Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
BioTrends is pleased to announce the publication of a new syndicated report,TreatmentTrends: Multiple Sclerosis. This report covers the use of disease-modifying agents (DMAs) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as attitudes and perceptions toward these products, advantages and disadvantages, ideal patient types, barriers to growth and expected future use. In addition, respondents were queried about their awareness of and interest in MS products in development.
The study, based on feedback gathered in an on-line survey completed by 100 neurologists in March 2010, found that among the disease modifying agents available, Biogen Idec's Tysabri had the highest percent of neurologists indicating a recent increase in use. However, fear of PML is noted as a leading obstacle to expanded use of the product by 80% of the respondents. Furthermore, patients on Tysabri are significantly more likely to be given a drug holiday compared to other brands and this is usually at the direction of the neurologist as opposed to patient request.
=============================================The study, based on feedback gathered in an on-line survey completed by 100 neurologists in March 2010, found that among the disease modifying agents available, Biogen Idec's Tysabri had the highest percent of neurologists indicating a recent increase in use. However, fear of PML is noted as a leading obstacle to expanded use of the product by 80% of the respondents. Furthermore, patients on Tysabri are significantly more likely to be given a drug holiday compared to other brands and this is usually at the direction of the neurologist as opposed to patient request.
February 22, '10: Disease Modifying therapies for Multiple Sclerosis
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
Information provided by Stuart S of MS Views and News
Article Source: MSRC-UK
Disease Modifying Drugs are a group of compounds which alter the progression of MS. They have been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of relapses and slow the development of disability in some people.
Up until June 2006 there were traditionally two types of Disease Modifying Drugs (DMDs) used in the treatment of MS.
These were:
Beta interferon - which comes in two forms, Beta interferon 1a and Beta interferon 1b
& Glatiramer acetate
Although their effect is quite similar, they work in different ways.
=============================================Article Source: MSRC-UK
Disease Modifying Drugs are a group of compounds which alter the progression of MS. They have been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of relapses and slow the development of disability in some people.
Up until June 2006 there were traditionally two types of Disease Modifying Drugs (DMDs) used in the treatment of MS.
These were:
Beta interferon - which comes in two forms, Beta interferon 1a and Beta interferon 1b
& Glatiramer acetate
Although their effect is quite similar, they work in different ways.
January 22, '10: FDA Approves: AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine) to Improve Walking in People with Multiple Sclerosis –
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
Acorda Therapeutics Announces FDA Approval of
AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine) to Improve Walking in People with
Multiple Sclerosis – Demonstrated by Increases in Walking Speed
AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine) to Improve Walking in People with
Multiple Sclerosis – Demonstrated by Increases in Walking Speed
· First and Only FDA-Approved Therapy Addressing Walking Impairment
· AMPYRA Previously Referred to as Fampridine-SR
· AMPYRA Expected to be Available by Prescription in March 2010
· Acorda Conference Call Today at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time
HAWTHORNE, N.Y., January 22, 2010 – Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOR) today announced that it has received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine), an oral treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This was demonstrated by an increase in walking speed. AMPYRA demonstrated efficacy in people with all four major types of MS (relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, progressive relapsing and primary progressive). AMPYRA can be used alone or with existing MS therapies, including immunomodulator drugs.
“The approval of AMPYRA marks an important milestone for the many people with MS who suffer walking impairment. Difficulty walking is often cited by those with MS as one of the most pervasive and challenging aspects of their disease,” said Ron Cohen, M.D., President and CEO of Acorda Therapeutics, adding “We are enormously gratified to have achieved approval for the only medication indicated to improve walking in people with MS, and we thank all of the clinicians, people living with MS and medical and patient support organizations who joined in this effort over the past decade. Reaching this milestone underscores Acorda’s ongoing commitment to develop innovative therapies for people with neurological diseases.”
August 07, '09: An MS Therapy in the Pipeline: Fampridine-SR
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
written by: Dr. Timothy Vollmer, medical director of the Rocky Mountain MS Center.
