Category Archives: MS Treatment

9 Feb 2013 23:11 TV star, who went public about his health crisis last summer, said he is currently feeling well and getting plenty of rest WireImage STAR Jack Osbourne is to undergo cutting-edge stem cell replacement therapy to help him beat Multiple Sclerosis. Jack, 27 son of rocker Ozzy and TV star Sharon will go to Germany for the treatment as it is banned in America, where he is based. He will fly out after covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles today for US music channel Fuse TV. Jack said: There are odd restrictions here in America because everybody still thinks its, like, what it isnt. So Im going to Germany. They clone stem cells from your own blood then inject them back into you. Hopefully it will repair any damaged cells and nerves and things like that. Jack, who went public about his health crisis last summer, said he is currently feeling well and getting plenty of rest despite being a new dad to nine-month-old daughter Pearl. He said: Im good. Thats the thing about MS one minute youre good, one minute youre not. Im hanging on in there, healthy and doing what I got to do. … Continue reading →

London, Feb. 9 (ANI): A patient's own skin could be used to repair the damage caused by multiple sclerosis, which is currently incurable, researchers have claimed. A team of researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Centre used advances in stem-cell research to attempt to repair the myelin, a protein that nerves insulate themselves with, the BBC reported. They took a human skin cell sample and converted it into stem cells -capable of becoming any other type of cell in the body. The next step was to transform the stem cells into immature versions of brain cells, which produce myelin. According to the researchers, when these cells were injected into mice born without any myelin it had a significant effect. However, patients suffering from multiple sclerosis are still going to have the problem of their immune system attacking their myelin. Another treatment would need to be used alongside other therapies for taming the immune system - or would need to be repeatedly performed. The animal tests have been published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. (ANI) Continue reading here: New skin cell treatment offers new hope to MS patients … Continue reading →

8 February 2013 Last updated at 03:55 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News It may be possible to use a patient's own skin to repair the damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), which is currently incurable, say researchers. Nerves struggle to communicate in MS as their insulating covering is attacked by the immune system - causing fatigue and damaging movement. Animal tests, described in the journal Cell Stem Cell, have now used modified skin cells to repair the insulation. Experts said there was an "urgent need" for such therapies. Just like electrical wires, nerves have insulation - but instead of plastic, the body uses a protein called myelin. However, diseases that result in damage to the myelin, including MS, leave the nerves exposed and electrical signals struggle to travel round the body. A team of scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in the US, used advances in stem-cell research to attempt to repair the myelin. They took a sample of human skin cells and converted it into stem cells, which are capable of becoming any other type of cell in the body. The next step was to transform the stem cells into immature versions … Continue reading →

By Dow Jones Business News, February 06, 2013, 10:45:00 AM EDT --Biogen to acquire full control of blockbuster multiple-sclerosis drug Tysabri --Tysabri is seen as highly effective but also carries risk of fatal brain infection --Amgen to pay Elan royalties of between 18% and 25% of Tysabri sales Biogen Idec Inc. ( BIIB ) agreed to buy partner Elan Corp.'s (ELN, DRX.DB) interest in Tysabri for $3.25 billion, giving it full control of the blockbuster multiple-sclerosis drug. Biogen is betting that regulators will approve expanded use of the drug despite past safety concerns and help to bolster the company's already strong position in the lucrative MS market. The deal also carries risks. Though Tysabri is thought to be highly effective, it also can cause a fatal brain infection in certain patients, which has limited its use. In addition, new MS therapies are expected to launch soon that could steal its market share, including a new Biogen drug that is pending regulatory approval. "We believe in Tysabri," Chief Executive George Scangos said. "It's an important therapy for MS patients and an important asset for us." Investors applauded the deal as Biogen shares rose 5.8% to $166.47. For Elan, the deal provides … Continue reading →

BOSTON (Reuters) - Biogen Idec Inc's agreement to buy Elan Corp Plc's interest in the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri gives Biogen full control of a product that is poised for further growth and ends a long partnership that has often been contentious. Analysts have speculated for several years that Biogen could acquire Elan to take control of Tysabri. The current agreement, under which Biogen will pay Elan $3.25 billion in cash plus royalties, gives Biogen the asset it is most interested in while leaving Elan with money to spend on acquisitions and to develop its pipeline of experimental drugs. "With this deal Biogen does not have to deal with Elan's pipeline baggage," said David Ferreiro, an analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. Still, analysts expressed some surprise that Biogen has chosen this moment to double down on Tysabri. The company is poised to launch a new MS drug, BG-12, at the end of March. The drug, if approved, will be sold under the brand name Tecfidera. It is expected by many investors to become the leading treatment for the disease but is set to lose patent protection in the mid to late 2020s. "By that point, BG-12 could be the dominant … Continue reading →

