Archive: May, 2009

• Marijuana May Slow MS

  In lieu of curing a debilitating disease, the next best thing scientists can do is slow its progression and create better treatments. Armed with a $1.5 million [...]

  • Caroline says: Become a pot head, slow your MS disability...sounds good to me! The idea here is that synthesized cannabinoids might be able to act as "traffic cops", telling the immune system when to turn on and off, so that the body knows when to fight infection and when to stand down (because in the immune systems of MS patients, this isn't always the case). The authors of the study were awarded a 4-year NIH grant to study this. Hot damn.
     
  
  

  • Fampridine-SR Receives Priority FDA Review for Walking Drug

    Acorda’s shares up sharply on news of FDA priority review for Fampridine-SR in multiple sclerosis Mark Todoruk Shares in Acorda Therapeutics soared as much as 28 percent [...]

    • Caroline says: Fampridine-SR has received priority review from the FDA, meaning it could be approved as early as this year, and will launch shortly thereafter. Studies showed fampridine-SR in patients with MS improved walking speed.
       
    
    

    • Hot off the AAN press: Adding Steroid to Interferon May Slow Disease Activity

      SEATTLE, April 30 — Adding methylprednisolone (Medrol) to Interferon-beta-1a (Avonex) treatment for multiple sclerosis may reduce disease activity better than interferon alone, researchers here said. The combination [...]

      • Caroline says: Adding steroid pulse (500 mg/qd for 3 days each month) in addition to Avonex may reduce MS disease relapses and progression. Interestingly enough, the study failed to meet it's primary endpoint (time-to-sustained progression). HOWEVER, secondary and tertiary endpoints (38% reduction in relapse rate, lesion shrinkage) indicated that steroids could be beneficial add-on therapy.