As MS progresses, walking can become a challenge and many people with MS are forced to use the aid of a cane, walker or wheelchair. According to recent research, 64% - 85% of people with MS have difficulty walking, and 70% report it to be the greatest symptomatic challenge that they face.
Hope for these individuals may soon be available in pill form. Fampridine-SR, a sustained-release tablet, is a selective neuronal potassium (K+) that blocks potassium channels on the surface of nerve fibers. The idea is that by blocking these channels, the conduction of nerve signals – which travel through nerve fibers – is improved, despite the myelin damage that characterizes MS. The improved nerve communication facilitates vital nerve connections that are necessary for mobility.
The thought is not that Fampridine-SR will replace standard disease modifying therapies, but rather that it will function as an add-on symptomatic treatment option for those who have difficulty walking.
=============================================
As MS progresses, walking can become a challenge and many people with MS are forced to use the aid of a cane, walker or wheelchair. According to recent research, 64% - 85% of people with MS have difficulty walking, and 70% report it to be the greatest symptomatic challenge that they face.
Hope for these individuals may soon be available in pill form. Fampridine-SR, a sustained-release tablet, is a selective neuronal potassium (K+) that blocks potassium channels on the surface of nerve fibers. The idea is that by blocking these channels, the conduction of nerve signals – which travel through nerve fibers – is improved, despite the myelin damage that characterizes MS. The improved nerve communication facilitates vital nerve connections that are necessary for mobility.
The thought is not that Fampridine-SR will replace standard disease modifying therapies, but rather that it will function as an add-on symptomatic treatment option for those who have difficulty walking.
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
By Naomi Kresge
July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Merck KGaA asked European regulators to approve its pill for multiple sclerosis, the next step in the German drugmaker’s race against Novartis AG to market the first oral medicine for the debilitating nerve disease.
Merck submitted a marketing authorization application for the pill, cladribine, to the European Medicines Agency and plans an application to U.S. regulators this quarter, the Darmstadt, Germany-based maker of drugs and chemicals said in an e-mailed statement today.
The application “brings us closer to the possibility of providing an oral short-course treatment to patients with multiple sclerosis,” Roberto Gradnik, an executive vice president in Merck’s Serono division, said in the statement.
=============================================
July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Merck KGaA asked European regulators to approve its pill for multiple sclerosis, the next step in the German drugmaker’s race against Novartis AG to market the first oral medicine for the debilitating nerve disease.
Merck submitted a marketing authorization application for the pill, cladribine, to the European Medicines Agency and plans an application to U.S. regulators this quarter, the Darmstadt, Germany-based maker of drugs and chemicals said in an e-mailed statement today.
The application “brings us closer to the possibility of providing an oral short-course treatment to patients with multiple sclerosis,” Roberto Gradnik, an executive vice president in Merck’s Serono division, said in the statement.
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
Source: Medical News Today
Article Date: 08 May 2009
Previous research found that the risk of developing PML was 1 in 1000, but new data show that the risk is closer to 1.2 per 10,000 patients, according to Carmen Bozic, MD, vice president and global head of drug safety and risk management for the maker of natalizumab, Biogen Idec, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Bozic delivered an updated overview of the risks and benefits of natalizumab during the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 61st Annual Meeting.
=============================================Article Date: 08 May 2009
The risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a viral brain infection, in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) taking the drug natalizumab (Tysabri) appears to be much lower - and the infection less deadly - than previously estimated, according to new postmarketing surveillance data.
Previous research found that the risk of developing PML was 1 in 1000, but new data show that the risk is closer to 1.2 per 10,000 patients, according to Carmen Bozic, MD, vice president and global head of drug safety and risk management for the maker of natalizumab, Biogen Idec, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Bozic delivered an updated overview of the risks and benefits of natalizumab during the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 61st Annual Meeting.
April 30, '09: Oral multiple-sclerosis drug effective, says Merck
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
source: Marketwatch
By Thomas Gryta
Last update: 9:35 p.m. EDT April 29, 2009
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Merck KGaA reported late-stage data showing that its cladribine tablets significantly cut the rate of clinical relapses, disability progression and brain lesions in patients suffering from relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, echoing preliminary data reported earlier this year.
