Category Archives: MS Treatment

Public release date: 11-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley A recent clinical trial found that interferon-1a (INF) and glatiramer acetate (GA), two of the most commonly prescribed drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS), provide no additional clinical benefit when taken together. While findings published today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggest that taking both INF and GA together was not superior to GA monotherapy in reducing relapse risk; the combination therapy does appear to reduce new lesion activity and total lesion volume. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) describes MS as a neuroinflammatory disease, which affects the central nervous system by attacking myelin, a substance found in nerve fibers. NINDS estimates that up to 350,000 individuals in the U.S. are diagnosed with MS, which affects twice as many women as men, with most symptoms appearing between the ages of 20 and 40. Experts believe this complex autoimmune disease may be caused by genetic and environmental factors. "While there are a number of drugs to treat MS, our study is the first to investigate if the concurrent use of two drugs with … Continue reading →

Newswise People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were treated with combination therapy did not see significant clinical benefit over those treated with single drug therapy, but combination therapy did reduce the development of new lesions, according to an international research team led by The Mount Sinai Medical Center. The findings, part of the largest-ever MS trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, are published in the March 11 issue of Annals of Neurology. In the Phase III CombiRx trial, researchers led by Fred Lublin, MD, of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, sought to determine if Glatiramer Acetate (GA) and Interferon Beta-1a (IFN), the two most commonly-prescribed drugs for relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), were more effective in combination than as monotherapies. The results showed that while combination therapy was no better than monotherapy, patients who took combination therapy had a reduction in new lesions on MRI scan. This is the first NIH-sponsored, multi-center, comparative trial evaluating the benefits of both combination therapy and monotherapy in MS, said lead author Fred Lublin, MD, Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. The study is the first to show that a combination trial is feasible … Continue reading →

Washington, March 11 (ANI): Hormone pulse therapy may be helpful for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well-controlled through their regular treatment, a new study has suggested. The study involved 23 people with MS who were taking beta-interferon treatment and had at least one relapse or brain scan showing new disease activity within the previous year. They were considered to have "breakthrough" MS, which means that their treatment that had been working previously stopped being effective, leading to worsening disability and more frequent relapses, as well as increased evidence of disease activity on brain scans. The study participants were given either adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or methylprednisolone as pulse therapy monthly in addition to their regular treatment for one year. The people with MS knew which treatment they were receiving, but the researchers examining them did not. The participants were tested every three months for 15 months. Over that time, those receiving ACTH had fewer relapses, or 0.08 cumulative relapses per patient compared to 0.8 relapses per patient for those receiving methylprednisolone. Those taking ACTH also had no cases of psychiatric side effects, while those taking methylprednisolone had a cumulative number of 0.55 psychiatric episodes per patient. "These results are … Continue reading →

The Reinert family during a visit to Disney World. A new treatment at BVRMC allows MS sufferer Angie to live a more active lifestyle with her family. It was during a jog with her husband where he kept telling her to pick up her right foot that she realized something wasn't right. She had felt many strange symptoms individually over a six month time period - double vision, ear infection, tingling in her legs - but it wasn't until she listed them all in the same sentence that she realized something was happening to her body. Her family doctor ordered a spinal tap and MRI, which came back positive for multiple sclerosis. Two years ago, even walking had become very difficult for the woman who had always led an active lifestyle, and a neurologist suggested she may need a cane. Angie said, "I'm too young for a cane. I'm not giving up!" She had heard about a new treatment, TYSABRI, during a MS support group meeting. One member had found great success with improving mobility and reducing fatigue. TYSABRI is a treatment for relapsing forms of MS. It has been proven to reduce MS flare-ups and slow physical disability progression. … Continue reading →

