side effects

COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects With MS Similar to Public at Large

Side effects upon receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) are similar to those reported in the general population, and patients on certain disease-modifying therapies are less likely to have vaccine reactions,Ā a survey-based study found. The findings provide ā€œa reassuring pictureā€ for those who feel hesitant about…

Skin Reactions ‘Frequent’ With Mavenclad, Real-world Study Finds

Skin reactions are common amongĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients being treated with oral Mavenclad (cladribine), affecting about one-third of the people evaluated inĀ a real-world study in Germany. These findings suggest the need for careful clinical surveillance to rapidly diagnose and possibly treat skin problems stemming from Mavenclad’s use,…

Britain Leads the World in Two Types of Jabbing

I was 6 years old when British boxer Henry Cooper knocked Cassius Clay on his bottom. (It was that long ago, folks ā€” 1963. This was before Clay’s religious conversion and consequent name change to Muhammad Ali.) Unfortunately, Clay was literally saved by the bell. I remember dashing around…

Headache a Common Side Effect of Interferon-beta Treatment, Study Finds

New or worsening headaches are a more common side effect of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) treatment in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) than previously appreciated, a new study suggests. The study, “Interferon-Beta-Induced Headache in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Frequency and Characterization,” was published in theĀ Journal of Pain Research.

I Am Beautifully Rare Despite SPMS

I have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and I am rare. In honor of Rare Disease Day on Feb. 29, I honor myself. I honor you and anyone else with a rare disease. I have been asked if multiple sclerosis qualifies as a rare disease. It does if…

From New Hope Emerged an Old Nightmare

I was bruised, broken, and in pain. I had been struggling with Rebif (interferon beta-1a) side effects for over a year, ever since my diagnosis. It was the first multiple sclerosis medication doctors put me on, and it did not work…

My Lemtrada Journey: Observations at 18 Months After Round 2

It’s time for another update on how I’ve been doing with my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) treatments. The bottom line is that I’m doing well. Lemtrada is a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) delivered in two stages. The first stage entails a series of five daily infusions, while the second stage involves…

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning: A Weekend of UTIs

For the last few months, urinary tract infections (UTIs) have been the main subject of this column. My current disease-modifying therapy, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), has had a significant impact on my multiple sclerosis (MS). The only downside is that Ocrevus attacks B-cells in the body, increasing the risk…

Betwixt and Between

Usually, I have an idea of what I’m going to write. Today, all I feel is a bit meeeeughĀ … Which is more a sound of ennui than a recognizable word. In these days of multimedia, I suppose I should record it and insert the clip into the text, but…

How Worried Should We Be About MS Medication Side Effects?

Over the past couple of weeks, two warnings have been issued about side effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) medications. First, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned about a slight risk of seriously worsening MS symptoms if someone who is using the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) Gilenya (fingolimod) stops using…

Pill Stopper: Why Iā€™m Off My Meds

I’m not taking all the medication I’ve been prescribed. Chances are, youā€™re not either. Medication nonadherence,Ā or not taking medicine as prescribed, is a thing ā€” a big thing. According to a columnĀ in The New York Times,…

Lemtrada Round 2: My Drip Stops Here

As you read this, I likely will be in the middle of, or finished with, my second round of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab). Hopefully, this will be the final round of this disease-modifying therapy (DMT), and the final MS treatment of any kind, for me. Though some have required more,…

#MSParis2017 – Alkermes to Give Updates on ALKS 8700 Studies at ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting

Alkermes will showcase its work in developing a treatment that harnesses the effect of Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), while lowering the risk of stomach problems at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting this month in Paris. The investigational drug, ALKS 8700, uses the same mechanism of action as Tecfidera. By building the molecule in a different way, however, the company expects it will show better tolerability. Once in the body, dimethyl fumarate turns into monomethyl fumarate (MMF), the molecule that actually impacts MS disease processes. But before giving rise to MMF,Ā dimethyl can cause side effects in users, particularly gastrointestinal. In fact, stomach problem were what causedĀ people in Tecfidera Phase 3 trials to stop the treatment. Alkermes uses a so-called prodrug approach to try to overcome this problem. By attaching a different compound to MMF ā€”Ā which breaks away from the molecule once in the body ā€” Ā it is possible to deliver MMF with lesser gastrointestinal side effects, Phase 1 study data indicate. At the meeting, the company will present two posters on two clinical trials exploring ALKS 8700 in patients with relapsing-remitting MS. The first presentation, will describe a Phase 3 trial that aims to compare ALKS 8700 to Tecfidera in about 420 patients. The trial is primarily concerned with the drugā€™s safety, and will measure the occurrence and impact of gastrointestinal side effects in the two treatment groups. The presentation will only include descriptions of patients characteristics and study design, as outcomes are yet to be analyzed. Patients who complete the Phase 3 trial will be eligible to continue in an ongoing open-label, long-term safety study, called EVOLVE-MS-1, covered in the companyā€™s second presentation. By March 3, 2017, the study had enrolled 543 patients. In addition to describing patient characteristics, researchers will present the rates of discontinuation caused by gastrointestinal adverse events within one month of starting the treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Aubagio May Cause Nail Loss, Researchers Report