But a handful of cancer cases in the study may raise some safety concerns for physicians that must choose cladribine over alternative therapies that have longer safety data in larger patient populations.
=============================================
By Thomas Gryta
Last update: 9:35 p.m. EDT April 29, 2009
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Merck KGaA reported late-stage data showing that its cladribine tablets significantly cut the rate of clinical relapses, disability progression and brain lesions in patients suffering from relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, echoing preliminary data reported earlier this year.
But a handful of cancer cases in the study may raise some safety concerns for physicians that must choose cladribine over alternative therapies that have longer safety data in larger patient populations.
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
Jerusalem, Israel, Lund, Sweden and Seattle, Washington, April 28, 2009 -
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) and Active Biotech (NASDAQ OMX NORDIC: ACTI) today announced results from several new clinical and preclinical studies providing further insight on the immunomodulatory mechanism of action (MOA) of laquinimod, a novel oral once-daily compound being developed for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
Four sets of data being presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Seattle stand to increase the understanding of how laquinimod may reduce multiple sclerosis (MS) activity and affect mechanisms related to disease pathology.
=============================================
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) and Active Biotech (NASDAQ OMX NORDIC: ACTI) today announced results from several new clinical and preclinical studies providing further insight on the immunomodulatory mechanism of action (MOA) of laquinimod, a novel oral once-daily compound being developed for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
Four sets of data being presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Seattle stand to increase the understanding of how laquinimod may reduce multiple sclerosis (MS) activity and affect mechanisms related to disease pathology.
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
April 22, 2009 08:58 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Teva to Present New Data on Its Innovative Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease at the Upcoming 2009 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting
JERUSALEM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) today announced that several new studies addressing the Company’s innovative central nervous system (CNS) portfolio will be presented at the 61st Annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in Seattle starting April 28, 2009.
Long-term COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) data include an analysis demonstrating neuroprotection in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients.
New information on the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with AZILECT® (rasagiline tablets) include endpoints from the ADAGIO study; data demonstrating selectivity of MAO-B inhibition at maximum recommended dosing and the affect of treatment on non-motor symptoms in patients with early disease.
=============================================
Teva to Present New Data on Its Innovative Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease at the Upcoming 2009 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting
JERUSALEM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) today announced that several new studies addressing the Company’s innovative central nervous system (CNS) portfolio will be presented at the 61st Annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in Seattle starting April 28, 2009.
Long-term COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) data include an analysis demonstrating neuroprotection in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients.
New information on the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with AZILECT® (rasagiline tablets) include endpoints from the ADAGIO study; data demonstrating selectivity of MAO-B inhibition at maximum recommended dosing and the affect of treatment on non-motor symptoms in patients with early disease.
Category: M.S. Drug Therapy (A,B,C,R,+ other meds)
Posted by: stuart
Switching first-line disease-modifying therapy after failure: impact on the course of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Stuart says:
Like the ol saying goes - if you don't first succeed, try try again
The information found below was provided by Art at the Accelerated Cure Project
Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
BACKGROUND: Options for non-responders to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) first-line disease-modifying therapies (DMT) are limited. We explored whether switching first-line DMT is effective.
METHODS: Patients with RRMS who first received interferon-beta (IFNB) or glatiramer acetate (GA) were classified in three categories: DMT change because of suboptimal response, DMT change because of other reasons, and no DMT change during follow-up. Outcomes included annualized relapse rate (ARR) and relapse-free proportions.
=============================================
Stuart says:
Like the ol saying goes - if you don't first succeed, try try again
The information found below was provided by Art at the Accelerated Cure Project
Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
BACKGROUND: Options for non-responders to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) first-line disease-modifying therapies (DMT) are limited. We explored whether switching first-line DMT is effective.
METHODS: Patients with RRMS who first received interferon-beta (IFNB) or glatiramer acetate (GA) were classified in three categories: DMT change because of suboptimal response, DMT change because of other reasons, and no DMT change during follow-up. Outcomes included annualized relapse rate (ARR) and relapse-free proportions.
