February 8, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Upcoming Forum Will Include Interactive, Case-based Discussion About MS Therapeutic Landscape TheĀ Physiciansā Education ResourceĀ will host an interactive, case-based discussion on the latest therapeutics in multiple sclerosis (MS). The free educational program, part of the 2019 Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) ForumĀ (Feb. 28 -March 2), aims to inform…
August 20, 2018 Columns by Debi Wilson Deciding if Ocrevus Is Right When You’re Over 55 As a 61-year-old woman diagnosed in 2010 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), I was overjoyed when theĀ U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in March 2017. Because Ocrevus is the first treatment approved to possibly slow the progression of PPMS, theĀ FDA’s green…
May 9, 2018 Columns by Cathy Chester The Agony of Decision-making when It’s Time to Switch MS Medications Iām agonizing over an important decision and it’s driving me crazy. Iām usually a quick decision-maker, but this one is tough. I have my analytical hat on, trying to look at my choices from a scientific standpoint. Unfortunately, my anxiety kicks in, and my hat…
January 19, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias Heavy-hitting MS Therapies Now Being Used Sooner for Some Patients I’m sitting in Florida and the start of spring training is only about six weeks from now, so please forgive a baseball analogy: The heavy-hitters of the MS-fighting treatments, the monoclonal antibodiesĀ (mAbs), are moving up in the lineup. Five treatments currently are in the mAbs class:Ā Ocrevus,…
November 6, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society, Corrona to Launch Registry Comparing Approved MS Therapies The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ (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 therapies in multiple sclerosis (MS). Corrona, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducts observational cohort studies, offering analytic expertise…
October 10, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Nimbus, Celgene to Jointly Research Targeting of Proteins to Treat MS, Other Disorders Nimbus Therapeutics and CelgeneĀ have agreed to work together to identify potential therapeutic compounds that can specifically target Tyk2 and STING ā two proteins involved in inflammation and innate immune response. This strategic collaboration can open new therapeutic avenues for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and several autoimmune disorders. Nimbus, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, applies chemical computational analysis to identify and develop new compounds with potential for therapeutic use in a range of diseases. TwoĀ Nimbus immunology programs are already covered under the newly established agreement: one developing inhibitors of Tyk2 and antagonists of STING protein. Tyk2, or tyrosine kinase 2, mediates the signaling of several pro-inflammatory proteins, including interleukin (IL)-23, IL-12 and type-I interferons. Inhibiting this enzyme can stop signals from passing through. This can potentially impair inflammatory response. STING, or stimulator of interferon genes, is an important activator of immune responses. As such, finding ways to block its activity can help prevent autoimmunity and reestablish immune response balance. Under their accord, Nimbus will control the program's research and development; Celgene will have the option to acquire each program covered by the alliance.
September 28, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski A Look Inside MS Marketplace Projections Do you ever stop and ponder the value of MS drugs? Iām not talking about if they work and the ways they improve our lives. Iām thinking of the COST of them and what their pricing means to investors. I get several market analysis reports on the pharmaceutical industry,…
September 26, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc US, UK Researchers Collaborate on $10.6M Study to Improve Treatment Regimens for MS Patients Researchers at the University of Nottingham and neurologists at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust in England will be working with a team from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio to better understand the best therapeutic strategy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The $10.6 million international clinical trial was one ofĀ five…
July 28, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Therapies: What’s Hot, What’s Not Ocvevus (ocrelizumab) is off to a running start, Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) leads the pills and the four injectable multiple sclerosis drugs are being used by fewer MS patients. But Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) remains the leader of the pack of the disease-modifying therapies. Those are…
July 21, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias Do MS Patients in the UK Get the Right Treatment Quickly Enough? About two years ago, a report by the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform stated that only 21% of MS patients in the United Kingdom were receiving any kind of disease-modifying therapy. This is compared to 40% in France and 69% in Germany. Now, the U.K. branch of pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has published a report of its own, "The Missing Pieces." The report tries to answer, "Why is this so?" Here are some of the answers that were received online from a small group of healthcare professionals and MS patients: Nearly three-quarters of U.K. healthcare professionals think that people with MS face delays in starting on disease-modifying treatments (DMTs). Nearly one-quarter of MS patients there reported being unaware of some treatments that could help delay the onset of disability. Only half of people with MS say disability was discussed with their healthcare professional when they were first diagnosed, yet 69% of the healthcare professionals say it was discussed. Only a third of those patients say that "disability" is discussed in their regular MS appointments. Two-thirds of people with MS say that maintaining independence is their main treatment goal, followed by reducing relapses. The report also says that healthcare professionals believe the primary reason that DMTs are slow to be prescribed is lack of access in the U.K. to neurologists who specialize in MS. And, it says, 62% of MS specialist nurses and 47% of MS specialists thought this delay is also because of a shortage of healthcare facilities needed to deliver DMTs. Now, it needs to be noted that this survey involved only 100 MS specialist healthcare professionals and 120 MS patients in the U.K. And, as mentioned earlier, the survey was conducted by Sanofi, which claims to be the fourth largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Sanofi makes two big-time MS drugs: Aubagio (teriflunomide) and Lemtrada (alemtuzumab). Naturally, it has a vested interest in seeing that MS patients are treated with DMTs. (Full disclosure: I recently was compensated by Sanofi Genzyme to attend a meeting of "digital influencers" that the company held at its U.S. headquarters.) But drug sales aside, a case certainly can be made for treating MS patients with DMTs quickly after patients are diagnosed, and many drugs currently on the market have shown that they are able to modify the course of MS. And there's a case to be made about a need for better patient-healthcare provider communication. So, my question is: How do MS patients in the U.K. feel about access to DMTs? And to MS care, in general? Is this small report correct about the lack of knowledge by patients about their treatment options? Is it correct about the lack of MS specialists and resources in the U.K.? Do MS patients outside of the U.K. have similar concerns?
November 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National Multiple Sclerosis Society Invests Over $21 Million to Fund New MS Research The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has dedicated overĀ $21 millionĀ to fund 78 new multiple sclerosis (MS) research studies as part of a broad research plan designed to addressĀ MS, re-establish Ā lost functioning caused by the disease in patients, and ultimately end the disease forever. This recentĀ round of investment into MS researchĀ is…