Inexpensive statins new hope to MS sufferers Thursday, March 20, 2014 An inexpensive cholesterol- lowering pill may offer new hope to patients with progressing multiple sclerosis (MS), research suggests. By John von Radowitz Patients in the MS trial were randomly assigned to treatment with either an 80mg dose of the drug or a dummy placebo pill. All 140 participants had secondary progressive MS, a form of the disease marked by worsening symptoms and increased disability. Over a period of two years, patients treated with simvastatin suffered 43% less brain shrinkage than those given the placebo. The patients also achieved significantly better scores in movement tests and questionnaire-based disability assessments. Previous research has linked increased brain wasting due to MS with greater disability. Study co-author Dr Richard Nicholas, from Imperial College London, said: At the moment, we dont have anything that can stop patients from becoming more disabled once MS reaches the progressive phase. See the original post here: Inexpensive statins new hope to MS sufferers … Continue reading →

Jodi Rothman has been raising money to help treat and cure multiple sclerosis since her daughter Alie was diagnosed at 14. Now Alie's 22 and in law school at the University of Miami. She's about to launch her nonprofit for children with MS who can't afford treatment, on a national level. And this year, the family team in her name hopes to raise $90,000 to $100,000 in Walk MS in Boca on Sunday, and another $50,000 or so at two other walks in the state, said Jodi Rothman, of western Delray Beach, who has been the walk's chairwoman for three years. Check-in opens at 7:30 a.m. and the UAIC Boca Raton Walk MS presented by Genzyme starts at 9 a.m. at the Boca Corporate Center & Campus, 500 T-Rex Ave. The chapter expects a turnout of at least 600 people and raised nearly $300,000 last year. Supporters can register or volunteer at mswalksouthflorida.org or call 800-344-4867. A $50 fundraising goal for adults and $25 for students 13 to 17 is required; walk participants who raise at least $100 will receive a T-shirt and additional prize levels. "South Florida residents demonstrate support for those living with multiple sclerosis by raising more … Continue reading →

March 19, 2014 Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online At first, multiple sclerosis is recognized by sporadic neurological symptoms a condition called relapsing-remitting MS. Within a decade or so, greater than 50 percent of patients acquire secondary progressive MS, a continuous deterioration of symptoms and boost in disability. Currently, there are no approved drugs for treating this later stage of the disease. However, a newly published study in the UK medical journal The Lancet has shown surprising evidence of a promising treatment for this second phase of MS cholesterol-lowering statins. At the moment, we dont have anything that can stop patients from becoming more disabled once MS reaches the progressive phase, said study author Dr. Richard Nicholas, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London. Discovering that statins can help slow that deterioration is quite a surprise. This is a promising finding, particularly as statins are already cheap and widely used. Previous studies have shown statins to have an anti-inflammatory and protective effect on the nervous system. A preliminary clinical study of simvastatin in individuals with early-stage MS revealed fewer brain lesions, indicating an impact on the underlying disease process. However, following trials have had inconsistent results. In … Continue reading →