Category Archives: MS Treatment

The Irish Times - Friday, January 11, 2013 MARY CAROLAN The absolute ban on assisted suicide is fully justified under the Constitution to protect the most vulnerable in society and cannot be diluted even in the harrowing case of a woman terminally ill with multiple sclerosis, the High Court has ruled. However, the three-judge court said it was sure the DPP would act in a humane and sensitive way in considering whether to prosecute any assisted suicide of Marie Fleming. Giving the courts judgment, president of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, with Mr Justice Paul Carney and Mr Justice Gerard Hogan, said unravelling even a thread of the ban, by even a limited constititional finding in favour of Ms Fleming, would, or might, open a Pandoras box which thereafter would be impossible to close. Fundamental objective The State is committed under the Constitution to protecting the sanctity of all human life and valuing equally the life of all persons. The ban was rationally connected to that fundamental objective and not remotely based on arbitrary, unfair or irrational considerations. In the eyes of the Constitution, the last days of the life of a terminally ill and disabled patient facing … Continue reading →

By Dow Jones Business News, January 09, 2013, 03:08:00 PM EDT By Peter Loftus Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. ( TEVA ), which sells the blockbuster multiple-sclerosis drug Copaxone, has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration not to approve any new MS drugs until their safety risks have been evaluated by outside advisers. Teva's petition is aimed at Biogen Idec Inc. ( BIIB ), which expects an FDA decision by late March on Biogen's application to market a new MS treatment, known as BG-12, an orally administered pill that analysts expect will be a formidable competitor to the injected Copaxone. In a Dec. 31 citizen petition to the FDA, Teva asked the agency not to approve any new MS drugs until the agency refers them to an advisory committee for evaluation. Advisory committees sometimes review new drug applications to provide guidance to the agency. Teva said it was important for the agency to hear outside advisers' evaluations of any safety risks, in light of risks that have emerged after MS treatments were approved in recent years, including Biogen's own Tysabri MS treatment. Tysabri was removed from the market soon after its 2004 introduction after some recipients experienced a serious brain … Continue reading →

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) has filed a citizens petition with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not to approve any new drugs for multiple sclerosis until their safety risks have been evaluated by outside advisers, the US media reports. Teva's multiple sclerosis drug, Copaxone, has billions of dollars in annual sales. "Dow Jones News Wire" reports that Teva's petition targets Biogen Idec Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB), which expects an FDA decision by late March on Biogen's application to market a new multiple sclerosis treatment, known as BG-12, an orally administered pill that analysts expect will be a formidable competitor to the injected Copaxone. In the petition, filed on December 31, 2012, Teva asked the FDA not to approve any new multiple sclerosis drugs until the FDA refers them to an advisory committee for evaluation. Advisory committees sometimes review new drug applications to provide guidance to the agency. Teva said it was important for the FDA to consult outside advisers' evaluations of any safety dangers, in light of risks that have emerged after multiple sclerosis treatments were approved in recent years, including Biogen's own Tysabri multiple sclerosis treatment. Tysabri was taken off the market shortly after its … Continue reading →

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) asked U.S. regulators for more scrutiny before they approve any new multiple sclerosis drugs as it tries to block Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB)s BG-12 oral treatment from entering the market. Teva, whose best-selling Copaxone injection controls about 40 percent of the MS market, requested that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seek expert advice from the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Advisory Committee prior to clearing a treatment for the illness, according to a filing Dec. 31 on the U.S. governments Citizen Petition website. Safety issues with approved drugs, such as Biogens older treatment Tysabri and Novartis AG (NOVN)s Gilenya, show that the FDA must ensure that the risks and benefits of the drug are thoroughly evaluated, Teva said. In addition, Biogen recently posted some troubling information about the safety and effectiveness of Panoplin capsules, also known as BG-12, suggesting risks for renal adverse events. For now, Teva is playing defense against BG-12, said Asthika Goonewardene, a Bloomberg Industries pharmaceutical analyst in London. BG-12 is a direct threat to Tevas market share. Any delay, be it for an AdCom panel or merely administrative, is a big deal for Teva. A lag to the approval of … Continue reading →

Spring of Youth Medical Group, a leading vein and cosmetic treatment center on the MS Coast, has recently remodeled its facility in Ocean Springs, Mississippi to better serve its Gulf Coast patients. To celebrate and showcase their new, state-of-the-art vein and aesthetics clinic, Spring of Youth will hold a Grand Re-opening Open House on Thursday, January 31, from 5pm-8pm and invites all patients and visitors to attend. Ocean Springs, MS (PRWEB) January 10, 2013 Spring of Youth Medical Group, a leading vein and cosmetic treatment center on the MS Coast, has recently remodeled its facility in Ocean Springs, Mississippi to better serve its Gulf Coast patients. To celebrate and showcase their new, state-of-the-art vein and aesthetics clinic, Spring of Youth will hold a Grand Re-opening Open House on Thursday, January 31, from 5pm-8pm and invites all patients and visitors to attend. The event will feature educational conversations with the Spring of Youth Medical Groups leading vein expert, Dr. Hazem Barmada, on the importance of diagnosing and treating vein disease, including common vein disorders like varicose veins and spider veins. Guests will also have the opportunity to tour the newly remodeled center. Visitors can further explore the latest aesthetic advancements from … Continue reading →

