Updated: 04/06/2015 10:21 PM Created: 04/06/2015 7:29 PM KSTP.com By: Joe Mazan A groundbreaking new treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) is now available in the U.S. and is being used to treat patients in Minnesota. The drug Lemtrada was initially denied approval by the Food and Drug Administration but the decision was reversed, after a big outcry from the MS patient community. Whereas other treatments include daily pills or injections, Lemtrada is given for five straight days the first year, followed by three consecutive days 12 months later. "Symptoms do tend to improve over the long haul," Dr. Jonathan Calkwood, with Schapiro Center for MS, said. "We see this with some more of the highly effective therapies where day to day neurological symptoms improve but our goal really is to prevent long term disability." It's estimated MS affects more than 2 million people throughout the world, including 400,000 people in the U.S. Continue reading here: Groundbreaking New MS Treatment Available in Minn. … Continue reading →

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MedDay, a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of nervous system disorders, today provided further information about the design of its pivotal clinical trial (MS-SPI) to investigate the efficacy and safety of MD1003 in the treatment of primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, a major area of unmet medical need. Data from the MS-SPI study will be presented at the Clinical Trials Plenary Session at The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, Washington DC, on Friday April 24th at 1200 EST. MS-SPI is a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled (2:1) trial of MD1003, 300 mg/day, in patients with progressive MS who have demonstrated progression in the 2 years prior to enrolment. A total of 154 patients with a baseline EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale) score of between 4.5 and 7 were enrolled from 16 MS reference centers across France. Treatment duration was one year. The primary endpoint for the study was defined as the proportion of patients who improved at nine months (M9), with confirmation at 12 months (M12). Improvement was defined as either a decrease in EDSS (by at least 1 point for baseline EDSS 5.5 and 0.5 points for EDSS 6) or an improvement in TW25 (a … Continue reading →

Lisa Martin and Kati Townsley, both Carroll County residents, will be participating in Walk MS in Westminster April 19. The event is one of many designed and organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to raise funds and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research, in the hopes of one day finding a cure for the disease. The two women, who met in October 2014 while serving on the leadership committee for the walk, are united by a common battle: they are both fighting Multiple Sclerosis. But while their diagnoses are the same, their individual journeys with the disease have been unique. Martin, 24, of Manchester, said her first symptoms of MS began in 2009 with sensations of tingling and numbness, and eventually, loss of vision in her left eye, which later returned. She went to the doctor and expressed concerns that it may be MS, a disease she was familiar with because her aunt had been diagnosed with the chronic disease in the early 1990s. But her doctor thought it was more likely that she had Lyme disease and treated her with antibiotics, Martin said. Her symptoms did improve somewhat, but she never regained full health. Townsley, 37, of Westminster, said … Continue reading →