes Harmful B-cells and Lowers MRI Lesions, Trial Shows

News

TG Therapeutics’ ublituximab nearly eradicated a type of immune B-cell believed to be involved in multiple sclerosis, according to a Phase 2 clinical trial. The result was that none of the patients ... Read more

October 2, 2017May 1, 2018

Long-term Lemtrada Treatment Benefits Demonstrated in Extension Study

Lemtrada, News

A five-year study demonstrated that Sanofi-Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) provides long-term benefits for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients, reducing relapse rates and preventing the progression of the disease. Importantly, most patients required ... Read more

September 20, 2017September 19, 2017

Data Differences: Better Records, Better Care

Columns, MS in Motion - A Column by Mike Knight

“I’m sorry, these files take forever to copy,” the woman at the registration desk says, breaking the silence that had settled between us while she uploaded MRI scans from ... Read more

September 12, 2017September 13, 2017

Swedish Study Suggests Stem Cell Transplants as Possible Treatment for Aggressive RRMS

News

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis are superior to currently approved disease-modifying drugs, according to a Swedish study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & ... Read more

August 8, 2017August 8, 2017

‘Easy Rider’ Dreams? Say Yes to the Motorcycle

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Reading some social media posts the other day, I found myself humming a line from a late 1960s Arlo Guthrie song: “I don’t want a pickle. Just want to ... Read more

July 11, 2017July 14, 2017

Europe Restricts Use of MS Therapy Zinbryta After Liver Damage Cases and a Death

News

The European Medicines Agency has restricted the use of Zinbryta (daclizumab) for relapsing multiple sclerosis after reports of patients experiencing severe liver damage and one dying of liver disease. The ... Read more

July 10, 2017July 14, 2017

Experts Call for Tighter Regulation of Stem Cell Therapies in Use at Clinics Worldwide

News

Advertising for stem cell therapies not supported by clinical research — often made directly to patients and sometimes promoted as a “cure” for diseases like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s ... Read more

May 16, 2017May 16, 2017

Multiple Sclerosis Experts Offer Guidelines on Contraceptive Use Among Women with MS

News

Two studies that recently appeared in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal shed light on how contraceptive use may affect women with MS, as well as how the disease might affect the safety and ... Read more

May 12, 2017May 21, 2018

MSAA’s Dr. Jack Burks Responds to Readers’ Questions About Ocrevus and Its Use

News, Ocrevus

Recently approved, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) should now be available nationwide for patients prescribed the therapy. But as with any new treatment, concerns about safety and practical issues are on many ... Read more

April 27, 2017May 21, 2018

Genentech Highlights Rapid Actions of MS Therapy Ocrevus at AAN Meeting

News, Ocrevus

Within the first two months of treatment, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) reduced relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients by more than half compared to those on Rebif, and almost completely prevented ... Read more

April 20, 2017May 21, 2018

AAN Annual Meeting Offers First Ocrevus Data Update Since MS Therapy’s Approval by FDA

Faith of the Mustard Seed - a Column by Debi Wilson, Lemtrada, News, Ocrevus

New data on the recently approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting 2017, which will take ... Read more