Category Archives: MS Treatment

To view our videos, you need to enable JavaScript. Learn how. install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now. Then come back here and refresh the page. This week, the former Longhorn and NFL star is beginning treatment for a progressive nerve condition. The treatment comes as he continues to help his son, Tyler, in his fight with multiple sclerosis. Tyler Campbell comes from a family of fighters. His father, football legend Earl Campbell, began working with two of the University of Texas strength coaches in March to make it to mid field for the coin toss during the Longhorn's football game against New Mexico Sept. 8. He was able to accomplish that goal thanks to those coaches. When I go to the university, I never mess with that walker. They make me do it all on the crutch, Football Legend Earl Campbell said. All I had to do was show up so my part was pretty easy. Life hasn't been easy for the hall of famer. His body took a beating during his NFL career as a running back with the Houston Oilers and later the New Orleans Saints, suffering severe back and knee pain. I did something to … Continue reading →

THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (OPXA), a company developing Tcelna, a novel T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced that Neil Warma, President and Chief Executive Officer, will attend the upcoming UBS Global Life Sciences Conference. The event is being held September 19-20, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Mr. Warma will be available for one-on-one meetings with attendees interested in receiving a corporate update on Opexa, including details regarding the companys recently initiated Phase IIb Abili-T trial of Tcelna in patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS). Tcelna is the first ever personalized T-cell therapy for MS patients and has received Fast Track Designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of SPMS. The therapy is specifically tailored to each patients individual disease profile and has demonstrated superior safety and encouraging indications of efficacy in previous clinical studies in MS that included the treatment of SPMS patients. There is currently only one FDA-approved treatment for SPMS but safety warnings have severely restricted its use. If you are interested in scheduling a meeting with Mr. Warma at the UBS conference, please contact Camilla Zuckero at 281-775-0609 or czuckero@opexatherapeutics.com. About … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qshfb5/special_report) has announced the addition of Decision Resources, Inc's new report "Special Report: Market Opportunities in Symptomatic Treatments of Multiple Sclerosis" to their offering. Current treatment for the symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) is dominated by generic, off-label therapies with mixed efficacy or modest clinical trial evidence. Acorda Therapeutics' Ampyra, Allergan's Botox, and Avanir Pharmaceuticals' Nuedexta make up the crop of new niche agents in the United States indicated specifically for the treatment of individual symptoms that commonly occur in patients with this chronic disease. Although these agents are available, demand for additional therapies that offer relief of disabling MS-related symptoms remains high, and agents that can demonstrate clinically meaningful efficacy have the potential to command sizable prices and enjoy modest uptake in discrete, and in some cases sizable, patient subgroups in this lucrative market. Key Topics Covered: - Executive Summary - Strategic Considerations - Stakeholder Implications - Introduction - Overview of Multiple Sclerosis - Current Therapies and Patient Estimates for MS-Associated Symptoms View post: Research and Markets: Special Report: Market Opportunities in Symptomatic Treatments of Multiple Sclerosis … Continue reading →

By Irene Maher, Times Staff Writer Irene MaherTampa Bay Times In Print: Monday, September 17, 2012 Regardless of your political leanings, at least one group of Americans was grateful for the Republican and Democratic National Conventions: Those affected by MS. People with multiple sclerosis appreciated the shout-out from Ann Romney, wife of presidential nominee Mitt Romney, at the Republican National Convention in Tampa and from first lady Michelle Obama with the Democrats a week later in Charlotte, N.C. Romney has been living with MS since 1998. Obama's father lived with the disease for about 30 years before his death at age 66. Both women related how their lives were affected by MS. That kind of exposure does more than increase awareness of an often misunderstood disease that afflicts 400,000 Americans, experts said. "In the case of Ann Romney, seeing someone at the podium, in the national spotlight, living an obviously busy, active life allows others to see how much you can accomplish with MS," said Dr. Stanley Krolczyk, director of the multiple sclerosis division in the department of neurology at USF Health. "It puts a different face on the disease when celebrities, like Montel Williams and Clay Walker, for example, … Continue reading →

By Irene Maher, Times Staff Writer Irene MaherTampa Bay Times In Print: Monday, September 17, 2012 Regardless of your political leanings, at least one group of Americans was grateful for the Republican and Democratic National Conventions: Those affected by MS. People with multiple sclerosis appreciated the shout-out from Ann Romney, wife of presidential nominee Mitt Romney, at the Republican National Convention in Tampa and from first lady Michelle Obama with the Democrats a week later in Charlotte, N.C. Romney has been living with MS since 1998. Obama's father lived with the disease for about 30 years before his death at age 66. Both women related how their lives were affected by MS. That kind of exposure does more than increase awareness of an often misunderstood disease that afflicts 400,000 Americans, experts said. "In the case of Ann Romney, seeing someone at the podium, in the national spotlight, living an obviously busy, active life allows others to see how much you can accomplish with MS," said Dr. Stanley Krolczyk, director of the multiple sclerosis division in the department of neurology at USF Health. "It puts a different face on the disease when celebrities, like Montel Williams and Clay Walker, for example, … Continue reading →