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week will be held March 11-17 with events planned during the week in the greater Rochester area. As part of the effort to raise awareness about MS, Rochester's City Hall will be lit up orange. Mayor Tom Richards joined members of the National MS Upstate Chapter Monday morning to talk about the importance of the initiative. "I have personal friends who have suffered from MS, so I know what it can mean and what it can mean to people who have to live with it," he said. Tisha Sarnowski of East Irondequoit is one of 2,700 people in the greater Rochester area living with MS. She was diagnosed with the disease at 24. "I think I cried atthat point intime and from there it wastreatment options," she said. Multiple scerlosis attacks the central nervous system, interrupting flow of information from the brain to the body. "Being diagnosed early gave me the benefit of having treatment options," said Sarnowski. There is no cure for MS, but Sarnowski says raising awareness about the disease has helped improve her treatments. When she was first diagnosed, Sarnowski received daily injections. Today, she goes for and IV treatment once a month. In … Continue reading →

MIKE BONNICKSEN photo Deanna Kirkpatrick shares a laugh with a guest while recording apodcast. (Full-size photo)(All photos) To treat multiple sclerosis, try acupuncture or herbs. Or place your hope in a new oral drug called BG-12. Or one of the other drugs whose ads appear on your browser when you look up MS on WebMD. Or consider restoring your mobility with nutrition. Or snakevenom. While theres no cure for multiple sclerosis, theres no shortage of information and advice online about the disease good, bad and ugly, said Deanna Kirkpatrick, 45, an East Wenatchee woman who helps create three podcasts aboutMS. Shes trying to be the good. She uses the podcasts to pursue answers to her own questions and to those of the thousands of people whove tuned in online since she helped launch Multiple Sclerosis Unplugged just over a year ago. The shows have been heard nearly 30,000 times by people around theworld. The Internet has changed the way people get information about their health and influenced their medical decisions, especially for people with chronic conditions such asMS. Among many studies on the subject, a report released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2007 said 86 percent … Continue reading →

Public release date: 11-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Christie Corbett newsmedia@mssm.edu 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were treated with combination therapy did not see significant clinical benefit over those treated with single drug therapy, but combination therapy did reduce the development of new lesions, according to an international research team led by The Mount Sinai Medical Center. The findings, part of the largest-ever MS trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, are published in the March 11 issue of Annals of Neurology. In the Phase III CombiRx trial, researchers led by Fred Lublin, MD, of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, sought to determine if Glatiramer Acetate (GA) and Interferon Beta-1a (IFN), the two most commonly-prescribed drugs for relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), were more effective in combination than as monotherapies. The results showed that while combination therapy was no better than monotherapy, patients who took combination therapy had a reduction in new lesions on MRI scan. "This is the first NIH-sponsored, multi-center, comparative trial evaluating the benefits of both combination therapy and monotherapy in MS," said lead author Fred Lublin, MD, Director of the Corinne Goldsmith … Continue reading →

White Ribbon Day at Brigham and Women's Hospital Men and boys speak out about violence against women and girls on White Ribbon Day, an international event promoted in 60 countries. In observance of White Ri... By: Brighamandwomens … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Patient Here is a stem cell testimonial from a patient who not only had chronic pain but was also in a wheelchair when she came to our office because she was recomme... By: TheMagazinerCenter … Continue reading →

Newswise SAN DIEGO A new study suggests that treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) may be helpful for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well-controlled through their regular treatment. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurologys 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013. The study involved 23 people with MS who were taking beta-interferon treatment and had at least one relapse or brain scan showing new disease activity within the previous year. They were considered to have breakthrough MS, which means that their treatment that had been working previously stopped being effective, leading to worsening disability and more frequent relapses, as well as increased evidence of disease activity on brain scans. The study participants were given either ACTH or methylprednisolone as pulse therapy monthly in addition to their regular treatment for one year. The people with MS knew which treatment they were receiving, but the researchers examining them did not. The participants were tested every three months for 15 months. Over that time, those receiving ACTH had fewer relapses, or 0.08 cumulative relapses per patient compared to 0.8 relapses per patient for those receiving methylprednisolone. Those taking ACTH … Continue reading →