2014+ Pharmaceutical Update - Have Good Hope!
In 1993, the first MS treatment was approved. Twenty years ago, there were no treatments for MS and now we are going on 15. In 2014, Lemtrada, Copaxone-20, Plegridy all came to the market. In addition to drugs used to modify the disease course, there are also new drugs being developed to treat our symptoms and improve our quality of life.
Soon other medications like daclizumab, and ocrelizumab may become available. Even more exciting, are the roughly 100 compounds in the MS pipeline including: NT-KO-003, GSK239512, Phenytoin, Clemastine, anti-LINGO, Tcelna, Minocycline, Estriol, and GNbAC1. Off-label and other therapies like Mycophenolate Mofetil, Azathioprine, Zocor LDN, plasmapheresis, Cytoxan may soon see increased use or new use in the MS market.
As of mid-2104, the following number of compounds were in the MS pipeline:
These pipeline drugs 'promise' better and safer performance than existing medications. These pipeline drug potentially offer new advances like neuroprotection, remyelination, and even the first potential treatment(s) for PPMS. At Baylor University, there is even a vaccine being developed to prevent MS. It's definitely an exciting time to watch one scientific breakthrough after another. As a community, we will have to wait and see which compounds make it to market, which promises are kept and broken, and which products fall by the wayside.
I hope all patients are encouraged by the new developments and remain hopeful for the future. Until these, any other, therapies are available, we need to stay as healthy as possible. Take your medications, do your stretching and exercising, eat a sensible & healthy diet, reduce your stress, keep your brain active and try to enjoy life. Yes, I know it can be hard, but hard work can also produce beneficial results. I also know we have limits, but we also have capabilities. It's time to maximize our capabilities, set reasonable goals for improvement, and work towards them. You can do this, I know you can.
From my little laptop, my wife and I wish only the best for you and yours. We pray for you, and have good hope that 2014 will be your best year ever. Godspeed one and all!
Soon other medications like daclizumab, and ocrelizumab may become available. Even more exciting, are the roughly 100 compounds in the MS pipeline including: NT-KO-003, GSK239512, Phenytoin, Clemastine, anti-LINGO, Tcelna, Minocycline, Estriol, and GNbAC1. Off-label and other therapies like Mycophenolate Mofetil, Azathioprine, Zocor LDN, plasmapheresis, Cytoxan may soon see increased use or new use in the MS market.
As of mid-2104, the following number of compounds were in the MS pipeline:
- Discovery Phase: 74 compounds
- Phase 1: 19 compounds
- Phase 2: 15 compounds
- Phase 3: 6 compounds
- Pending FDA Approval: 2 compounds (Lemtrada and Plegridy) that are both now available!!!
These pipeline drugs 'promise' better and safer performance than existing medications. These pipeline drug potentially offer new advances like neuroprotection, remyelination, and even the first potential treatment(s) for PPMS. At Baylor University, there is even a vaccine being developed to prevent MS. It's definitely an exciting time to watch one scientific breakthrough after another. As a community, we will have to wait and see which compounds make it to market, which promises are kept and broken, and which products fall by the wayside.
I hope all patients are encouraged by the new developments and remain hopeful for the future. Until these, any other, therapies are available, we need to stay as healthy as possible. Take your medications, do your stretching and exercising, eat a sensible & healthy diet, reduce your stress, keep your brain active and try to enjoy life. Yes, I know it can be hard, but hard work can also produce beneficial results. I also know we have limits, but we also have capabilities. It's time to maximize our capabilities, set reasonable goals for improvement, and work towards them. You can do this, I know you can.
From my little laptop, my wife and I wish only the best for you and yours. We pray for you, and have good hope that 2014 will be your best year ever. Godspeed one and all!
and thank you for the wishes; I wish the same for you and your wife. Here's to an exciting, healthy 2015 
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