The U.S. FDA this week approved a once-a-day pill for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The pill, being branded as Aubagio by Sanofi S.A., is specifically for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of MS. In a clinical trial, the relapse rate for patients using Aubagio was about 30 percent lower than the rate for those taking a placebo, said Dr. Russell Katz, director of the division of neurology products in the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Multiple sclerosis can impair movement, sensation, and thinking, so it is important to have a variety of treatment options available to patients. According to the National Institutes of Health, MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It disrupts the communication between the brain and the body, causing motor skill disruption for nearly every part of the body, depending on which nerves in the brain are damaged. As for the drug itself, side effects seen during drug trials included diarrhea, abnormal liver tests, nausea, and hair loss. Also, the box warnings for the drug warn of possible liver problems and fetal harm, including the risk of birth defects. Doctors will have to check patients liver … Continue reading →

Public release date: 13-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Todd Murphy murphyt@ohsu.edu 503-494-8231 Oregon Health & Science University PORTLAND, Ore. Many people with multiple sclerosis for years have taken the natural supplement Gingko biloba, believing it helps them with cognitive problems associated with the disease. But the science now says otherwise. A new study published in the journal Neurology says Gingko biloba does not improve cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis. The research was published in the Sept. 5, 2012, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The current study was a more extensive look at the question after a smaller 2005 pilot study suggested there might have been some cognitive benefits in MS patients using the supplement. That study found that Gingko seemed to improve attention in MS patients with cognitive impairment. But the larger follow-up study, conducted with patients at the Portland and Seattle Veterans Affairs medical centers, found no cognitive benefits to using Gingko. "It's important for scientists to continue to analyze what might help people with cognitive issues relating to their MS," said Jesus Lovera, M.D, the study's lead author, a former fellow at the Portland VA Medical … Continue reading →

Genzyme, a subsidiary of Sanofi (SNY), announced Wednesday night that the FDA has approved Aubagio, its oral, once-daily treatment for Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Aubagio is only the second oral treatment to hit the market, following Novartis` (NVS) Gilenya in 2010, although Teva (TEVA) and Biogen Idec (BIIB) are developing oral treatment options as well. Sanofi acquired Aubagio when the company purchased Genzyme for more than $20B in 2011. While the approval news from Sanofi is positive for the company, analysts are questioning Aubagio`s potential in the market as other injectable drugs (Rebif for instance) and upcoming compounds have shown better efficacy, and Biogen`s BG-12, widely thought to be the next big MS treatment, is set for approval later this year. Aubagio`s oral formulation will be a strong selling point, and recent FDA safety concerns with Gilenya should improve sales as well, but a variety of MS treatments in development may overshadow the new drug. As mentioned, BG-12 is undergoing regulatory review for approval, and has demonstrated strong results as an oral MS treatment. Genzyme, however, believes that Aubagio`s opportunity will be as a complement to its development-stage injectable, Lemtrada. Lemtrada, which was delayed by the FDA earlier this … Continue reading →

Sanofi (SNY) and its subsidiary Genzyme recently announced that their oral candidate for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (:RMS), Aubagio (teriflunomide), has received US Food and Drug Administration (:FDA) approval. The FDA approved Aubagio as a once-daily treatment for patients with RMS. Aubagio is currently under regulatory review in the EU. FDA approval came in on encouraging data from a pivotal phase III study (:TEMSO) in patients with RMS. The TEMSO phase III study evaluated Aubagio in two dosage strengths, 7mg and 14mg. Patients in both 7mg and 14mg Aubagio dosage arms demonstrated a 31% reduction in annualized relapse rate compared to placebo. Additionally, the company presented positive results from the phase III TOWER trial, which was conducted on 1,169 patients with RMS. However, we note that in the TENERE trial, reported in December 2011, Aubagio failed to show statistical superiority over Pfizer/Merck KGaAs (PFE/MKGAF) Rebif. There are two more studies in progress, namely TOPIC and TERACLES. Competition in the oral multiple sclerosis market will be intense and Aubagio needs to demonstrate superior efficacy and tolerability to gain share. Novartis (NVS) Gilenya already has a lead in the oral MS market with the product being approved in September 2010. Another … Continue reading →

By Jennifer Corbett Dooren WASHINGTON--The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a Sanofi SA pill to treat multiple sclerosis, making it the second oral therapy for the disease to be available on the U.S. market. Competition has steadily grown over the last decade in the multibillion-dollar-a-year market for treating multiple sclerosis, whose sufferers include Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Novartis AG brought the first oral pill for treating multiple sclerosis onto the U.S. market in 2010. The pill, Gilenya, recorded world-wide sales of $530 million in the first half of 2012, according to Novartis. Sanofi's new drug, teriflunomide, will be sold under the brand name Aubagio to treat people with the relapsing remitting form of MS. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease that involves damage to nerves controlling muscles and vision. It affects about 400,000 Americans and 2.5 million people world-wide. The condition causes the body's immune system to eat away at the protective covering of the nerves, or myelin, which disrupts the electrical signals between the brain and the rest of the body. Most MS patients are of the relapsing- remitting type, where the disease flares up periodically and largely disappears for long periods. … Continue reading →