Category Archives: MS Treatment

Biogen Inc.s Tecfidera pill, which treats multiple sclerosis, generates about $4 billion a year for the Cambridge biotech. Shares of Biogen Inc. were trading up 1.5 percent early Tuesday afternoon after the Cambridge biotechs patent on its top-selling multiple sclerosis treatment was upheld by a legal ruling. The U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board rejected a patent challenge by Texas hedge fund manager Kyle Bass, who has been working for years to invalidate key intellectual property rights of Biogen and other biotechnology companies. A ruling in favor of the Bass-led Coalition for Affordable Drugs could have hurt Biogens revenue from the oral MS drug Tecfidera, which generated nearly $4 billion in sales last year. Biogen settled part of a separate ongoing patent dispute with Denmarks Forward Pharma A/S in January, agreeing to pay $1.2 billion to license Forward Pharmas intellectual property covering an active ingredient in Tecfidera. Investors are awaiting a pending decision in a separate part of that case, in which Forward Pharma is seeking annual royalties from Biogen on the sale of Tecfidera. View post: Biogen wins patent ruling for its $4 billion MS treatment - The Boston Globe … Continue reading →

Updated March 15, 2017 20:23:11 Two doctors who were previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) claim an unconventional treatment cleared them of the symptoms of the disease. They are among a growing number of MS patients who have made big lifestyle changes as part of a program, devised by Melbourne professor George Jelinek, which they say eliminated the symptoms of the disease that threatened to end their careers. Sam Gartland's future looked bleak when he was diagnosed with a relapsing remitting form of MS. His symptoms were so severe he had to quit his job as an intensive care doctor. "I couldn't actually walk from the car park to the intensive care unit," he said. A decade later, Dr Gartland spends his mornings either kickboxing or surfing on the New South Wales central coast. "I try and exercise every day," he said. "To the point where I'm sweating and my heart rate's up." MS remains the most common disabling disease among young adults. Eighty per cent of those diagnosed will be forced out of full-time work within 10 years. The Jelinek program consists of a strict regimen of exercise, meditation, low-fat diet and sun exposure to combat the condition. "If … Continue reading →

Lexington Herald Leader Multiple sclerosis symptoms are unpredictable, but there's treatment Lexington Herald Leader The central nervous system controls most functions of the body and mind, making it a vital part of the human body. It can be affected by many diseases, including multiple sclerosis, a chronic, unpredictable disease caused by inflammation. March is ... and more » Read more: Multiple sclerosis symptoms are unpredictable, but there's treatment - Lexington Herald Leader … Continue reading →

Alkermes plc (ALKS - Free Report) announced the initiation of a new phase III study of pipeline candidate ALKS 8700. ALKS 8700 is a monomethyl fumarate (MMF) prodrug which is being developed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The trial is a randomized five week, head-to-head phase III study which will evaluate the gastrointestinal tolerability (GI) of ALKS 8700 462 mg twice daily compared to Biogen Inc.s (BIIB - Free Report) Tecfidera 240 mg twice daily in approximately 420 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). Alkermes share price has increased 7% year to date, while the Zacks classified Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry gained 9.8%. This elective study is part of the ongoing clinical development program for ALKS 8700, named EVOLVE-MS. The data from this study will help in finding ALKS 8700s potential advantages for patients and its future positioning in the fumarate market, which represents a $3 billion opportunity in the U.S. Alkermes intends to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for ALKS 8700 for the treatment of RRMS to the FDA in 2018. Alkermes key areas of focus include central nervous system (CNS) disorders like schizophrenia, depression, addiction and multiple sclerosis. In fact, one of its drugs Ampyra/Fampyra, … Continue reading →

