February 2, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Tysabri biosimilar Tyruko now available in Germany for RRMS TyrukoĀ (natalizumab), the first biosimilar ofĀ Tysabri,Ā is now available in Germany forĀ adults with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). As a biosimilar, Tyruko has the same safety and efficacy profile, mechanism of action, and pharmacological properties as Tysabri. Biosimilars are typically sold at lower prices than their reference medication,…
November 28, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Extending Tysabri dose intervals controls RRMS activity Extending Tysabri (natalizumab) dosing intervals based on the drug’s blood levels was as effective at controlling disease activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as the approved four-week dosing regimen. That’s according to results from NEXT-MS (NCT04225312), a Phase 4 clinical trial studying whether tailoring Tysabri’s…
October 9, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD PML caused by Tysabri results in lasting neurological symptoms People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who develop progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)Ā as a side effect of Tysabri (natalizumab) often see their neurological symptoms worsen severely during the infection and their disability gradually accumulate over time. That’s according to a study in Austria, which also showed that most disability progression…
April 14, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS High medical costs for MS patients starting Ocrevus, Lemtrada, Tysabri People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to accrue more medical costs after switching to infusible therapies Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), Tysabri (natalizumab), or Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), according to an analysis of data from commercially insured patients in the U.S. “The overall healthcare costs for MS patients increased a lot…
October 7, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Early Use of Tysabri Treatment Linked to Greater Benefits Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who started taking Tysabri (natalizumab) long after their diagnosis were found to have worsened disease progression. But those who began using it earlier showed less aggravated clinical and radiological outcomes of the disease than participants who started treatment later, a study showed. The study,…
October 1, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Humana’s Lawsuit Against Biogen Decries Ongoing ‘Seed and Sweep’ Schemes People living with multiple sclerosis know that the medications used to treat it are expensive. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the median annual price of brand-name disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) last year was $91,835. Five of them carried a price tag of more than $100,000 a year. Many pharmaceutical…
August 9, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19, High-dose Biotin, MS Diets, Tysabri Risk of Severe COVID-19 Not Raised by Immunosuppressive DMTs Here’s the latest on whether disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) raise the risk of a person having a bad case of COVID-19 if infected with the novel coronavirus. Researchers report here that DMTs don’t increase that risk. But don’t confuse this information…
August 2, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cells, Home Infusions, Hippocampus FDA Greenlights Stem Cells Trial Aiming to Improve Quality of Life I’m pleased every time I see stem cell research being approved. Hopefully, this will move us closer to approval in the U.S. for the use of stem cells as a treatment for MS. In this research, patients are…
July 26, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD At-home Tysabri Infusions Appear as Safe, Effective as Those at Clinics Tysabri (natalizumab) infusions given in the home to people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) save money and are more convenient, while apparently as safe and effective as those given in clinical settings, a pilot study comparing the two delivery methods reported. Nonetheless, its researchers recommended larger trials be…
May 3, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: FDA and Tysabri, COVID-19 and CD20, Gilenya Infections, Therapeutic Lag FDA Rejects Under-the-skin Tysabri for Relapsing MS I expect this decision will be a disappointment for those who had hoped to be able to self-administer highly effective Tysabri as a shot rather than an IV infusion. But I switched from Avonex to Tysabri, because after a few years of…
April 26, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 and Flares, Hiding MS Status, Blood Proteins, Tysabri #AANAM ā COVID-19 Often Leads to Flares in MS Patients, Survey Finds I’ve read more than a few social media posts from people with MS who are concerned that the COVID-19 vaccines will cause a flare. National MS Association guidelines say the vaccines may cause a temporary, mild fever…
March 1, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: POMS and Sunshine, Music Therapy, Tysabri, Socioeconomic Status Stories marked #ACTRIMS2021 are by members of the Multiple Sclerosis News Today team, who reported on this annual conference of MS researchers, held virtually this year due to COVID-19. #ACTRIMS2021 ā 30 Minutes in Sun Each Day Lowers MS Risk in Children Can it really be this…
