spasticity

Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “S.” Last in a series of five. Symptoms of MS Spasticity This refers to the muscle stiffness and issues with muscular control and abnormal muscle tone that…

Topline results of an exploratory Phase 2 clinical trial revealed that Flex Pharma‘s treatment candidate FLX-787 improves muscle cramps, spasms and muscle stiffness in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The double-blinded trial, conducted in Australia, evaluated an oral dose of 19 mg FLX-787, taken twice daily in liquid…

Medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for pain relief and should be integrated into current clinical practice, according to a new evidence overview. Benefits also include reduced spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients. The overview, titled “Special Issue: Cannabis in Medicine,” was published in the…

More studies are showing that medical cannabis can alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a company that helps patients, doctors and others understand genetic conditions better. The observation came in GeneFo’s 2018 Guide to Clinical Effects of Medical Cannabis. Some research has suggested that cannabis strains containing…

AbobotulinumtoxinA, marketed as Dysport Therapeutic by Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Canada, was approved by Health Canada for the treatment of lower limb focal spasticity in adults. Focal spasticity is a medical disorder characterized by an abnormal increase in muscular stiffness in one or more muscles, and usually is the result…

Dutch regulators have signed off on AXIM Biotechnologies’ clinical trial plans for a chewing gum that offers controlled release of cannabinoids to treat multiple sclerosis patients’ pain and spasticity. The Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board’s sign-off on MedChew Rx means AXIM can start trials. A leader in cannabinoid research, New York-based AXIM…

United Greeneries plans to launch online retail sales of medical cannabis in February for Canadians covered by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations — a program for which certain multiple sclerosis (MS) patients may be eligible. United Greeneries, a unit of Harvest One Cannabis, an umbrella…

Flex Pharma has completed enrolling multiple sclerosis patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial in Australia testing FLX-787’s ability to alleviate muscle stiffness, spasms, and cramps. The compound has a mechanism of action that Flex believe will generate fewer side effects than other muscle-relaxing medications. The company is also…

Results of a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers show that PTL101, an oral cannabidiol compound, is a safe and effectively delivered potential treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) and for conditions like epilepsy, Harvest One Cannabis announced. These findings were published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development, in the study…

MMJ BioScience, an affiliate of medical cannabis research company MMJ International Holdings, has hired a principal investigator to lead clinical trials exploring potential therapeutic applications of cannabinoids in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, a neurology professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, is executive director…

Therapeutic horseback riding, also known as hippotherapy, when combined with standard care regimens significantly reduces fatigue and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. It also improves balance and quality of life, according to a German study. Hippotherapy takes advantage of a horse's natural movements to develop a patient's muscle tone and improve breathing, while strengthening the torso muscles. Horseback riding also improves balance control, coordination and gait, while boosting a patient's social communication skills, which can benefit self-esteem. “Hippotherapy as a complementary treatment can be defined as one-patient-one-horse physiotherapy treatment with and on the horse,” researchers wrote. Team leaders Vanessa Vermöhlen and Petra Schiller of the University of Cologne evaluated the benefits of half-hour weekly sessions of hippotherapy in combination with standard care. They randomly assigned 70 MS patients with lower limb spasticity to either an intervention group that did 12 weeks of hippotherapy, or a control group that received only standard therapy. The team evaluated the impact therapeutic horseback riding had on balance, measured by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). They also measured its effect on other multiple sclerosis symptoms and signs, including fatigue, quality of life, pain, and spasticity. Overall, the team found that those who received hippotherapy plus standard care improved their BBS scores by 4.8 points after six weeks of therapy, and 6.4 by the trial's end. These increases were significantly higher than those achieved by the control group (2.9 points at six weeks and 3.1 points at 12 weeks). Although this represents a difference of only 3.3 points after 12 weeks, it still reflects a relevant change in patients' balance control capabilities, the authors said. In addition, the researchers also recognized significant improvements in fatigue, spasticity and quality of life of those undergoing hippotherapy plus standard care compared to those on the control group. The observed beneficial effects of hippotherapy validate previous reports that showing that activities with horses could help adults and children improve their balance, gait and psychomotor abilities.

Spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients can be eased through a combination of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injections and rehabilitation. However, caregiver support is required to keep patients on this treatment, according to results of a retrospective analysis. Spasticity, a muscle control disorder characterized by tight or stiff muscles, is a major MS symptom. The condition is significantly detrimental to patients’ quality of life, affecting their general mobility and balance. Several oral anti-spasticity drugs are available. However, “treatment of spasticity in MS is frequently challenging because of the complex clinical picture and the undesired effects associated with oral therapy, such as fatigue, dizziness, and hypotension,” the researchers wrote. Previous studies show that BoNT-A, a toxin that blocks nerve activity in muscles, is an effective therapy for the management of MS-related spasticity. The long-term effectiveness and persistence of BoNT-A use in patients with MS-related spasticity, however, remains poorly investigated. The research team in Italy proposed “to investigate the long-term persistence to treatment with BoNT-A for MS-related spasticity and the determinants of BoNT-A discontinuation in daily clinical setting.” In total, the researchers reviewed data from 185 patients, out of which 121 were considered in their final analysis. They observed that, at the end of the follow-up period, 44% of the patients in the analysis were still being treated with BoNT-A, but 56% had discontinued treatment. Overall, these results “confirm the beneficial effect of combining BoNT-A injections with rehabilitation and highlights the crucial role of caregivers for achieving better long-term outcomes in people with MS suffering from spasticity,” the team concluded.