Feb. 4, 2013 A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) run a high risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure, regardless of migration background. According to Dr Tahereh Moradi, principal investigator, the study is the first in the world to examine the risk of cardiovascular diseases in male and female MS patients with both non-immigrant and immigrant backgrounds. MS is a chronic inflammatory disease that breaks down the central nervous system, and is the most common neurological cause of disability amongst young people. The study now published in the scientific periodical Multiple Sclerosis Journal examined over 8,000 MS patients between the years 1987 and 2009. "It turns out that MS patients run a 85 per cent higher risk of myocardial infarction, a 70 per cent higher risk of stroke, and a 100 per cent higher risk of heart failure, results that are consistent in both young and elderly patients, and patients born in and outside Sweden, with the effect being particularly noticeable for women," says principal investigator Dr Tahereh Moradi, Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet's Institute of Environmental Medicine. With MS striking two in every 10,000 people, primarily women, every year, … Continue reading →

Stony Brook-led Study in Journal of Child Neurology is largest ever, includes data from all Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence Watch: One in Three Children with Multiple Sclerosis has Cognitive Impairment Newswise STONY BROOK, N.Y., February 5, 2013 Data from the largest multicenter study accessing cognitive functioning in children with multiple sclerosis (MS) reveals that one-third of these patients have cognitive impairment, according to a research paper published in the Journal of Child Neurology. Led by Lauren B. Krupp, MD, Director of the Lourie Center for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis at Stony Brook Long Island Childrens Hospital, the study indicates that patients experience a range of problems related to cognition. In Cognitive Impairment Occurs in Children and Adolescents with Multiple Sclerosis: Results from a United States Network, Dr. Krupp and colleagues from Stony Brook and five other national Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence measured the cognitive functioning of 187 children and adolescents with MS, and 44 who experienced their first neurologic episode (clinically isolated syndrome) indicative of MS. They found that 35 percent of the patients with MS and 18 percent of those with clinically isolated syndrome met criteria for cognitive impairment. All patients were under age 18 with an average … Continue reading →

Wednesday, February 06 11:44:29 Irish drugmaker Elan is raising more than $3.25 billion by selling its interests in its main drug and will splash out most of the proceeds on acquisitions, effectively reinventing itself as a company. Under a deal announced today, Elan's partner Biogen Idec will take full ownership of blockbuster multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Tysabri and will make an upfront payment to the Irish group plus royalties on future sales. While the deal gives Elan scope to return some cash to shareholders as well as strategic flexibility to buy new assets, it leaves its future shape unclear since Tysabri was by far its most important product, responsible for almost all its revenue. Elan has already spoken to several companies about potential deals and can move quickly once the sale its completed, Chief Executive Kelly Martin told Reuters. "You can do a lot of things with $3 billion, you can buy companies, molecules, you can partner, you can share risk. The world is our oyster," Martin said in a telephone interview. "We are not necessarily restricting ourselves to one therapeutic area or one type of clinical asset. We will not be restricted to our past, which was by and … Continue reading →

* Elan agrees to cede control of Tysabri to U.S. partner * Elan has already spoken to companies about potential deals * Biogen says deal a natural step, will add to 2013 earnings * Irish company's shares rise 8 pct, highest since November (Xetra: A0Z24E - news) By Padraic Halpin DUBLIN, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Irish drugmaker Elan will raise more than $3.25 billion by selling its interests in its main drug to partner Biogen Idec (NasdaqGS: BIIB - news) and effectively reinvent itself by splashing most of the cash on acquisitions. Under a deal announced on Wednesday, Massachusetts-based Biogen will take full ownership of blockbuster multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Tysabri and will make an upfront payment to the Irish group plus royalties on future sales. While the deal gives Elan scope to return some cash to shareholders as well as strategic flexibility to buy new assets, it leaves its future shape unclear since Tysabri was by far its most important product, responsible for almost all its revenue. Elan has already spoken to several companies about potential deals and can move quickly over the next 12-18 months once the sale is completed, Chief Executive Kelly Martin told Reuters. "You can … Continue reading →

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Biogen Idec is to take full ownership of blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri after agreeing to pay Irish partner Elan $3.25 billion plus future royalties on sales of the drug. Irish drugmaker Elan, which has co-marketed the drug with the larger U.S. company for 12 years, said it would receive a royalty of 12 percent of Tysabri global net sales for the first 12 months after the restructuring closes. A tiered royalty structure will kick in after that, it said, with Elan receiving 18 percent on up to $2 billion of global net sales and 25 percent on any sales over that amount. Sales of Tysabri, which provides Elan with almost all of its revenue, rose 8 percent to $1.6 billion last year. A filing last month for approval to sell the drug as a first-line treatment for could boost sales further. "The restructuring of this business collaboration provides Elan with significant strategic flexibility ... The risk of one asset and a single collaborator was not ideal," Elan chief executive Kelly Martin said in a statement. "We are enthusiastic about the market opportunities around the globe and remain flexible and creative about the manner in which we … Continue reading →