treatment

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a recently approved therapy for relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), is now on the U.S. market, but research into its use is far from over. Several clinical trials, sponsored by Ocrevus’ developer Genentech or its parent company Roche, are looking at various aspects of the treatment. Multiple Sclerosis…

Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) have developed a new experimental method to specifically target unwanted activation of the immune system without the toxicity of current immunoregulatory drugs. According to the study “Manipulating DNA damage-response signaling for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases,” published in the journal …

A common acne medicine called minocycline can reduce the rate of multiple sclerosis progression in patients who are at early stages of the disease, according to a Phase 3 clinical trial. The finding was from the MinoCIS trial (NCT00666887) of minocycline, which goes by the brand name Mynocan and other…

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw “MS Comprehensive Care: A Team Sport“ listed as the title of the John F. Kurtzke Memorial Lecture at the opening of the Consortium of MS Centers 2017 Annual Meeting. Kurtzke, according to the program, was a strong advocate of the…

Mallinckrodt has enrolled its first relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patient into a Phase 4 clinical trial (NCT03126760) with H.P. Acthar Gel (Repository Corticotropin Injection) to see if the therapy can help treat relapse symptoms in patients who did not respond to high-dose steroids. If successful, the trial might resolve…

Taking Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for two years inhibited magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) for more than six years, the CARE-MS I clinical trial extension study found. Researchers presented their study, “Durable Efficacy of Alemtuzumab on MRI Disease Activity Over 6 Years in Treatment-Naive RRMS Patients With…

Multiple sclerosis patients who benefited from Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in two Phase 3 clinical trials continued to benefit when they extended their treatment, researchers reported. In fact, their annual relapse rates have fallen even further during the extension study than during the trials. The study, “Preliminary Results of the OPERA I and…

Long-term treatment for up to 12o weeks, with the investigational drug Ozanimod (RPC-1063), found to be effective and safe in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who participated in the RADIANCE clinical trial. Celgene, Ozanimod’s developer, presented the study, “Efficacy and Safety of Ozanimod in the Blinded Extension (120…

Multiple sclerosis patients who start Rituxan (rituximab) treatment are three times more likely to have unchanged or improved brain-scan readings than worse ones, according to a study. Holy Name Medical Center researchers presented the findings at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers annual meeting in New Orleans, May 24-27. The presentation…

Older patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) as well as older relapsing patients whose MS has been inactive after five years may safely discontinue their treatments, Canadian researchers at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia argue. Their Sanofi Genzyme-sponsored study, “When Should Disease-Modifying Treatments Be Discontinued in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: An…

Cladribine tablets reduced relapsing multiple sclerosis patients’ annual relapse rate by 55 to 57 percent, depending on the dose, according to clinical trials. EMD Serono, a unit of Cladribine’s developer, Merck, presented the trial results at the 31st annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers in New Orleans,…

Long-term therapy with Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly improved the mental state of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to results of a Biogen-supported study with patients taking the drug for almost two years. Biogen presented the study, “The Impact of Natalizumab on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Secondary Progressive…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who experienced a relapse between their first and second rounds of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) had good treatment outcomes over the long run, according to a Phase 3 clinical trial. Those who relapsed after their first round ended up with annual relapse rates similar to those who didn’t…

A multiple sclerosis (MS) patient treated in Germany with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has developed the dreaded brain infection progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). But it is not clear whether the recently approved Genentech/Roche-developed treatment is the cause. The patient took the last dose of a three-year course of Tysabri (natalizumab) in February. Tysabri is…

One of the biggest ongoing threads we have in the forum I help admin revolves around the subject of pain. We all know how pain can be disabling, or if not disabling, still influential over our moods, our ability to sleep, our energy levels,…

Fampyra (prolonged-release fampridine tablets) — sold in the U.S. as Ampyra (dalfampridine) — has now been granted standard marketing authorization in Europe. The approval was based on the results of a Biogen-sponsored Phase 3 clinical trial confirming the drug’s safety and efficacy in improving walking in patients with multiple…

Relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) patients taking the investigational drug ozanimod, also known as RPC-1063, had lower relapse rate than those on weekly Avonex (interferon β-1a) therapy, according to Celgene in an announcement updating results of its Phase 3 RADIANCE trial. Ozanimod is a new orally administrated drug that selectively inhibits the…

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. Ocrevus Market Entry Already Changing Dynamics in MS Treatment Choices, Spherix Analysis Suggests   Are pills, shots, or infusions the therapy…

A real-world medical-facilities setting has confirmed clinical trial findings that Gilenya (fingolimod) can reduce multiple sclerosis relapses, according to a Spanish study published in Plos One. Gilenya, developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, was the first oral disease-modifying therapy to obtain U.S. and European approval. The Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency authorized…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are largely moving away from injectable drugs and towards oral treatments when they switch from first to second-line MS therapies. But that might change with the introduction of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which has become the drug of choice for many neurologists advising patients on drug switches. The real-world analysis by…

PODS (POlyhedrin Delivery System), a new technology designed to transport any protein in the human body, may open up new approaches in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases, says its British developer, Cell Guidance Systems. Created by Hajime Mori, a professor at Japan’s Kyoto Institute of Technology, PODS is…

A large-scale study revealed potential adverse reactions to beta-interferon (IFN-β) therapy, one of the most common treatments used for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). According to the study published in the journal Neurology, patients have an increased risk of stroke, migraine, depression, and of developing abnormalities in the blood. In…

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. MSAA’s Dr. Jack Burks Responds to Readers’ Questions About Ocrevus and Its Use All over the internet MS patients are asking questions about…

I’ve been taking a statin drug for years to keep my cholesterol low, and it’s doing a really good job. Now, there’s hope that this class of drug also might be useful for MS patients. A major trial in the U.K. is testing the drug simvastatin (used to control…

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 patients’ minds. Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Dr. Jack Burks — a neurologist and researcher who serves as chief…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), together with its British partners, plans to launch a Phase 3 trial in the next few months to investigate whether simvastatin — a cheap drug that controls cholesterol levels — may be a suitable treatment for people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The trial,…

Laquinimod failed to meet its primary Phase 3 clinical trial objective of slowing the progression of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) after three months, according to its developers, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Active Biotech. That has prompted the partners to abandon their quest to use the therapy to treat RRMS. Laquinimod…

A global Phase 3 clinical trial assessing MD1003 — also known as high-dose biotin — for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) might lead to the approval of one of the first treatments helping select progressive patients to improve. The trial aims to prove that high-dose biotin can reverse disability in non-active progressive MS.

A multiple sclerosis (MS) trial now underway in Colorado is assessing the safety and tolerability of switching from Rituxan (rituximab) to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and its lead investigator, Dr. Timothy L. Vollmer, largely expects no problems. The neurologist believes the two Genentech therapies — both antibody-based drugs that target the CD20 molecule on B-cells —…

Cladribine tablets reduce the risk of disability progression and relapse in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), the CLARITY clinical trial indicates. The treatment was also well-tolerated and had a good safety profile, according to a presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Boston,…