Category Archives: MS Treatment

Researchers expect to file for FDA approval within the year following the successful phase 3 trial. Olokizumab, a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, may be as effective as current gold standard treatments, according to results from a phase 3 clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.1,2 The current gold standard treatment for rheumatoid arthritis combines a monoclonal antibody and TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitor called adalimumab with a folic acid antagonist called methotrexate. Continue reading →

Monday, 12 September 2022, 2:12 pm Press Release: Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell has found Te Whatu Ora - Te Toka Tumai Auckland (TTTA), formerly Auckland District Health Board, in breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers Rights (the Code), for failing to adequately investigate the cause of a six year old girls illness. The girl was later diagnosed with influenza and atypical pneumonia and, tragically, died some weeks later Continue reading →

One week after most people in Jackson lost access to reliable running water, they now have it back. Continue reading →

Introduction Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), mainly divided between Crohns disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Continue reading →

Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve) arises from numerous causes including infections (e.g. herpes zoster and Lyme disease), vaccines adverse events and autoimmune diseases.1,2 Optic neuritis is, for example, the presenting symptom in about 20% of multiple sclerosis (MS) cases.1,3 Acute optic neuritis also characterises neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare but severe autoimmune disease.4 In at least 7080% of NMOSD cases, immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies to the water channel protein aquaporin-4 (AQP4) are detectable in the serum and play a relevant role in disease pathogenesis.4,5 Many of the remaining cases arise from autoantibodies targeting myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). As the name suggests, oligodendrocytes as well as myelin sheaths express MOG.4 These cases should now be diagnosed as a separate disease entity, MOGAD (myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated diseases).6 Although NMOSD is rare, ophthalmologists and optometrists need to remain aware of it as a potential differential diagnosis. Continue reading →

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a severe and potentially life threatening condition caused by the poliovirus. If you had a polio infection as a child and have since recovered, its still possible to develop a complication called post-polio syndrome (PPS) Continue reading →

A review of data on how COVID-19 affects patients with MS shows that physicians should not delay treatment with disease-modifying therapies during the pandemic. Studies have suggested that patients with MS have a greater susceptibility to COVID-19 infection as a result of the disease and/or the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) Continue reading →

Scientists in Germany are cautiously optimistic about new multiple sclerosis therapy possibilities after decoding the functions of two crucial proteins. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. There is no known cure, and treatments attempt to improve function after an attack and prevent new attacks. Continue reading →

AN OSWESTRY man who suffers from a debilitating illness is urgently trying to raise 45,000 for treatment in Mexico that will give him a chance of a good quality of life. James Nash, 47, was diagnosed with primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis on January 2, 2021, and his life has not been the same since, having to rely on a wheelchair and walking sticks to get around. After his primary physician has said that there is nothing else he can do, James and his family have found a treatment, Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that he says has achieved some success for patients in India, Russia and Mexico Continue reading →

Neurologists across the world recently observed World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Day. Described as one of the most serious neurological conditions affecting a person, and afflicting largely young women in the prime of their lives, the condition continues to remain sidelined. Continue reading →