February 22, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Tysabri, Evobrutinib, Diet Study, Rituximab Drop in PML With Tysabri Use in Sweden Likely Due to Risk Management Plan I’m JCV-positive, so I’m at risk for PML if I’m being treated with Tysabri. And I was treated with Tysabri for seven years without a problem. That, I believe, is because my neurologist carefully followed…
August 3, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Symptom Progression, Lower Urinary Symptoms, Tysabri, IL-17A Protein Study Order Seen in Motor Skills Affected by MS, With Walking Taking First Hit Read this headline carefully. It reports that walking takes the “first hit,” but that doesn’t mean it’s the first MS symptom people experience. My first symptoms involved vision, fatigue, and hand strength. But true to the…
June 22, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Gilenya and COVID-19, Depression, Switching from Tysabri Gilenya May Help Control Severe Respiratory Disease in COVID-19 This story caught my eye, but not because of the possibility that Gilenya may help someone recover from COVID-19. It caught my eye because this information may give false hope to some people. Some doctors think that at a…
January 2, 2020 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Use of DMTs Changing ‘Natural History’ of Relapsing MS, Study Says People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) have a better prognosis and a slower progression to disability since the introduction of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) some 20 years ago, according to a retrospective study. The study, āOutcomes in a Modern Cohort of Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients Followed from Diagnosis Up…
November 22, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Black and Hispanic RRMS Patients Show High Levels of Immune Cells Linked to Antibodies, US Study Reports African-AmericansĀ and Hispanics with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have higher blood levels of plasmablasts,Ā a type of inflammatory immune cell that produces antibodies, than do Caucasians with this disease, a study found. The study āBlack African and Latino/a identity correlates with increased plasmablasts in MSā was published in the journal…
October 17, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Rituximab Linked to Greater Risk of Infections in MS Patients in Real-world Swedish Study Newer disease-modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) are effective but also known to carry a greater risk of infections in a patient group already more likely to be troubled by infections ā and this higher risk is particularly evident in treatment with rituximab, a DMT often used off-label in…
September 19, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: What Is the JC Virus? Editor’s note: “Need to Knowā 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 topicĀ “Does PML worry you?” from April 18. The world of multiple sclerosis (MS)…
September 16, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Transplants, Remyelination Agent, Tecfidera Study, Plasma Exchange and Tysabri-linked PML It’s been a big week for interesting stories, as the annual meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) has just concluded. The conference offered much to engage healthcare professionals and researchers, but the following are some presentations that appealed to me as a multiple…
September 11, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – 10-year Data Confirm Long-term Benefits of Biogen’s Tecfidera for RRMS New 10-year data from the Phase 3 ENDORSE trial confirms the long-term benefits of Biogenās TecfideraĀ for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), the most common form of this disease. Real-world data from another study also showed Tecfidera to be superior to several other disease-modifying therapies for relapsing MS,…
June 17, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: DMT Strategy Study, MS and Genetic Mutations, MS Art Project, AI Helps Neuros Read MRIs DELIVER-MS Trial Recruiting RRMS Patients to Help Improve Treatment Decision-making What’s the best way to attack multiple sclerosis when it’s first diagnosed? Do you hit it hard and fast using the most effective disease-modifying therapy (DMT), or do you start with a lower efficacy DMT and slowly ramp up?…
June 14, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD New AI Method Detects Brain Changes in Response to Treatment in RRMS Patients A new artificial intelligence (AI)-based model is better than conventional methods for detecting brain changes in response to treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study reports. The study, “High-dimensional detection of imaging response to treatment in multiple sclerosis,” was published in…
June 13, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: What Is the Blood Brain Barrier? Editor’s note: “Need to Knowā is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum.Ā This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “How the Blood Brain Barrier May Thwart MS Progression” from Feb. 9, 2017. What…
May 13, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Lemtrada Satisfaction, Limiting Tysabri’s PML Risk, MS and Pregnancy, Infusions vs. Pills #AANAM ā 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…