A breakthrough study looking at how the brain repairs itself could revolutionize treatments for multiple sclerosis. The research, performed on mice and tissue cultures, reveals for the first time that a type of cell involved in immune control also releases a protein that triggers regrowth of myelin. The international study - led by Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom - is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Senior author Dr. Denise Fitzgerald - of the University's Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine - describes the findings as "an important step forward in understanding how the brain and spinal cord is naturally repaired." Worldwide, more than 2.3 million people are affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) - a disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the tissue of the central nervous system, which consists of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. In MS, the immune system attacks and destroys myelin - the fatty, protective sheath that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers. As the myelin damage increases, it disrupts the signals that travel to and from the brain along the affected nerve fibers. This results in a range of symptoms that include impaired mobility, extreme fatigue, vision problems, pain, and … Continue reading →

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The University of California Riverside is launching a pilot for patients to assess if video visits are a viable stand-in for in-person consultations with neurologists. Backed by a $100,000 grant from Genentech, UC Riverside which opened its doors recently and will graduate its first class of medical students this year is aiming to enroll 100 people, with half receiving in-office visits and the other half getting the virtual visits. The home-based pilot will be conducted by a small team: just UCR professor and MS expert Elizabeth Morrison-Banks, MD, clinical assistant professor Kristyn Pellechia and a nurse practitioner. [Also:Hospital datacenters: Extinct in 5 years?] Using videoconferencing tools fromPolycom RealPresenceorVidyo,the nurse practitioner will go directly to the patients home and remotely connect with Morrison-Banks, who will perform a neurological assessment. This will involve an intake visit, a review of the patients history, discussion of lab results and neuro-imaging and treatment plans. They will compare the telemedicine intervention group with the standard visits on a number of variables including pain and fatigue levels, visual impairment, bladder and bowel control, plus mental health, sexual satisfaction and overall quality of life. What we are looking for is if telemedicine can serve as a substitute for … Continue reading →

Updated March 15, 2017 20:23:11 Two doctors who were previously diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) claim an unconventional treatment cleared them of the symptoms of the disease. They are among a growing number of MS patients who have made big lifestyle changes as part of a program, devised by Melbourne professor George Jelinek, which they say eliminated the symptoms of the disease that threatened to end their careers. Sam Gartland's future looked bleak when he was diagnosed with a relapsing remitting form of MS. His symptoms were so severe he had to quit his job as an intensive care doctor. "I couldn't actually walk from the car park to the intensive care unit," he said. A decade later, Dr Gartland spends his mornings either kickboxing or surfing on the New South Wales central coast. "I try and exercise every day," he said. "To the point where I'm sweating and my heart rate's up." MS remains the most common disabling disease among young adults. Eighty per cent of those diagnosed will be forced out of full-time work within 10 years. The Jelinek program consists of a strict regimen of exercise, meditation, low-fat diet and sun exposure to combat the condition. "If … Continue reading →

Life with a progressive disease can be challenging for anyone, even the most prepared. Not knowing what the future holds can make for unnecessary stress. Add to that a lack of approved therapies, and someone with the disease could lose hope. But doctors and researchers, in a range of studies, are beginning to find answers to these issues for people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Understanding who will develop progression with the disease is a big part of MS treatment. Stopping the progression is key to slowing or stopping neurological damage, and early treatment leads to a better chance of living well with MS. While there are no drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for progressive MS, one medication is expected to get FDA approval late this month. Ocrelizumab is considered a breakthrough in the treatment of progressive MS. Study participants showed lower rates of clinical progression meaning their symptoms appeared improved after receiving the drug. Also, the number of lesions showing up on MRI were fewer. Read More: The benefits of yoga for people with MS In a recent study, researchers report they found a way for early diagnosis of MS in the progressive category. In … Continue reading →

Stem cell treatment suppresses multiple sclerosis in the long term Nature.com Patients with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) can gain long-term benefit from immunoablation followed by autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (I/AHSCT), according to a new study. The evidence from the largest long-term study of the ... See the original post: Stem cell treatment suppresses multiple sclerosis in the long term - Nature.com … Continue reading →