Archive: March, 2009

• NEW SECTION: Managing Your Symptoms – Bladder

  Hello! Today’s post is about my new section of msnewstoday.com and that is the Managing Your Symptoms section. I will be posting updates to this section a [...]

  • Caroline says: Click here to learn about managing bladder issues.
     
  
  

  • PWMS have a lower cancer risk

    Newswise — A new study shows that people with multiple sclerosis may be at a lower risk for cancer overall, but at a higher risk of developing [...]

    • Caroline says: A new study published followed 20,000 PWMS and 200,000 "healthy" people for 35 years and found that the PWMS were less likely to develop certain forms of cancer. One hypothesis: lifestyle changes after an MS diagnosis. Also, PWMS are less likely to be obese, thus reducing their risk for obesity related cancers. The downside: PWMS in this study had a slightly higher risk of brain cancer possibly due to inflammation (but frequent MRI monitoring in PWMS can make that less of a risk) and bladder cancer, possibly due to the chronic bladder irritation in those with MS.
       
    
    

    • LATE BREAKING: New Phase III Data for Cladribine to be Presented at AAN

      CLARITY (CLAdRIbine tablets Treating MS OrallY) Study Data to be Presented as Late-Breaking Oral Presentation By: PR Newswire Mar. 30, 2009 08:01 AM // GENEVA, Switzerland, March [...]

      • Caroline says: AAN has accepted a late-breaking oral presentation on Merck/Serono's oral cladribine Phase III results. Most medical conferences decide what abstracts and subject matter they're approving months before the actual congress. So, this means that the investigator of this study has some potentially new and riveting findings for us. The abstract is embargoed until AAN, but this could be big news for all you oral fans...
         
      
      

      • Patients Suffer As A Result Of Insurance Pricing Scheme

        Millions of patients suffering from diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, hepatitis C and certain types of cancer are at risk of incurring thousands of [...]

        • Caroline says: Having MS sucks. Having to deal with MS and health insurance really sucks. I was just reading today about another fellow MSers ridiculous journey with prescription coverage...and I'm sure everyone has a story. As I'm sure many of you do, I get my Avonex from a specialty pharmacy (these are companies your insurance carrier contracts with so that they don't have to pay as much -- they're common with meds for chronic illnesses, injectable meds, etc), and they are fine with me, especially since they deliver my meds to my doorstep every month. Thus far, the price of my Avonex has not changed, despite the grim implications of this article....but I guess we'll see.
           
        
        

        • Biogen hopes to have PML-related test by year-end

          By Toni Clarke BOSTON (Reuters) – Biogen Idec Inc said on Wednesday it is developing a test that can identify the presence of a virus that can [...]

          • Caroline says: This is interesting. For people taking Tysabri now, intensive monitoring and frequent (read: painful) spinal taps are often needed. According to this article, MS drug making giant Biogen (maker of Tysabri) is developing a test to determine whether a candidate for Tysabri has the JC virus (precursor to PML) in their blood.
             
          
          

          • Malaria Pill=The End of PML?

            Elan shares soar on news of possible Tysabri side-effect treatment SHARES IN drug company Elan bounced more than 10 per cent yesterday after news emerged of a [...]

            • Caroline says: Tysabri (Biogen) is a terrific drug that has helped a LOT of people. However, even after its re-emergence into the market in July 2006, Biogen reported 5 new cases of PML in PWMS taking Tysabri. PML is nearly 100% fatal, so this isn't a trivial matter. Today, there's news that Biogen/Elan are testing a malaria pill developed during the Vitenam War as a potential treatment for PML.
               
            
            

            • MS and Diet: Chewing through the Fluff

              Maintenance of general good health is very important for persons with MS or any chronic disorder. A well-balanced and carefully planned diet will help to achieve this [...]

              • Caroline says: For as long as I've been reading about MS, I've been reading about potential "cures" or "MS remission through diet" and things like that. I think it's a really nice idea that MS symptoms and even the actual disease could be reversed or completely eradicated through diet. However, I also understand that MS is a chronic, incurable autoimmune disease so curing it by eating certain foods is highly unlikely. I've posted the MS Society's recommendations on diet for people with MS. Ironically, these are identical to the FDA's guidelines for EVERY AMERICAN. So, the point is, if you have MS, or if you don't, it's a good idea to eat foods that are high in fiber and low in saturated fat...you already know the rest. If it makes you feel better to eat fish oil capsules and Vitamin D* (I take both of these), then you should do it. But there is ZERO clinical evidence suggesting that MS can be cured through diet. *A note about Vitamin D: it has been recently reported that Vitamin D might have some immune benefit. In animal studies it had an anti-inflammatory effect. Further studies are needed.
                 
              
              

              • NEW SECTION: Managing Your Symptoms

                Hello! Today’s post is about my new section of msnewstoday.com and that is the Managing Your Symptoms section. I will be posting updates to this section a [...]

                • Caroline says: Click here to learn about managing fatigue.
                   
                
                

                • Have Pain? B12 and Cod Liver Oil May Help

                  Certain vitamins and diet changes may help ease multiple sclerosis By SUZY COHEN Dear Pharmacist Published: 3/21/2009 2:24 AM Last Modified: 3/21/2009 3:17 AM Dear Pharmacist, I [...]

                  • Caroline says: What a terrible symptom this is. I have been fortunate enough to never have experienced MS nerve pain. I can imagine that it is awful. I found this article -- the pharmacist recommends B12, cod liver oil, and a gluten-free (wheat free) diet.
                     
                  
                  

                  • Nuvigil: Coming to Pharmacies Near you Q3 2009

                    Cephalon Announces Positive Results From a Phase Two Study of NUVIGIL in Bipolar Depression Tools Posted March 17, 2009 Cephalon Announces Positive Results From a Phase Two [...]

                    • Caroline says: Don't be fooled by the fact that this study is with patients with bipolar disorder. If Nuvigil (armodafinil; Cephalon) looks familiar to you, it should. It's Cephalon's latest version of Provigil (perfectly timed to be launched just about the time Provigil goes off patent...) Nuvigil is the "longer lasting isomer of modafinil"...which basically means that if you get jittery or anxious on Provigil, this will give you more subtle, balanced jitters and anxiety. It will just give you less of an up-and-down effect.
                       
                    
                    
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