Fitzgerald, Susan doi: 10.1097/01.NT.0000521713.03202.29 Features A new study found that minocycline may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients who have early signs of the disease, but independent MS experts disagree about the efficacy of the treatment. Minocycline, an inexpensive decades-old antibiotic, may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients who have early signs of the disease, according to a randomized, controlled trial reported in the June 1 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that minocycline reduced the risk of conversion from a first demyelinating event, also known as clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), to a diagnosis of MS compared with placebo over six months. Minocycline, traditionally used to treat severe acne, has been shown in animal and laboratory studies to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, and a few smaller human trials suggested it may have a place in MS treatment, either alone or in combination with other drugs. The results from this new trial conducted in Canada created a buzz in the MS community, but opinions vary on whether minocycline is poised to become part of the standard lineup of MS drugs. The study, funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of … Continue reading →

MS patients who start treatment at a younger age, and whose condition requires hospitalization, are more likely to stop treatment, a Canadian study reports. The research, published in the journal Dovepress,dealt with the main reasons Canadian patients quit first-line injected disease-modifying therapies, or DMTs. Itwas titledPersistence to disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis in a Canadian cohort. DMTs can reduce MS activity, but patients must stick with them in order for them to be effective. There is currently a paucity of clinical trial data on what happens to individuals when they discontinue DMT, the researchers wrote. However, recent preliminary evidence from observational studies suggest increased relapses and disability in those who discontinue DMT. Researchers sought to identify MS patients at higher risk of discontinuing treatment. They looked at Manitoba Provinces medical database to identify the types of drugs MS patients were taking, and for how long. The analysis covered 721 patientswho received injected beta-interferons or Copaxonebetween 1996 and 2011, and whom doctors followed for at least a year. Tevamanufactures Copaxone, whose generic name isglatiramer acetate. The mean age of the patients in the study was37.6 years, and 74.2 percent were women. Researchers defined a discontinuation of a DMT as a 90-day … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →