Category Archives: MS Treatment

Brett Stone - Family lay hopes on Russian MS treatment Brett used to associate a trip to Russia with the Kremlin, cathedrals, palaces and the ballet. Now, with his body being ravaged from multiple sclerosis, he k... By: Ashleigh Muir … Continue reading →

Scientists have spent 25 years developing treatment at Cambridge Alemtuzumab infusion is given in two short courses over two years Despite costing 56,000, NICE has ruled treatment is cost-effective By Jenny Hope Published: 19:16 EST, 27 May 2014 | Updated: 02:24 EST, 28 May 2014 Landmark discovery: The brain of someone with MS, which can leave sufferers unable to walk - but new treatment could reverse the effects of the disease A new treatment for Multiple Sclerosis not only stops the disease from advancing but may help patients recover from disability. Remarkable results for the drug alemtuzumab mean it has been approved for use on the NHS and is now available in England. Originally a pioneering cancer therapy, Cambridge University scientists have spent almost 25 years developing it as a treatment for MS sufferers. Trials involving more than 1,500 patients show treatment led to fewer relapses compared with multiple jabs of the treatment beta interferon each week, cutting further disability and even allowing some existing damage to recover. Alemtuzumab is given in two short courses with one infusion a day for five days during the first year and three days during the second year followed by regular monitoring. Despite the … Continue reading →

A new drug based on decades of research at the University of Cambridge has today been approved by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). Clinical trials have shown that Alemtuzumab, marketed under the name Lemtrada, reduces disease activity, limits the accumulation of further disability over time and may even allow some existing damage to recover. The approval has been welcomed by the Cambridge researchers whose work, which started in 1991, led to todays announcement, and by the MS Society. Professor Alastair Compston, Professor of Neurology and Head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, said: I am delighted that the decision from NICE will make Lemtrada available on the NHS. This brings to a conclusion work involving a number of research groups in Cambridge, stretching back over several decades, which made possible our use of Alemtuzumab in multiple sclerosis. The decision from NICE now provides an opportunity for neurologists to offer a highly effective therapy for patients with multiple sclerosis early in the course of their illness. Dr Alasdair Coles, senior lecturer, also in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, added: We are delighted that … Continue reading →

ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOR), a biotechnology company based in New York, will provide demonstrations of its award-winning digital tools for multiple sclerosis (MS) disease management at the 2014 Cooperative Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS), being held May 2831 in Dallas, Texas. Demonstrations of MoveOverMS.org and the MS self multiple sclerosis app will be held in the MoveOverMS.org booth (#406) in the meeting exhibit hall. MoverOverMS.org offers a multitude of tools to help those living with MS, including videos, articles and downloadable information. The MS self mobile app features informative fact cards, achievement badges, and an interactive journal that allows users to log moods, thoughts and activities. The app has recently been updated on the iTunes app store with new features and is free to download. We developed MoveOverMS.org and MS self to help people proactively manage the challenges they face living with MS. We are excited to share these digital tools with the healthcare professionals attending the CMSC/ACTRIMS meeting, providing them with additional resources for their patients, said Adrian Rabinowicz, Acordas Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs. Our companys mission … Continue reading →

By RTT News, May 23, 2014, 08:12:00 AM EDT (RTTNews.com) - Biogen Idec ( BIIB ) said Friday that it received a positive recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use or CHMP of the European Medicines Agency or EMA for the marketing authorization of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a), a pegylated interferon administered subcutaneously for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis or RRMS. The CHMP's positive opinion is now referred to the European Commission (EC), which grants marketing authorization for medicines in the EU. Following the opinion adopted by the CHMP, a decision from the EC is expected within the coming months. Plegridy is an investigational subcutaneous injectable therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, in which interferon beta-1a is pegylated to extend its half-life and prolong its exposure in the body. Plegridy is a member of the interferon class of treatments for MS. Clinical and MRI data from the ADVANCE study of PLEGRIDY demonstrated a reduction in relapses, disability progression and the number of MS lesions when compared to placebo, and further support its clinical efficacy profile. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and … Continue reading →