Aubagio (teriflunomide) may lead to reversible nail loss, researchers at Italy'sĀ University of BolognaĀ reported after reviewing the case of a 55-year-old woman with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. They described what happened to a patient who was referred to an MS clinic after experiencing acute optic neuritis ā€” or inflammation of the optic nerve ā€” three months earlier.Ā Their report, ā€œNail loss after teriflunomide treatment: A new potential adverse event,ā€Ā was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Doctors had been treating the woman with intravenous methylprednisolone. Physicians had judged her slightly disabled, with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 3, but had not diagnosed her with MS. When she was diagnosed a few months later, she began receiving interferon beta-1a. It did not work, so doctors switched her to Sanofi Genzyme'sĀ Aubagio. At first, she tolerated the treatment well, having only slight nausea after taking the medication. Physicians did not detect signs of liver toxicity or high blood pressure, which are relatively common side effects of Aubagio. Roughly three months after starting the medication, however, the woman began having more trouble walking problems and had mild hair loss. Two and a half months later, she said her nails had started falling out in the past month. When doctors examined her, she had lost two nails, while others appeared to have stopped growing. They were thinner than normal and some had detached from the nail bed. In addition, her hair loss continued. She had not started using other drugs, new cosmetics, or changed her diet. A dermatologist excluded the possibility that the condition was the result of fungus, psoriasis, or other conditions that could cause nails to fall off. Because doctors suspected that Aubagio could be the cause of the nail loss, they recommended that she stopped taking it. The patient switched to Biogen'sĀ Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) after a couple of weeks, and her nails started to grow again. This supported doctorsā€™ idea that Aubagio had caused the nail loss, and that it was reversible. Nail growth is similar to that of hair, researchers said. The patientā€™s reaction could be an unusual version of the same process that makes people lose their hair when taking Aubagio, they said. Since nail loss is not described as a side effect of Aubagio on the medication's label, researchers urged MS specialists to consider the possibility if they see patients with the problem. Ā 

Walk This Way

As I write, I’m pain-free. This is important, but not for the obvious reason. I’m pain-free and can walk ā€”Ā or at least stumble ā€” about as best as I’ve been able to manage of late. It’s not much, but I can be involved in family life and get…

If We Took a Holiday (from Our Meds) It Could Be So Nice!

I was a teenager during the 1980s and cannot say the word ā€œholidayā€ without Madonna’s song playing briefly in my head. For most holidays the perky music seems okay, but for discussion of a “drug holiday”Ā it feels a bit off. Sort of like, ā€œYay! You have a chronic…

What Every MS Patient Should Know About Ocrevus and Its Use

With the recent approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for both primary progressive and relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), interest in the medication is peaking.Ā To helpĀ readers of Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ better understandĀ this new medication and how it works, as well issues dealingĀ with access, use, and potential side effects, here is aĀ summary…

Ocrevus: Counting Down to Expected FDA Approval

There is now less than a month until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve Ocrevus, generic name ocrelizumab, for use as a therapy for multiple sclerosis. Clinical trials have shown Genentechā€™s drug to be a promising therapy for relapsing MS and, significantly,…

New Compound, BIIB074, May Ease Trigeminal Neuralgia Pain with Fewer Side Effects, Study Says

Treatment with a compound called BIIB074 shows promise in reducing pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia ā€” a Ā condition that occasionallyĀ affects multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ā€” with few side effects, a new clinical trial finds. The Swiss study, ā€œSafety and efficacy of a Nav1.7 selective sodium channel blockerĀ in Titrigeminal neuralgia:…