treatment

Oral Gilenya (fingolimod) taken daily at a 0.5 mg dose is superior to Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) injections at lowering relapses and disease activity over one year in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results of a Phase 3b trial. The research, “Efficacy and Safety…

At the 2019 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), Multiple Sclerosis News Today sat down with Bernd Kieseier, MD, global head of multiple sclerosis at Biogen, to discuss the company’s portfolio, latest data, and therapeutic development plans in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS). Kieseier said…

Two ongoing clinical trials may help doctors better understand which type of disease-modifying therapy — those considered highly effective or those with low-to-moderate efficacy used in an escalating treatment approach — would be best for people in the early stages of  relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a  …

Although the use of highly effective disease-modifying treatments (HETs) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has increased, they still represent a minority among the treatment strategies used, according to a study. The study, “Trends in the use of Highly Effective Disease Modifying Treatments in Multiple Sclerosis…

Treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) decreases the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and immune B-cells in the serum and central nervous system of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from a Phase 3 trial. The research, “Ocrelizumab treatment reduced levels of neurofilament light chain and…

#AANAM – RRMS Patients Switching to Lemtrada Report Greater Satisfaction with Treatment and Improvements in Quality of Life I’m a self-proclaimed secondary progressive, rather than a remitting, multiple sclerosis (MS) person. But a year after round two of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), I can agree with this report. Several of my…

After first rejecting it due to cost-effectiveness concerns, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has now approved the use of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for people in the U.K. with early, inflammatory primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). This means that PPMS patients living in the…

Early, one-year data from the Phase 3 CHORDS study show that Ocrevus effectively prevents relapses and disease progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who have had poor responses to other disease-modifying therapies. These interim results were presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in…

Aubagio taken as 14 milligram (mg) tablet once daily significantly reduces the risk of relapse in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) over time irrespective of their prior treatment history, a pooled analysis of Phase 2 and Phase 3 trial results show. The findings were presented at the 2019…

When I read online posts from people who treat their multiple sclerosis (MS) with vitamins and supplements, I wonder how many of us do that. And if these supplements really help. The people at the Accelerated Cure Project, which surveys those living with MS about things such as this,…

Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who switched to infusions with Sanofi Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) report increased satisfaction with treatment and improvements in health-related quality of life, according to…

Oral treatment with ozanimod (RPC1063), an investigational immunomodulator under development by Celgene, is better at preventing brain volume loss, compared with Avonex (interferon-beta-1a), in adults with relapsing forms of…

Higher exposure to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is associated with greater immune B-cell depletion in the blood, and lessened risk of disability progression in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive disease (PPMS), according to new research. The study supporting that finding, “Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and…

Quanterix is leading the research presented at this year’s American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, validating the use of neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The company…

Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) lowers the levels of the biomarker serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to data from a Phase 3 trial. Findings also revealed that higher levels of sNfL correlated with MS lesions and disease activity prior to starting the…

Ouch! The out-of-pocket cash that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) lay out for their medications increased 20-fold between 2004 and 2016. That information comes from a study recently published on the Neurology website. Looked at another way, monthly out-of-pocket costs for MS meds rose from about $15 to about $309 over 12…

Treatment with Mayzent (siponomod) may reduce myelin deterioration by lessening the accumulation of immune cells in brain meninges, and preventing the migration of pro-inflammatory lymphocytes into the brain, according to a study in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The research, “A Mouse Model of…

Women with MS Have Higher Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction, Study Reveals I’m surprised that someone felt it necessary to conduct a formal study of this. A glance at multiple sclerosis (MS) groups on social media, although unscientific, would suggest that this is a common problem. And if you’re going…

Infusible disease-modifying treatment — that is, therapies given intravenously — might have greater benefits for younger people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than oral ones, new research suggests. The research was presented at the ongoing American Academy of Neurology (AAN)’s annual meeting (May 4-10) by Brandi Vollmer,…

A trend of rapidly increasing costs for disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) appear to be the primary driver behind the overall rise in healthcare costs for people with MS, a study suggests. These data were presented in a…

Robert Scola Jr. is a federal judge in Miami, and he’s just recused himself from a case involving the UnitedHealthcare (UHC) insurance company. The case is one of two filed in Miami over the last two months claiming that UHC has improperly denied coverage for a specific cancer…

A new clinical application prototype that uses machine learning to help physicians predict the best treatment options for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) will be unveiled at the American Academy of Neurology’s 2019 annual meeting May 4–10, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The prototype is called PIN Population Data Platform. It has been…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “Could US Gov’t Probe Threaten Pharma Patient Assistance Programs?” from Oct. 12, 2018.

Giving estrogen to two different adult mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), including the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model, promoted remyelination, a new study shows. Exposure to the hormone affected gene activity in oligodendrocytes, tricking them into producing myelin (the fatty substance that protects nerve cells, and that is destroyed…

There’s been a lot of social media chatter following the recent decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to initiate a safety review of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab). The EMA has restricted use of the medication within the European Union (EU) while the review is underway. That’s worrying some people who are…

A subset of stem cells in hair follicles, called melanocytes, appear to do more than just give rise to mature melanocytes, cells that help to determine hair color. Those melanocyte stem cells, or McSCs, that carry the CD34 protein were found in hair follicles from mice to differentiate into glia cells…

Study Will Explore Benefits of Tai Chi, Meditation on MS Patients’ Balance I’ve tried yoga to help with my balance and flexibility and found it useful. But tai chi scares me a little — it seems too difficult. Maybe, if the results of this study are very positive, I’ll…

A study suggests that it may be possible to create synthetic speech based on recordings of brain activity in people with irreversible speech loss due to neurological ills, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, or stroke. The system uses tiny electrodes implanted on the surface of the brain that directly records…

High levels of satisfaction with the efficacy and convenience of Aubagio (teriflunomide), an oral treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), were reported by patients across the U.S. and 13 other countries, a post-hoc analysis of data from a real-world Phase 4 study found. The study “Teriflunomide real-world evidence: Global…

In clinical practice, relapse events dropped by roughly half over a four-year period in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with Aubagio (teriflunomide), a real-world study reports. The study, “Real-life outcomes of teriflunomide treatment in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis: TAURUS-MS observational study,” also examined patients’ perspectives in…