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 →

vF >_XT )Y-Ul$J "Uf^?4*5u#gU+/(kfq6E/g|$|O/uTtb;V=jf>,C`r(:)*7d&4~8}t|V]Kf>zO,:s68'O' >='}hoCyqvacCB;l)x ^ >qp6Vn*A`w!("j`V3&Rj":D8La_1eVQ.XoV{7Y/EWs?4aLciN--h,x*E8?f6L/jbz4T$gCnn-UoW9OLw rcAb-a(,=2U{kOmi,l+#flN c{:5z6x +WsJxIZpw} A]{A6GX'-5;A-cRyZm~Y9{;50svlD# PA qwh/:;BaWPg3^HmGh`sclN gui~o){3-[:fq8]`!r@/8;* "deAG4~Lr>xWeRjfSOidtM N "S,F^mGu@$N91e2mQ^@KSt#X ;SLe,CY^ gS?he^;L`^|+5B{n&d_a-b/~@Pczl%EJ[OGq&]fUA QIg#^KdE1fR`%#C["9jWTj^^xupOjv mg=qF!LeHpbZ?.EB 9&&/F?IKP.;QjvJ? A){iFKon45oCS6RkK m{Z&f,Xiko]Zzjm}=jt0$1s^#"s=`lx%$vRLi(rQmke J@ p+a*9i e7KuG0A[.isn>Xd~^[z{g .a'novv^^Zak7N/`#:1tX#y?fn}!Cnx;h;P!Rl8`6tJD@S+K,#j"zgxWDIlIZ {Kx?bm~eEc8 Lxl}N9BjEO}s *7C}yH7 XxWKn3KK,}`}6EX3|j|%pb~h0',FlS3^Ce#HDYy8dodVc:th4:h[vZl5fyj; ]O,q|sNPQQl%o[jM;yJQ>t h9^qsPQghcW0BE{#N02g]OM/X1835*._|T^}a(BNf>n x{"T _8` … Continue reading →

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 →