Category Archives: MS Treatment

Ive done it! I made the treatment switch that so many people with multiple sclerosis are talking about: I said goodbye to Tysabri (natalizumab) and am now on Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as my disease-modifying therapy (DMT). I went through 56 monthly infusions (or maybe more, Ive lost track) with Tysabri with very little problems, and these regular trips to the MS clinic at OhioHealth Neuroscience Center, about 65 miles from my home, had become part of my medical routine. About 18 months ago, the routine screening of my blood showed that I had converted to being JC Virus positive, a risk factor for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare condition. Being JC Virus positive was not a big concern to me because my numbers remained relatively low. But it was a contributing factor to making the change to a different therapy. Fortunately for me, my MS neurologist, Aaron Boster, MD, believes in treating MS as aggressively as the patient is willing to undergo, and after several conversations, we came to the shared decision to make this change. Its important to note that not everyone will want to try Ocrevus for their MS and may want to remain on whatever DMT they … Continue reading →

Genentechshared new insights into the workings of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and its effectiveness in reducing disease activity and slowing progression in relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) at the recent3rd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN). The new findings, previously reported here, built on analyses of information gathered during the three Phase 3 clinical trialsassessing Ocrevus safety and efficacy, as well as throughmonitoring patients in extension studies. To better understand thisnew datas relevance to the patient community, Multiple Sclerosis News Today turned to Dr. Hideki Garren, group medical director of ocrelizumab at Genentech. One of the issues researchers evaluated in-depth at the congresswas NEPAD, short for No Evidence of Progression or Active Disease, a new measure of treatment efficacy used in the trials. NEPAD is a composite measure, similar to NEDA (No Evidence of Disease Activity), but it holds additional information. To achieve NEDA, an MS patient must have no relapses, no new or enhancing brain lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and no disability progression assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). To fulfill NEPAD, all the requirements of NEDA must be met, plusnoconfirmed disability progression equal to or above 20% on a timed 25-foot walk … Continue reading →

Alternately, officials said they would be willing to ship an experimental drug to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where the baby is now being treated, if the Food and Drug Administration approves. American physicians would advise their medical staff on administering it if they are willing to do so, the statement said. Charlie Gard was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of a disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, believed to affect just over a dozen children worldwide. The syndrome prevents cells from producing the energy needed to sustain organs. The baby was brought to the London hospital on Oct. 11, when his parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, both in their 30s, noticed he was not growing and could not lift his head. He has been there since, breathing with the help of a ventilator and fed through a tube. He is deaf and suffers from persistent seizures, and appears to have suffered brain damage. Researchers at Columbia University have provided an experimental treatment to a child in Baltimore, Art Estopinan Jr., suffering from a similar but less severe form of the syndrome. The childs father, Art Estopinan, said that he was contacted by Ms. Yates and … Continue reading →

Stephen L. Hauser, MD, will receive the 2017 Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Research for his paradigm-changing discoveries that paved the way for a highly effective drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Hauser, a physician-researcher, is director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and the Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at UC San Francisco. In MS, the immune system attacks the protective myelin covering around nerve cells, blocking transmission of impulses and leading to disabling symptoms such as visual impairment, weakness, numbness, and loss of coordination. Thanks in large part to Hauser and his colleagues, scientists now know that immune cells known as B cells lead the attack on the myelin membrane. Over decades of research, Hauser and his team refined this theory, eventually testing drugs that target B cells. In a clinical trial of one such medicine, the beneficial results in MS stunned even the researchers. Subsequent studies led to development of ocrelizumab, a B-cell depleting drug made by Genentech that is safer and easier to administer to patients. Ocrelizumab was approved in March 2017 by the Food and Drug Administration as a new option for the … Continue reading →

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Merckscladribine tablets are now just one step away from obtaining European Union approval as a relapsing multiple sclerosis treatment. The European Medicines Agencys Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Usehas recommended that the European Commission approve thetablets. The positive opinion from the CHMP[the committee] is an extraordinary development for our company, affirming our belief in cladribine tablets as a potential important treatment option for patients living with multiple sclerosis, Beln Garijo, a Merck board member, said in a press release. We now eagerly await the European Commission decision, and the opportunity to make a difference in the MS treatment paradigm, he said. Our sincerest thanks to the entire MS community for their unwavering support throughout the cladribine tablets journey. Cladribine, whose proposed trade name is Mavenclad, has globally completed its pivotal clinical trial program. The company plans to pursue regulatory approvals worldwide, including in the U.S., where conversations are ongoing with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Mercks application to market cladribinein the EU was based on results of clinical trials that included about 2,700 patients and that followed some patients more than 10 years. The European Commission is expected to make a final decision on the application within 67 … Continue reading →

June 30, 2017 Demyelination by MS. The CD68 colored tissue shows several macrophages in the area of the lesion. Original scale 1:100. Credit: Marvin 101/Wikipedia Treatment options currently are limited for people suffering from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. However, an OHSU pilot study suggests over-the-counter antioxidant lipoic acid holds promise in improving patients' lives. The research was published June 28 in the journal Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation. The randomized double-blind study involved 51 participants who completed the two-year trial. Twenty-seven people were given a 1,200-milogram daily dose of lipoic acid, with the remaining 24 participants given a placebo. Researchers are using the findings from the pilot trial to design the expanded multi-site clinical trial to begin later this year in Portland and other sites that have yet to be finalized. "These are high doses," said lead author Rebecca Spain, M.D., M.S.P.H., an assistant professor of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine. "And while it seems safe, we won't know whether it actually improves the lives of people with MS until we can replicate the results in the pilot study through a much bigger clinical trial. Fortunately, we're going to be able to answer that question with the participation of kind … Continue reading →

One week after a Montreal man went public, urging Health Canada to approve a new drug for multiple sclerosis, more patients and physicians are now coming forward and calling for more treatment options. The new drug in question may not be the ideal therapy for all forms of MS, but it offers hope to patients who until now have had few treatment options. Primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis are the most debilitating forms of MS for patients and the hardest to treat for physicians. The progressive MS element is the one that is still the most resistant, Montreal Neurological Institute researcher and McGill University professor of neurology Dr. Jack Antel said. We have to gain more in understanding how the brain works not only the immune system so we can deal with this very serious disorder. READ MORE:Montrealer with MS calling on Health Canada to approve breakthrough drug Ocrevus A Montreal man spoke out last week about his fight to bring a new FDA-approved drug called Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) to Canada. Its been available to patients in the U.S. since March. But it could take months before its available to Canadian patients. According to Health Canada the drug is subject … Continue reading →

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by BARBARA MORSE SILVA, NBC 10 NEWS A new breakthrough drug called Ocrevus is being used to treat multiple sclerosis. A new breakthrough drug called Ocrevus is being used to treat multiple sclerosis. "I started noticing things were getting blurry," said 47-year-old Preston Corbin, who went to see his eye doctor. "He saw something that wasn't right and sent me to Rhode Island Hospital." It was at Rhode Island Hospital, just one month shy of his 40th birthday, that Corbin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. "His type of MS is what we call relapsing and remitting," said Dr. Syed Rizvi, a neurologist and director of the M.S. Center at Rhode Island Hospital. Relapsing and remitting means his symptoms would come and go. Then he started progressing. "It has worsened, said Corbin. I mean, I'm not in a wheelchair so that's good, but I definitely notice. I don't run anymore." But then a few months ago, in March, Ocrevus was FDA-approved. "It looks extremely promising. It is an infusion or a cycle of infusions two weeks a part, every six months," said Rizvi. Corbin was the first in Rhode Island to be infused with this antibody that targets a cell that … Continue reading →