First 10-Year Follow-Up Shows That AVONEX® Leads To Long-Term Benefits In Early MS Pts

July 4, 2009 Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced data results from the CHAMPIONS (Controlled High-Risk AVONEX® (interferon beta-1a) Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Prevention Study In Ongoing Neurologic Surveillance) [...]

• Caroline says: Avonex, Betaseron, and Copaxone have all been approved to treat a first episode of possible MS (Rebif is currently recruiting for their Ph III trial and not far behind in FDA approval). These findings are very significant for those with a first episode because they determine that there was a 40% reduction in conversion to clinically definite MS in pts treated immediately after a first episode. I think that all 10-year follow up studies involving interferons being administered after a first episode will yield similar results. This is very good news for those with a first episode or "possible MS".
   

• Hot off the AAN Press: Tysabri Promotes Remyelination

  July 4, 2009 Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Elan Corporation (NYSE: ELN) announced results of a study demonstrating that Tysabri® (natalizumab) promoted regeneration and stabilization of damage [...]

  • Caroline says: I don't understand why this is just coming out now when the rest of the AAN stuff came out months ago. Several new cases of PML have been diagnosed in the last couple of weeks and Biogen has had some bad press so this timing is interesting...I'm just saying.
     
  
  

  • Hot off the AAN Press (belatedly): High Doses of Vitamin D Cut MS Relapses

    April 28, 2009 (Seattle) — High doses of vitamin D dramatically cut the relapse rate in people with multiple sclerosis, a study shows. Sixteen percent of 25 [...]

    • Caroline says: A big mea culpa to you, readers! Here I go eating my words about there being no evidence for a connection between diet and MS (I did, however, include a 'note about Vitamin D' and it's MS connection in a previous post). A reader emailed this to me and I decided it was important to add! I obviously missed this in my previous 'Hot off the AAN Press' posts. Apologies!
       
    
    

    • 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.
         
      
      

      • Hot off the AAN Press: Novantrone Linked to Many More Cases of Leukemia

        April 30, 2009 This morning at the American Academy of Neurology’s conference in Seattle, a report was released reporting that there is a significantly increased risk of [...]

        • Caroline says: This post comes to us from fellow MS blogger Trevis Gleason (http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/trevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms). At this year's AAN in Seattle, findings were presented that noted a significantly increased risk of leukemia from mitoxantrone (Novantrone) in patients with progressive forms of MS (note: since mitoxantrone is not a drug prescribed for patients without progressive forms of MS, I think it makes more sense to say ALL patients with MS who are taking mitoxantrone). Today's report found that in a retrospective study of 2854 MS patients receiving mitoxantrone, 21 developed leukemia and 8 of those 21 died.
           
        
        

        • Hot off the AAN Press: Cladribine Reduces Relapses, Disability, Disease Progression

          April 29, 2009 Merck KGaA on Wednesday presented detailed results from a previously announced Phase III study of investigational oral multiple sclerosis drug cladribine at the American [...]

          • Caroline says: 1326 patients received cladribine or placebo in a 2-year study. According to Merck, the findings demonstrated that annual short-course treatment with cladribine significantly reduced the rate of clinical relapses, disability progression and brain lesions in patients with relapsing-remitting MS, and also led to a significant increase in the proportion of patients who remained relapse-free. And it's an oral...
             
          
          

          • Hot off the AAN Press: Laquinimod, New Data, Novel MOA

            New Data Illustrate Novel Mechanism OF Action of Laquinimod, an Oral Compound for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis -Researchers Demonstrate Immunomodulatory Effects of Laquinimod on Disease Activity [...]

            • Caroline says: Teva/Active Biotech presented data on their oral RRMS drug laquinimod-- and it's novel MOA, which modulates the immune system, suggesting immunomodulating effects within the CNS. A Phase IIb study in 306 patients found that an oral 0.6 mg dose of laquinimod QD significantly reduced MRI disease activity by a median of 60%. So far this is the only oral in the pipeline that I can see with no significant side effects. Good news.
               
            
            

            • Hot off the AAN Press: Fingolimod effective but safety an issue

              UPDATE 3-Novartis MS drug effective but safety an issue ZURICH, April 29 (Reuters) – Novartis AG  said 80-83 percent of those taking its multiple sclerosis drug FTY720 [...]

              • Caroline says: Novartis presented Phase III results showing an annual relapse rate of 52% lower than Biogen's Avonex. That's significant. Safety issues abound with fingolimod though, but as we saw with Tysabri, many patients choose to accept these risks if it means more control of their disease.
                 
              
              

              • Hot off the AAN Press: Tysabri May Reverse MS Damage

                UPDATE 1-Elan’s Tysabri may reverse MS damage, shares up April 29 (Reuters) – Elan’s  Tysabri drug may be able to reverse damage caused by multiple sclerosis, the [...]

                • Caroline says: Data presented at this year's AAN showed Tysabri promoted the regeneration of the protein coat that protects nerve fibres and whose damage causes the symptoms of MS. This is good news, Tysabri has done wonders for so many people. It didn't work so well for me and I was on it for just a few months before a new lesion broke through.
                   
                
                

                • Hot off the AAN Press: Study Suggests Copaxone has Protective Effects

                  Long-Term Study with COPAXONE® Indicated Protective Effect on Brain Tissue in Multiple Sclerosis Patients – New Data Presented at 61st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of [...]

                  • Caroline says: Data from a 6-year study suggests that Copaxone may have neuroprotective effect in RRMS. It was the largest and longest study of its kind to date.
                     
                  
                  
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