Published: Wednesday, 9 Jan 2013 | 6:17 PM ET Acorda CEO: Medications More Economical Down the Road Acorda Therapeutics CEO Dr. Ron Cohen discusses the phase 2 studies happening on its mobility improvement drug Ampyra, and what's next for the company. According to Cramer, the really impressive thing about this story is that Ampyra could have multiple indications, meaning it could work on additional diseases. Right now Acorda's conducting phase 2 studies to see if their drug could also work on people with cerebral palsya market that's twice the size of MSas well as people who suffer from chronic strokes, which is a gigantic market, 7 million people in the United States alone. "These additional indications are still in the early stages of being studied, so it's a high risk proposition, but if they work out then the rewards could be enormous," said Cramer. Acorda also has a fairly robust pipeline. Health care The company's working on a nasal spray version of diazepamthe generic name for valiumto help people with epilepsy, and the company expects to file its new drug application on this one sometime in 2013. "They've also got a intriguing projects that are still in very early phase … Continue reading →

GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GreenHunter Energy, Inc. (NYSE MKT: GRH), a diversified renewable energy company predominately focused on water resource management in the unconventional oil and gas shale resource plays, announced today the appointment of Ms. Julie Silcock to its Board of Directors. Additionally, Ms. Silcock has been elected to serve on the Audit Committee as its financial expert. Ms. Silcock replaces Ronald D. Ormand who resigned from the Board of Directors effective January 8, 2013. Ms. Silcock is Managing Director and Co-Head of Houlihan Lokeys Investment Banking practice in the Southwest Region of the U.S. She has more than 25 years of experience advising companies on mergers and acquisitions equity and debt capital market transactions, private debt and equity placements, and high-yield offerings for growth-oriented companies across all industries. She joined Houlihan Lokey in March 2009 to expand its client coverage through her broad and deep relationships with CEOs and business leaders. Ms. Silcock is based in the Dallas office. Before joining the firm, Ms. Silcock was Founder, Managing Director, and Head of Southwest Investment Banking for Citigroup Global Markets Inc. from 2000 to early 2009. From 1997 to 2000, she was a Managing Director with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrettes … Continue reading →

NHS Highland are the first to prescribe Fingolimod to patients A MULTIPLE Sclerosis patient from Thurso has become the first person in Scotland to be using a new treatment on the NHS to help her condition. Louise Smith has become the first NHS Highland patient to have started using Fingolimod, a tablet that can be used to help people with highly active relapsing remitting MS. The tables aims to ensure that patients will spend less time travelling to hospital to treat their condition, however, doctors say that it is only suitable for a percentage of patients. Ms Smith, (47) who was diagnosed with MS four years ago, has been taking Fingolimond since November and said that the tablets will help her led a more independent life. She said: To date I have been treated with drug infusions as well as having to self-inject to prevent relapses. MS can take over so much of your life but I have set up my own business which means I can work flexibly. I do try and lead as normal a life as possible and this will definitely help. Now Im on the tablet I dont have to carry needles. I dont have to … Continue reading →

EAST WENATCHEE Deanna Kirkpatrick spends 80 percent of her days in bed or in a recliner. She walks short distances with a cane. Multiple sclerosis has mostly condensed her world to a small apartment in East Wenatchee, Douglas County. Once an avid skier, runner, softball player, Seattle radio host and pharmaceutical sales representative, she's lost her job and her lifestyle to the disease. What she hasn't lost is her ability to communicate. The 45-year-old's voice has gone global. The podcasts on multiple sclerosis that she produces with two others with MS have been listened to 17,000 times in the past year, she said. They draw listeners from as far as Australia, Japan, Germany, Italy and India. The shows have been picked by Blog Talk Radio, which calls itself one of the largest platforms for Internet radio, as a featured production. "I love it," Kirkpatrick says. "The show has just given me a passion for helping other people. I've lost my health and my career, and a lot of loss happens when you're diagnosed with a chronic disease. But there are blessings that come out of this. I'm here to say, there are opportunities to help yourself and other people." She … Continue reading →

Deborah Mason A Christchurch neurologist is leading part of the world's first clinical trial into whether a vitamin supplement can help prevent multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial will involve 240 people with early MS in Australia and New Zealand to test how vitamin D could influence the disease. The research follows a 2011 international study into the cause of MS, which involved more than 27,000 people in 15 countries. Christchurch Hospital-based neurologist Dr Deborah Mason will oversee the New Zealanders taking part in the new study, while Professor Bruce Taylor, a former Christchurch neurologist now based in Hobart, is one of the researchers heading the trial in Australia. The prevalence of MS in New Zealand was high compared to many other parts of the world and appeared to be increasing, Mason said, particularly in women. "There's got to be some kind of environmental factor that we haven't explored yet . . . like sunshine. Lots of people take vitamin D supplements, including MS patients, but it's not known whether it actually works or not." New Zealanders could be particularly susceptible to MS because our low latitude resulted in low levels of vitamin D, she said. "New Zealand is uniquely placed … Continue reading →