RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --For the fifth year in a row, the Central Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society will host the Women on the Move luncheon Thursday, September 20th at the Richmond Marriott (Downtown) from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Sponsored by CowanGates, Saxon Shoes, TEVA Neuroscience, Union First Market Bank and Lite 98, event attendees will celebrate six Richmond-area business and community leaders who are finalists for the Woman on the Move Award: The event's keynote speaker, Zoe Koplowitz, is a 22-time marathon finisher who lives with the daily challenges of Multiple Sclerosis. Dr. Babette Fuss of Virginia Commonwealth University will also speak about the progress being made on her MS research project, and the program will culminate with the presentation of the Woman on the Move Award. This year, Vera and Mike Caniglia of Vera's Fine Jewelers have donated a beautiful, custom-designed pin for the 2012 Woman on the Move recipient. Designed to look like a high-heel shoe with the MS Society logo, the pin will be passed down each year to the next award winner. This year it will be presented by Debbie Johnston, owner of Care Advantage and the 2011 recipient of the Woman … Continue reading →

CLEVELAND, Ohio---A new oral medication for the most common form of multiple sclerosis significantly cut down on relapses and brain lesions, according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The drug may offer a safe and convenient alternative for patients who want to avoid frequent injections. "It's an important option [for patients]," said Nicholas LaRocca, vice president of healthcare delivery and policy research at the National MS Society. The drug, BG-12, or dimethyl fumarate, is a new type of treatment that researchers believe may work by reducing inflammation in the brain or by helping cells in the brain and spinal cord protect themselves from the damage that is characteristic of the disease, said Dr. Robert Fox, lead author of the study and medical director of the Cleveland Clinic's Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis. "BG-12 seems to offer us a step forward in MS treatment," said Fox. There is no cure for MS, a disease in which the body's own defense system attacks the protective layer surrounding nerves, and can cause numbness, paralysis and loss of vision. About 400,000 people in the U.S. have the disease, according to the National MS Society. BG-12 is the latest … Continue reading →

BG-12 suppresses relapses Web edition : 5:32 pm People with multiple sclerosis might soon have a new option for controlling their disease with pills instead of shots. Two studies in the Sept. 20 New England Journal of Medicine demonstrate that a variation on a drug used against psoriasis for years in Germany holds off MS relapses and has minimal side effects. These data look good. Both studies show a reduction in relapses with really pretty robust effects, says Clyde Markowitz, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania who wasnt involved with the trials. The drug, called BG-12, has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval by the biotech company Biogen Idec. Markowitz expects it to get approved. It would be a clear benefit to the MS population to have another option, he says. If approved, BG-12 would be the third oral drug available to treat MS. The disease results when the immune system attacks the fatty myelin sheaths coating nerves in the central nervous system, leading to impaired muscle control, balance, vision and speech. BG-12, or dimethyl fumarate, has anti-inflammatory, cell-protective and antioxidant effects, which earlier work suggested could suppress the aberrant immune reactions in MS … Continue reading →

Sept. 19, 2012 -- An experimental pill is showing promise for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. In two late-phase studies appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine, the drug BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) reduced relapses by about half in patients with the most common form of MS. If approved by the FDA, BG-12, which is being developed by drug maker Biogen Idec, will become the third oral drug for people with multiple sclerosis. The second -- Sanofi Aventis pill Aubagio -- won FDA approval just last week. This is an exciting time in the development of new drugs for MS, especially considering the fact that we had no effective treatments just a few decades ago, says National MS Society Chief Research Officer Timothy Coetzee, PhD. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the insulation that coats and protects nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord. With the most common type, people experience sporadic attacks or flare-ups of symptoms that are then followed by periods of remission. Symptoms include numbness, fatigue, vision problems, spasms, and issues with bladder and bowel control. People with this "relapsing-remitting" form of MS were the target group for the new … Continue reading →

Thousands of Americans who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) might one day be able to take advantage of a drug that new research suggests is both safe and effective. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling disease that affects nearly 400,000 people in the United States. It attacks the protective substance called myelin that covers the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord. Myelin is similar to the insulation of a wire and ensures proper nerve function. Once the myelin is damaged, the disease can also damage the nerve fibers themselves, leading to scars in these delicate tissues. This damage leads to symptoms as mild as tingling in your feet and fingers, or as severe as paralysis or blindness. Eighty-five percent of MS patients are diagnosed with what is called relapsing-remitting MS, which means they experience flare-ups of symptoms, followed by partial or complete recovery. A team of researchers looked at nearly 1,500 patients in 28 countries taking the experimental oral drug, known for now by the name BG-12, to see whether such flare-ups decreased, as well as whether they experienced any side effects from the treatment. The patients were studied for two years. The results were encouraging. … Continue reading →