Category Archives: MS Treatment

Public release date: 31-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Genevieve Maul Genevieve.maul@admin.cam.ac.uk 44-012-237-65542 University of Cambridge A drug which 'reboots' a person's immune system has been shown to be an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who have already failed to respond to the first drug with which they were treated (a 'first-line' therapy), as well as affected individuals who were previously untreated. The results of these two phase III clinical trials were published today in the journal The Lancet. The new studies, sponsored by Genzyme (a Sanofi company) and Bayer Schering Pharma, showed that alemtuzumab significantly reduces the number of attacks (or relapses) experienced by people with MS compared to interferon beta-1a (known commercially as Rebif). This was seen both in patients who had not previously received any treatment (drug-nave) and those who have continued to show disease activity whilst taking an existing treatment for MS. In the CARE MSII trial, confined to patients who had recently relapsed on a licenced therapy, new episodes were reduced by 49 per cent more than that achieved by the current standard treatment for MS, interferon beta-1a. Over a two year period, 65 per cent of patients on alemtuzumab compared … Continue reading →

A MOTHER who was having a massage when her toddler was crushed to death as the table was lowered says the clinic welcomed children in its rooms. "I felt safe there and I felt my children were safe there," Justine Schulz told the Adelaide inquest into the death of her daughter Sophie. Ms Schulz was giving evidence on Monday to Adelaide Coroners Court into the death of Sophie, who was 18 months-old when she suffered major head injuries and died at the Fravira Clinic in St Morris on June 17, 2009. Counsel assisting the coroner, Amy Cacas, said children were welcome at the clinic as patients and when they accompanied parents or guardians. On June 17, Sophie and her four-year-old brother were in the treatment room with their mother, playing with toys supplied by the clinic. The therapist, Mira Maric, pressed a pedal to lower the massage table for the last stage of the treatment. "They heard a grunting sound emanating from below the table and found Sophie trapped in the workings of the machine," Ms Cacas said. Ms Maric tried to raise the table, but it would not move, and others ran into the room but were unable to … Continue reading →

CLAREMONT - Ms. Magazine celebrated four decades of feminist journalism with a panel discussion at Scripps College Thursday night in which an editor said the magazine is taking a strong stance against anti-abortion extremists. "These are not lone wolves who are acting out of a deep moral sense of their concern over unborn children," said Ms. Magazine executive editor Kathy Spillar. "This is a network of domestic terrorists that functions like every other network of terrorists. They recruit, they arm, they plan their targets and they commit the violence. All we've ever had until now is the prosecution of the one person who actually plants the bomb or pulls the trigger. "And until you dismantle the network that's behind the terrorism you're never going to see an end to it. We face a very real terrorist threat in this country that is using abortion. They're also very anti-government of any kind. They're usually also very racist and this is a network that will continue to commit violence and perpetuate this mythology that abortion is controversial. And this is hurting us terribly." Legal abortion, Spillar said, has been settled and is not a "real" debate. "Forty percent plus of women will … Continue reading →

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Genzyme, a Sanofi company (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today the publication of results from the LEMTRADA (alemtuzumab) CARE-MS I and CARE-MS II pivotal studies in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in the November 1, 2012 online issue of The Lancet. In CARE-MS I and CARE-MS II, LEMTRADA was significantly more effective at reducing annualized relapse rates than the active comparator Rebif (high dose subcutaneous interferon beta-1a), and more patients on LEMTRADA were relapse-free at two years. In addition, in CARE-MS II, accumulation of disability was significantly slowed in patients given LEMTRADA vs. Rebif. Further, patients treated with LEMTRADA were significantly more likely to experience improvement in disability scores than those treated with Rebif, suggesting a reversal of disability in some patients. There is a tremendous unmet need for treatments that address the progression of disability that people living with multiple sclerosis can experience, said Genzyme President and CEO, David Meeker, MD. Genzyme set a new standard by comparing LEMTRADA exclusively to an approved treatment in all of our studies. Publication of these findings by The Lancet highlights the importance of these results to the MS community. CARE-MS I and CARE-MS II Efficacy Results CARE-MS … Continue reading →

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Clinical Trials / Drug Trials Article Date: 02 Nov 2012 - 3:00 PDT Current ratings for: "Rebooting" MS Drug Succeeds In Trials 5 (2 votes) 4.67 (3 votes) Alastair Compston, a professor from the University of Cambridge was principal investigator on both trials and also chaired the Steering Committee that supervised them and an earlier trial. He said in a statement from the University: "Our research shows the transformative effect that alemtuzumab can have for people with MS." The findings mark the conclusion of a unique development program for an MS drug that started in Cambridge in 1991. The statement from the University says: "Never before has an MS drug been tested in clinical outcomes against such a high hurdle, an active first-line drug, in both one phase II trial and two phase III trials; and no drug for MS has been shown to be more effective, in both reducing the risk of disability and reducing the rate of brain atrophy, when compared to another active treatment." MS is an autoimmune disease where the patient's immune system destroys nerve fibers and their protective insulation, the myelin sheath. … Continue reading →

