July 12, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Skills Maintained in RRMS Patients Treated with Gilenya or Tysabri in Yearlong Study Disease-modifying therapies, a groupĀ of treatments for peopleĀ withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), work to stabilize patients’ cognitive functionsĀ just as they do their physical symptoms. Research, conducted over the course of a year, also reportedĀ no differences between two types of DMTs,Ā Gilenya (fingolimod) andĀ Tysabri (natalizumab). The study, ā…
July 6, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD ICER Draft Report Evaluating Therapies for RRMS Now Open for Public Comment TheĀ Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)Ā released the early draft of a paper intended toĀ informĀ a future report evaluating the effectiveness and value of disease-modifying therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The paper, called aĀ draft scopingĀ document, is titled “Disease Modifying Therapies for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Effectiveness and…
June 24, 2016 Columns by admin MS Patients Need a Drug Therapy Without Awful Side Effects Never having been offered, let alone received any disease modifying therapy, I can address the subject of disease modifying therapies, and their side effects, with complete impartiality. Of course, the reason for the lack of any medication is because none has yet been approved for use with MS patients who…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC16 – STRIVE Study Confirms Tysabri (Natalizumab) Safety in Early Relapsing-Remitting MS Results from the STRIVE study support the safety of natalizumabĀ (Tysabri) as a therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study, “Natalizumab in Anti-JC Virus Seronegative Patients with Early Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Interim Results from the STRIVE Study,”Ā was recentlyĀ presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis…
June 2, 2016 News by Ćzge Ćzkaya, PhD MS Drug Tysabri (Natalizumab) Gets Positive Opinion from European Medicines Agency Biogen, announced that TYSABRI, a drug developed to treat people with multiple sclerosis (MS) has received a positive opinion from the European Medicine Agency (EMA) recommending its approval to be used in people with elapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
April 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lymphoma Drug, Rituximab, Highly Effective in Treating Relapsing MS, Study from Sweden Reports Mabthera (rituximab), a widely approved drug for treating lymphoma and/or rheumatoid arthritis, is highly effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers reported in an observational study in Sweden, where Mabthera is increasingly being used outside of its approved indications to treat relapsing-remitting MS patients. The study, published in the journal…
April 14, 2016 News by admin Array of Multiple Sclerosis Trial Data to Be Presented by Biogen at 2016 AAN Meeting A rangeĀ of new multiple sclerosis (MS) data from Biogen will be revealedĀ atĀ the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Vancouver, Canada, on April 15ā21. Presentations will include studies on TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate),Ā one of the most frequently usedĀ oral MS treatments worldwide, as well as several other…
April 11, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Natalizumab (Tysabri) Targets Molecule Crucial for Type of B-Cell to Accumulate in the Brain Mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), were found to have milder symptoms if the target of natalizumab (Tysabri) ā VLA4 ā was absent on B-cells, preventing regulatory cells that might control immune processes from entering the brain. B-cells are increasingly thought to play…
March 29, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Relapses During Natalizumab Therapy Traced to Drug’s Greater Impact on Regulatory T-cells Natalizumab (Tysabri) harnesses multiple sclerosis (MS) activity by targeting CD49, a molecule on the surface of immune cells. Now, researchers foundĀ that the drug reduces the factor on regulatory T-cells to a greater extent than on inflammatory T-cells ā a mechanism that might explain disease exacerbation during treatment. The molecule under…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Debate Weighs MS Therapy Risks of Infections Like PML in Terms of Benefits Offered Certain therapies used toĀ treat multiple sclerosis (MS) have been associated with opportunistic infections of the central nervous system, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but often fatal brain disorder caused by the John Cunningham (JC) virus. The question of whether the risk for opportunistic infections to MS patients outweighs…
February 3, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Neurologist Argues for Continued Use of Natalizumab as Disease Treatment In a recent study ofĀ more than 1,200 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a research team reported that treatment with the drug natalizumab (Tysabri) could lead to a tenfold increase in the levels of blood antibodies associated with a virus causing a rare but severe brain disease known as progressive multifocal…
February 2, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Patients Under Natalizumab Treatment May Be at Risk of Rare Brain Infection Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with natalizumab have an increased risk of developing high levels of antibodies associated withĀ a virus causing aĀ rare, but often fatal, brain infection known asĀ progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), researchers reported. TheirĀ study, āTherapy with natalizumab is associated with high JCV seroconversion and rising JCV index values,ā…
December 14, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 2 New Treatments for Relapsing-Remitting MS Now Available in New Zealand The Multiple Sclerosis Society of New Zealand (MSNZ)Ā announced thatĀ PHARMAC has agreed with its requestĀ toĀ finance two novel first-in-line therapies for relapsing-remitting forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), making them accessible to patients there. PHARMAC recently agreed to fund theĀ two treatments, teriflunomide (Aubagio), supplied by Sanofi-Aventis NZ, and dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera),…
October 22, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Biogen’s TYSABRI for Secondary Progressive MS Fails to Meet Phase 3 Trial Endpoints Biogen Inc. recently reported that the Phase 3 ASCEND clinical trial study testing TYSABRI efficacy in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) did not achieve its primary and secondary goals. According to the company, the comprehensive results of the study will be revealed at a future medical conference.
October 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen to Present New Data at Upcoming ECTRIMS 2015 Congress on MS Therapies, Including TECFIDERA Biogen, a biotechnology company focused on innovative therapies for autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and hematological conditions, recently announced that it will present new data on its multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio of therapeutic agents at the upcoming 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis…
September 25, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Possible JC Virus Vaccination Offers Important Implications for MS Treatment Two studies recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, revealed a possible new vaccine treatment for JC virus with important implications for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. The studies are entitled āJC polyomavirus mutants escape antibody-mediated neutralizationā and āBroadly neutralizing human…
July 13, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New MS Study Shows TYSABRI Improves Cognitive Impairment Researchers at Spedali Civili of Brescia in Italy recently published findings in the journal PLoS OneĀ that Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) can improve cognitive impairment in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over the course ofĀ at least three years. The study is entitled āNatalizumab Significantly…
August 25, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen’s Tysabri, Novartis’ Gilenya Being Considered For Funding In New Zealand Health System The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) is consideringĀ a funding proposal that includes five treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), namely two key MS drugs, Ā Biogen‘s TysabriĀ andĀ Novartis‘ Gilenya, thatĀ are not currently funded. PHARMACĀ is the New Zealand Crown agency that decides, on behalf of District…
August 10, 2014 News by BioNews Staff JCV Virus May Be Missed in Patients Who Take Popular MS Drug, According To Study Multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients who are prescribedĀ TysabriĀ have an increased risk to develop the rare, often fatal infection of the brain called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), according to a recent study. PML is caused by a common virus that infects blood cells and can be mobilized by popular RRMS drug Natalizumab,…
July 14, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Tysabri Protects Against Relapse in Multiple Sclerosis, According To Study According to a study published in JAMA Neurology, multiple sclerosis patients are greatly benefited by Biogen Idec’s Tysabri (natalizumab) and tend to relapse if they discontinue treatment. Natalizumab had a protective effect on patients who were continuously treated with Tysabri beyond a 24-dose timepoint within the study,…
June 5, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Biogen Idec Investigates Tysabri in Secondary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Patients Biogen Idec is currently sponsoring a clinical trial evaluating its therapy Tysabri (natalizumab) in patients with secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis. Although relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis is more common and well-researched, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates approximately half of relapse-remitting patients will transition to secondary-progressive within 19 years of diagnosis. The…