treatment

This is second in a 2-part series. You can find Part 1 here.  Being proactive about your MS means staying up-to-date on current theories, treatments, products, and strategies. It’s safe to say that most people will turn to the internet at least a few times to look up…

PathMaker Neurosystems and the Brain and Spine Institute (ICM) in Paris will collaborate on human clinical trials to secure CE Mark clearance for PathMaker’s MyoRegulator PM-2200, a noninvasive neurotherapy technology to treat conditions linked to neural pathway disruption, including multiple sclerosis (MS). CE Mark — which stands for “Conformité Européenne,” or European Conformity…

Oral multiple sclerosis meds appear, more and more, to be the first choice of patients who are just beginning to receive an MS treatment. A recent report by the independent marketing research firm Spherix Global Insights shows that oral disease-modifying therapies captured a significantly higher…

The VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) and the University of Maryland Fischell Department of Bioengineering are collaborating in a research initiative that aims to increase our understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS). The project is being led by Christopher M. Jewell, PhD, an assistant professor in bioengineering. Jewell will…

Two multiple sclerosis (MS) patients developed severe brain inflammation after being treated with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), researchers report, raising questions about the therapy. A definite link between the lesions and the treatment, however, was not established. The patients’ symptoms were successfully controlled with a blood transfusion and treatment with rituximab (brand name Rituxan,…

Two Cleveland Clinic researchers were awarded multi-year grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under its Outstanding Investigator Award, to find new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other complex diseases. Bruce Trapp, PhD, an expert in myelin biology and MS, will receive about $7 million over eight years under the…

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…

The multiple sclerosis (MS) market shifted during 2016, with oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) capturing a greater share and Sanofi-Genzyme’s Aubagio (teriflunomide) being poised for growth, according to a press release from Spherix Global Insights. The conclusions were included in the company’s “RealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis,” a quarterly report based…

Most Irish general practitioners (GPs) are against decriminalizing cannabis use, but many, especially those over age 50, say it can be useful for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other medical conditions, according to a recent survey. The results are detailed in the study, “Irish general practitioner attitudes toward decriminalisation…

Genetically silencing the transcription factor Nrf2 in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) results in visual deficits, inflammation of the optic nerve, and degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells (RGC), according to a study published in the scientific journal Molecular Vision.

Sanofi and ImmuNext have announced an agreement to develop an antibody with the potential to treat a series of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and lupus. Under the terms of the agreement, ImmuNext will give Sanofi an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize INX-021, a CD40L…

Australia has granted a patent to RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals for an active ingredient in a therapy that could benefit multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The patent is for Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), the driving force in the company’s RGN-352 treatment. RGN-352 promotes myelination, or the production of protective myelin sheaths for damaged neurons and other nerve…

Early data from TG Therapeutics’ Phase 2 trial of its B-cell-targeting experimental multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment ublituximab (TG-1101), showed that the drug is well-tolerated and effectively reduces B-cells in the blood. MS therapies that deplete B-cells have been effective in relapsing and progressive forms of MS. Like other B-cell-targeting drugs in…

It’s been a month since I completed my first round of Lemtrada infusions, so it’s time to bring everyone up to date on how things are going. I was told to expect a roller coaster of side effects. I’m pleased to say that, at least so far, it’s…

Repeated magnetic stimulation of the brain may help to rebuild the brain’s network in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to improved working memory, researchers reported. But more studies are necessary to confirm the procedure’s safety and efficacy as a treatment for MS. Results were published in a study titled…

The European Commission is awarding 15 million euros to support MultipleMS, a large global project designed to develop new personalized medicine approaches for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The funds, equal to about $15.2 million, will be provided through the agency’s Horizon2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The program, the European Union’s largest research…

Cyclophosphamide (CPM) may delay the progression of disability in the first years of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), but patients must take it for two years — and many are unlikely to tolerate it for that long. The study, “Double-Blind Controlled Randomized Trial of Cyclophosphamide versus Methylprednisolone in Secondary Progressive…

Compugen has reported new and promising results from studies on animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS) that support its lead drug candidate, CGEN-15001, as a potential treatment for a variety of autoimmune diseases, including MS. Specifically, CGEN-15001 was shown to restore immune tolerance and balance in a durable and sustained manner in treated…

Phoebe Scopes was the first international patient to receive Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) therapy for multiple sclerosis in Moscow. In this fourth, and last, part of her story, we join Phoebe on her return home to the London. Ian: What is your post-HSCT MS state from getting home…

Long-awaited approval of the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has been delayed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What had been publicized widely as a late December 2016 FDA approval hearing has now been pushed to late March 2017. The drug’s manufacturer, Genentech, issued a very…

  Several months ago I wrote a blog on my personal website about Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the first drug that’s designed specifically to treat primary progressive, as well as remitting, multiple sclerosis. The clinical trials for Ocrevus posted excellent results. The buzz in the medical community was good,  and it was…

We all know the credit card commercial with actor Samuel L. Jackson talking about the buying power and the return on a certain credit card. He speaks about the bonus cash-back offers you can accrue if you just keep spending money and putting it on your credit card. The tag…

Ibudilast (MN-166) has shown enough promise as a treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) that its U.S. Phase 2b trial (NCT01982942) should continue, the U.S. National Institute of Health’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board has recommended. A key goal of the 96-week trial is to determine whether ibudilast can slow the…

President Obama’s signing of the 21st Century Cures Act on Dec. 13 is expected to bring real change to those living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The legislation will lead to better research and clinical trials. It also puts increased weight on the role patients play in developing treatments for their…

The 21st Century Cures Act, recently signed into law by President Barack Obama, includes provisions that aim to speed up the process by which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews stem cell treatments for patients with degenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease. This act also…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently extended until the end of March its review of the Biologics License Application (BLA) for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). The application was submitted by Roche, requesting FDA approval for Ocrevus as a treatment for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and — for a first…

Genentech is recruiting U.S. participants for a Phase 3 study (NCT02637856) of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who were not helped by previous disease-modifying therapies, according to a press release from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The trial is an open-label study, meaning…

The discovery of a new type of immune cell in the membranes covering the brain is likely to advance understanding of the immune system’s impact on the brain, a study says. It could also lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers knew the immune…

Ari Waisman, a multiple sclerosis (MS) researcher credited with having made major contributions to “the successful development of modern anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory therapies,” was recently honored by the Sobek Foundation. The author of over 170 scientific articles on MS, Waisman is the director of the Institute for Molecular Medicine at the University Medical Center…

Here are my Picks of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Zinbryta Approved in Canada as Once-Monthly Treatment for Relapsing MS It can only be good for people with relapsing MS in Canada that they now may receive Zinbryta as a treatment.