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cannabis Science Inc., (CBIS) announced today the appointment of Christopher Meenan MS., MBA, as Executive Vice President of Product Research and Development, adding significant expertise to Cannabis Science's investigation of CS-TATI-1 for Karposi's Sarcoma and CS-S/BCC-1 for Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinomas, the Company's lead initiatives entering initial clinical development. Christopher Meenan joins Dr. Roscoe Moore, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Dr. Ronald Sekura PhD. former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Research Chemist, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Review, Dr. Dorothy Bray former Director, Clinical Development HIV, GlaxoSmithKline, UK, and Dr. J. Thomas August Professor, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "We are pleased to announce Christopher Meenan's appointment as Vice President of Product Research and Development of Cannabis Science. Mr. Meenan's expertise in drug development will accelerate our investigation of Phytocannabinoids for the treatment of Karposi's Sarcoma and Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinomas," stated, Dr. Robert Melamede, President & CEO, Cannabis Science Inc. Cannabis Science is dedicated to the research and development of phytocannabinoid-based therapeutics. The Company's initial focus is to treat infectious diseases and Cancer. CS-TATI-1, Cannabis Science's lead compound is, in development … Continue reading →

by Tim Gordon kgw.com Posted on November 1, 2012 at 10:30 PM Updated today at 10:30 PM Portland, OR - OHSU Researchers are celebrating their new discovery, they say stands a good chance of helping people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and a range of other neurological disorders. They've discovered high levels of a particular enzyme not usually found in the brain, only in those with brain damage due to MS, stroke and conditions. Lead researcher Larry Sherman Ph.D. believes if they can figure out how to block the enzyme, the brain can repair itself, where insulating shields around nerve cells have been damaged or destroyed. "We have a chance now of understanding a whole new process that's preventing repair of the brain. And we have the possibility of finding a drug in the next several years that could repair the brain in MS patients and other patients where this nerve sheath is destroyed,"said Sherman. The next step is to find a drug or combination of medicines that block the enzyme. Researchers will first try to find a successful treatment using Japanese Macaque monkeys at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, affiliated with OHSU. The small percentage of the monkeys have … Continue reading →

PARIS (Reuters) - Medical journal The Lancet warned that Sanofi's experimental multiple sclerosis drug Lemtrada may be too costly for patients and health insurers once it gets approved by regulators. The journal, which published the encouraging results of two late-stage Lemtrada tests on Thursday, also criticized the drugmaker's decision to withdraw leukemia therapy Campath, the same drug given at a different dosage, depriving MS patients who had been using it off-label. In an editorial accompanying the test results, The Lancet voiced concerns that Lemtrada would be priced higher than current MS drugs on the market and said the discontinuation of Campath may mean patients who had used it for MS would not be able to continue their treatment. The injectable drug, chemically known as alemtuzumab, was sold until September 2012 under the name Campath as treatment for leukemia and given more frequently at a higher dosage. "There is concern that with a license for multiple sclerosis, the cost of alemtuzumab could rise and might become too expensive for many patients and health systems," the editorial said. Although Campath remains available free of charge to leukemia patients, Sanofi's rare disease unit Genzyme pulled it off the market in September to prevent … Continue reading →

Rib diagram of the fab fragment of Alemtuzumab drug. Credit: Wikipedia (public domain) Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online A new drug to fight multiple sclerosis (MS) is showing promise as one of the most effective treatment options ever produced for the debilitating disease, according to UK researchers. The drug, which is used to reboot a persons immune system, has been shown to be effective in MS patients who have already failed to respond to the first drug with which they were treated, as well as those who have gone previously untreated. The promising results of two phase III clinical trials on the new treatment were published today in the journal The Lancet. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, said this could have significant implications for the some 100,000 people known to have MS in the United Kingdom. Most people diagnosed with MS have the relapsing-remitting version of the disease, in which symptoms can seem to disappear for a time, before suddenly returning. Now, they believe the drug Alemtuzumab, which is used for the treatment of leukemia, may be a beneficial treatment for MS. In leukemia, the drug controls the excess production of white blood cells. In MS … Continue reading →

1 November 2012 Last updated at 05:03 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News A new drug is the "most effective" treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, say UK researchers. During MS the body's immune system turns on its own nerves causing debilitating muscle problems. Researchers at the University of Cambridge say a cancer drug, which wipes out and resets the immune system, has better results than other options. However, there is concern that a drugs company is about to increase the cost of the drug as a result. Around 100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis. When the condition is diagnosed most will have a form of the disease know as relapsing-remitting MS, in which the symptoms can almost disappear for a time, before suddenly returning. The researchers tested a leukaemia drug, alemtuzumab, which had shown benefits for MS in small studies. In leukaemia, a blood cancer, it controls the excess production of white blood cells. In MS patients, the dose eliminates the immune cells entirely, forcing a new immune system to be built from scratch which should not attack the nerves. Two trials, published in the Lancet medical journal, compared the effectiveness of alemtuzumab with … Continue reading →