BIKE MS: CAPE COD GETAWAY, PRESENTED BY EMD SERONO AND PFIZER Boston to Provincetown, June 28-29, 2014 http://www.bikeMSgne.org BOSTON, MA - Bike MS: Cape Cod Getaway 2014 is the largest MS ride in New England. Beginning Saturday, June 28, over 2,000 riders pedal from UMass Boston through the coastal towns of Massachusetts' South Shore to the Cape Cod Canal. The end of day one is at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne, where riders are welcomed with music, great food, and maybe even a beer or two. Early Sunday morning, riders cross the Bourne Bridge and ride across picturesque Cape Cod on their way to Provincetown. After crossing the finish line, riders have a chance to eat, socialize, and clean up before boarding the party boat back to Quincy. Bike MS is the premier cycling series in the nation! In 2013, more than 100,000 cyclists raised over $80 million to help create a world free of MS. Please join us for Bike MS: Cape Cod Getaway 2014 for the ride of your life! Sign up at http://www.bikeMSgne.org, and start fundraising today! MS interrupts the flow of information between the brain and body and can stop people from moving forward in … Continue reading →

Los Alamitos, CA (PRWEB) May 21, 2014 Center for Discovery, a national leader in eating disorder treatment, is proud to announce the appointment of Perla Vilhjalmsdottir, MA, MS, LMFT to the position of National Trainer for Center for Discovery. Perla completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Iceland where she studied Early Childhood Development. She completed two masters degrees at California State University, Los Angeles. Her first masters degree, in Research Psychology, focused on multi-cultural issues and conflict resolution between adolescents and their parents and was -recognized by the American Psychological Association for outstanding research. She completed her second masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Perla has more than 12 years of experience working with both adolescent and adult populations with eating disorders and co-occurring disorders in inpatient, residential, and day treatment settings. Returning to the Center for Discovery team has been a blessing for me, said Perla of her recent appointment to the National Trainer position. At Center for Discovery I feel like Im amongst family; there is a sense of belonging. Our team is compassionate and invested in the treatment of eating disorders as well as other mental health issues. Center for Discovery provides a healing … Continue reading →

Published: 5:57AM Friday May 16, 2014 Source: Fairfax Source: ONE News The wife of Hurricanes midfielder Tim Bateman has pleaded for Pharmac funding of better multiple sclerosis drugs after the family were forced to shift to Japan to seek treatment for her. Laura Bateman was diagnosed with the neurological disease last year and, after a tough few months, the couple and young daughters Shyla and Mylie decided to make the move to access treatment not available in New Zealand. "I'd love to see a time in the near future where the best possible drugs become available right from the moment of diagnosis, not months of waiting for a certain threshold of deterioration to be met," she said. The Batemans' plight has renewed the Multiple Sclerosis Society's call for drug-funding agency Pharmac to push through approval for superior drugs used overseas. In Australia, the United States and Canada, drugs were prescribed at the first diagnosis, but in New Zealand signs of disability had to be shown before a drug such as beta-interferon was prescribed, MS Society committee member Neil Woodhams said. Two forms of beta-interferon and another drug are funded by Pharmac for MS patients after a neurological assessment. Overseas, a … Continue reading →

Tim Bateman has made what he's labelled a no brainer decision to leave New Zealand rugby. The Hurricanes second-five is taking his family offshore at the end of the Super Rugby season to get his wife proper treatment for multiple sclerosis. Bateman says MS treatment was available in a number of places, but he's decided to return the Coca Cola club in Fukuoka, where he played in 2011. "Literally about a hundred metres from where we live, the lead specialist in MS in Japan is there. And they've said to us that she'll be really well looked after." He says it was a really tough decision, because they're leaving their support network behind. "Everything you read about MS, is treatment early is very important. So we've decided to go with that." The second-five says he'll have more time to help his wife in Japan. "We don't travel anywhere near as much. It's 14 games a season, six of those are away games, and you're only away for pone night rather than two." Bateman's signed a two-year deal with Coca Cola and says he'd like to return for the 2016 Super Rugby season, if he can - providing the treatment for … Continue reading →

DEREK FLYNN/FAIRFAX NZ UPSET: Paula Davis is looking atways to cope with multiple sclerosis now that synthetic highs are illegal. A Blenheim woman who smoked synthetic cannabis to help her cope with multiple sclerosis is looking for an alternative treatment now that legal highs have been banned. Paula Davis, 37, of Mayfield, said she was angry the government had banned all psychoactive substances, formerly known as legal highs, on Thursday last week. She started using synthetic cannabis as a legal alternative to cannabis to help her sleep and eat after being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2006. The autoimmune disease causes overwhelming fatigue, numbness, and affects balance. Davis said before she started smoking synthetic cannabis in October last year, she injected herself with medication to reduce the progression of the disease. She stopped sleeping and her weight dropped to 40 kilograms after the trigger in her brain to tell her she was hungry stopped working. By smoking synthetic cannabis, she could eat and sleep, she said. About 10 days ago she stopped smoking two types of synthetic cannabis she used regularly. A few days later, she had a "flare-up" - a setback less than a relapse but which still … Continue reading →