Tiziana Life Sciences‘ intranasal spray foralumab continues to be safe and well-tolerated, with no drug-related serious side effects reported after long-term use, according to an annual report filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company is developing foralumab for neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple…
side effects
Gadoquatrane, a contrast agent Bayer is developing for MRI scans, showed similar safety and pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles — meaning how a drug moves into, through, and out of the body — in both children and adults. That’s according to data from the Phase 3 QUANTI Pediatric study (NCT05915026),…
Tyruko (natalizumab-sztn) is now commercially available in the U.S. as the first and only approved biosimilar to Tysabri for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The therapy received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023 for all indications covered by the…
Health Canada is warning that glatiramer acetate products, used in the country to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), may cause a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. The warning follows 11 reported cases of anaphylactic reactions linked to Copaxone — the original brand name of glatiramer…
I went to see the neurologist last month for a routine follow-up for my multiple sclerosis (MS), anticipating no changes. After all, I’ve been on the same medication for my MS, fingolimod (which often goes by the brand name Gilenya), for about 10 years. I feel my…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may receive less frequent infusions of rituximab without increasing their chances of relapse or disease progression, according to a real-world study from Norway. After receiving three doses at six-month intervals, extending the time between following doses to nine months is “a safe and effective…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with oxybutynin. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. A few years ago, I spent the summer at my mom’s apartment because I’d been living in college dorms and my semester…
Less frequent Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) infusions are as effective as standard dosing — when treatment is given typically every six months — for controlling multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity, but may help limit the risk of side effects, a new study reports. “These findings suggest that [extended-interval dosing] could…
Recently, a historic winter storm brought record amounts of snow to the northern parts of the Sunshine State. Some areas of Florida’s panhandle surpassed 8 inches of snow! It has snowed before in Florida, but this level of snowfall and ground cover is a first. Despite my immense excitement about…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added a new boxed warning to the prescribing information for glatiramer acetate, an approved injection therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that’s sold under the brand name Copaxone and is also available as generic products. A boxed warning…
Most treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) don’t increase the risk of major problems when used during pregnancy, an analysis showed. “We found that most therapies were not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth or major birth defects,” Kerstin Hellwig, MD, study co-author and MS specialist at…
IMP761, an experimental immunotherapy Immutep is developing for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune conditions, has shown a promising safety profile in an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers, with no treatment-related side effects reported to date, the company said. The first-in-human Phase 1 trial…
Rituximab, which is sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), doubles the risk of hospital-treated infections, but may prevent worsening disability better than some approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a Swedish study finds. Hospital-treated infections were significantly associated with a higher risk of relapse-independent disability worsening among relapsing-remitting…
Treatment with modafinil, a stimulant approved in the U.S. for treating certain sleep-related disorders, significantly reduced fatigue and improved overall quality of life when used in clinical trials for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of published study data. However, its use was linked to a…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with sleep medications and antidepressants. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Many years ago, it was brought to my attention that I suffer from insomnia and chronic fatigue.
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with high-dose steroids to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. My first experience treating an MS relapse with intravenous steroids was interesting.
A large proportion of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience headaches as a result of their condition, and treatment with interferon-based therapies seems to increase the risk of worsening headaches or developing new ones, a study found. In contrast, the CD20 antibody rituximab that’s used off-label in MS…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a twofold higher risk of seizures compared with the general population, according to pooled data from clinical trials. Among MS patients, treatment with sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulators, a class of MS disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that includes the oral medications Gilenya (fingolimod),…
Some people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) using Mayzent (siponimod) show a severe drop in their number of lymphocytes, a condition known as lymphopenia, shortly after starting treatment, a report on its real-world use in the U.K. found. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that help the immune…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a partial hold on Genentech’s ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials testing fenebrutinib for the treatment of relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision was based on two cases of patients who experienced elevations in their…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Dalfampridine side effects The side effects that might occur if you use dalfampridine (sold under the brand name Ampyra)…
The most common real-world side effects linked to dalfampridine — sold as Ampyra and with generics available — are similar to those listed on its prescribing label for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a safety surveillance database. Common side effects included urinary tract infection (UTI), dizziness…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who develop progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) as a side effect of Tysabri (natalizumab) often see their neurological symptoms worsen severely during the infection and their disability gradually accumulate over time. That’s according to a study in Austria, which also showed that most disability progression…
It’s only day one, but my eyesight has already improved. It may not be that of a hawk’s, but at least I can tell the difference between a lumbering pigeon and a bird of prey. The world seems brighter — and not just because of that vision thang, peeps. If…
Long-term treatment with vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) has been tolerated well overall among people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), new data from an extension study show. Findings were presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual Meeting, in a poster titled “Assessment of Long-Term Safety…
Tysabri (natalizumab) is generally safe and effectively lowers disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a real-world study of patients over a 13-year period in Denmark. “Most patients treated with [Tysabri] are clinically stable with few adverse events,” researchers wrote. In more recent years, doctors…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a partial clinical hold on ongoing trials of evobrutinib, Merck KGaA’s experimental BTK inhibitor for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision was based on two cases of patients in Phase 3 clinical trials of evobrutinib who were…
A pair of experts are calling for genetic tests to be developed to identify people at higher risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a serious brain infection that can occur as a side effect of certain multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments. “The availability of a simple, relatively inexpensive test…
Photo courtesy of Shane Nicolich Day 21 of 31 This is Shane Nicolich’s story: I was on my first multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment for six years but experienced bad side effects. That sucked, since I’m a dishwasher at a busy restaurant and am on my feet all day.
Long-term use of Zeposia (ozanimod) did not adversely affect the heart of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated for one or two years in Phase 3 clinical trials, with no clinically significant changes in cardiac function reported. Data on people enrolled in the two studies were retrospectively evaluated, as the therapy…