AXIM Biotechnologies has secured an additional $4 million in institutional financing to advance clinical trials of its cannabinoid therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and irritable bowel syndrome. Some of the trials involve a chewing-gum therapy delivery system. The financing will let the company continue developing a patented chewing-gum-delivered therapy for pain and spasticity. AXIM…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded approval of Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) for treatment of spasticity in adults, a condition that affects many people in the United States, including multiple sclerosis patients. The decision was based on Dysport’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA)…

Axim Biotechnologies recently announced that its U.K. partner, Quay Pharmaceuticals, has secured licenses from the British Home Office to continue developing and importing its medical cannabinoid product MedChew Rx — a potential treatment for pain and spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), among other illnesses. MedChew Rx is a gum…

A  multidisciplinary team at the University of California at San Diego has come up with a computerized glove used as a sensor to measure spasticity, or stiffness, in the limbs of patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke. The system is more accurate than physicians’ assessments of spasticity…

The Brazilian government has authorized HempMeds Brasil, a unit of California-based Medical Marijuana, to import the parent company’s hemp cannabidiol (CBD) oil flagship product — known as Real Scientific Hemp Oil (RSHO) — for the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. This is the first time Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency…

The French economic promotion agency Bpifrance has awarded Boston-based PathMaker Neurosystems a grant to finance the development of its MyoRegulator, a noninvasive neurotherapy technology to treat conditions linked to neural pathway disruption, including neuromotor spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Through the Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir (PIA-1), an investment program offered by Bpifrance, the  grant — whose…

Regular massage therapy given people with multiple sclerosis (MS) significantly reduced their pain and fatigue, and helped to ease spasticity, a small pilot study reports. The results further support previous findings as to the benefits of massage in treating MS symptoms and improving patients’ quality of life. The study, “Impact of Massage Therapy on Fatigue,…

Flex Pharma said it plans to prioritize developing its clinical programs in neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and peripheral neuropathies like Charcot-Marie Tooth (CMT). One or two proof-of-concept, Phase 2 clinical trials are planned for this year in the United States to evaluate Flex Pharma’s…

A new clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of extended-release baclofen capsules in relieving spasticity related to multiple sclerosis (MS) is calling for 135 people with any form of the disease. The study, taking place in six U.S. states, is sponsored by Sun Pharma, the drug’s developer. Baclofen, an approved MS…

Certain cannabinoids reduce spasticity symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a report  from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that scrutinized published research about the benefits and hazards of cannabis and cannabinoid use. Cannabinoids also show proven effect in other areas that may be important to MS patients, but they are linked…

AXIM Biotechnologies announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will be issuing a patent covering all cannabinoids — both natural and synthetic —  used in a chewing gum delivery system that may be included in its cannabinoid-containing, controlled-release chewing gum products. The USPTO has given the company a Notice of…

Voters in four U.S. states on Nov. 8 chose to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, and those in three other states approved the medicinal use of cannabis — all gains for pharmaceutical and other companies designing cannabis-based therapies for people with long-term chronic ills whose symptoms might be helped with these…

Medical Marijuana announced that Axim Biotechnologies, a cannabinoid-based product developer in which it owns a strategic interest, has released a product pipeline chart highlighting development timelines for its cannabinoid-based therapeutics, including those for  multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The  chart illustrates the stage each drug is in, from preclinical testing to, eventually, applications for regulatory…

AXIM Biotech has closed on a private funding round that will enable it to continue clinical trials for a variety of conditions, including its pharmaceutical candidate MedChew Rx, a patented cannabinoid release chewing gum for treating pain and spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS). According to a press release from SECFilings.com,…

AXIM Biotechnologies  announced it has secured financing from private sources to continue its testing of medical cannabinoid products as potential treatments for multiple indications, including pain and spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, AXIM  is testing pharmaceutical delivery systems and active ingredients for its medical marijuana line. “This financing provides us with…

A new study shows that an enzyme called hyaluronidase may be effective in reducing muscle spasticity resulting from neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The results were published in a study titled “Human Recombinant Hyaluronidase Injections For Upper Limb Muscle Stiffness in Individuals With Cerebral Injury: A Case Series,”…

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) might be an option to treat spasticity, one of the more common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a literature review conducted by researchers from Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Toledo and Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos de Toledo, in Spain.

Flex Pharma, Inc., announced the start of a Phase 2 clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of FLX-787 in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who suffer from cramps, spasms, and/or spasticity as a result of the disease. The trial is being run in conjunction with Neuroscience Trials Australia. Flex Pharma’s FLX-787 is a single molecule,…