May 7, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM ā Tysabri Lowers Serum Neurofilament Light Levels in SPMS Patients, Phase 3 Trial Finds Treatment with TysabriĀ (natalizumab) lowers the levels of the biomarker serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (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…
April 16, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Cancer Medication Shows Promise in Treating Dangerous Brain Infection PML, Small-scale Study Finds Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, more commonly referred to as PML, is a brain infection that’s frequently fatal.Ā PML is particularly dangerous to people with MS, which is why I’m interested in a report about a medication that’s showing promise as a PML treatment. The concern for people with MS is…
February 12, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein MMP-9 Protein a Possible Marker of PML in Tysabri-treated RRMS Patients, Study Suggests A protein called MMP-9 could be a predictive marker of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy development in patients withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā who are being treated withĀ Tysabri (natalizumab), a study suggests. The study, āDynamic changes of MMP-9 plasma levels correlate with JCV reactivation and immune activation in natalizumab-treated multiple sclerosis patients,ā was published in the journalĀ Nature Scientific Reports. Brain inflammation in multiple sclerosis patients occurs when immune cells breach the blood-brain barrier. This layer of cells protect the brain and its supporting fluids, such as cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), from dangerous agents circulating in blood. How easily immune cells can break through the blood-brain barrier depends on its porousness. For instance, it is known that decreasing the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) increases the protective layerās permeability. Matrix metalloproteinases are a family of proteins responsible for the degradation of collagen and other proteins in the extracellular matrix, which provides structural and biochemical support to surrounding cells. One metalloproteinase, called MMP-9, has been extensively studied in multiple sclerosis. MMP-9 levels are elevated in the CSF of multiple sclerosis patients and considered a potential biomarker of disease activity and possible therapeutic target. Tysabri (marketed by Biogen) is one of the most effective treatments for RRMS currently available. It works by blocking the entry of immune cells into the brain. Tysabri is known to decrease MMP-9 levels in the CSF and serum in RRMS patients. However, Tysabri has been associated with an increased risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). This rare and often fatal viral disease, caused by the John Cunningham virus (JCV), is characterized by progressive damage and/or inflammation at multiple sites in the brain. The reduced migration of immune cells across the blood-brain barrier induced by Tysabri is thought to be the cause of this increased PML risk.Ā Whether MMP-9 is involved in this process has not been studied. To look at this, a team led by researchers from Sapienza University and Aldo Moro UniversityĀ in Italy investigated MMP plasma levels following Tysabri treatment in the context of JCV. The team specifically looked at how levels of MMP-9 were linked to disease-related processes. Samples from 34 RRMS patients being treated with Tysabri (intravenous dose of 300āmg every four weeks) were analyzed. As expected, results showed that MMP-9 plasma levels stabilized within one year of Tysabri treatment (up to 12 Tysabri infusions), although they began to steadily rise afterward (between 12 and 24 infusions). These increased MMP-9 plasma levels were not associated with clinical relapses in RRMS patients. "MMP-9 levels increased in plasma accordingly with [Tysabri] infusion number," the researchers wrote. In comparing JCV-positive and JCV-negative samples, the researchers observed an increase in MMP-9 plasma levels in JCV-positive samples. This result suggested that JCV circulation in peripheral blood could be implicated in the increase of MMP-9 levels. Interestingly, increased MMP-9 plasma levels were found to be correlated with immune cell activation. "Our findings suggest a potential pathogenic role of MMP-9 in the development of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy during [Tysabri] treatment, and its possible use as a marker of JCV reactivation,ā the researchers wrote. Future studies are nonetheless needed to confirm these findings in larger groups of RRMS patients.
January 28, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Herbicide and MS, ‘Incredible’ Foot Stimulators, Tysabri and Brain Shrinkage Herbicide Called Linuron Seen to Trigger Inflammatory Signals Linked to MS in Study This is only a mouse study, but this herbicide has been banned in Europe because of health concerns. Its effects seem worthy of further investigation. The herbicide linuron, commonly used with other herbicides, insecticides,…
January 22, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Certain Treatments Linked to Lower Risk of Secondary Progressive MS, Study Shows Initial treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with Gilenya (fingolimod), Tysabri (natalizumab), or Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) is associated with a lower risk of conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), compared with interferon beta or Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), a study reports. Findings also showed that…