Reports from seven multi-disciplinary teams investigated CCSVI (chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency) in MS indicate that they are making good progress toward providing essential data and critical analysis as these two-year projects move toward their completion. The studies were launched on July 1, 2010 with a more that $2.4 million commitment from the MS Society of Canada and the National MS Society (USA). The ongoing work by the seven teams will help inform the design of an early-phase clinical trial that is expected to launch in late spring 2012 with funding from the MS Society of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
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National MS Society January 27, 2012
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a change to the prescription label for Tysabri® (natalizumab, Biogen Idec and Elan) to show that a laboratory test that detects antibodies to the JC virus can help determine a person’s risk of developing PML, a severe brain infection. The virus is responsible for PML, which has emerged in some people who have taken Tysabri. (Read more about natalizumab and PML.) The availability of the lab test should enhance the ability of people with MS and their physicians to weigh risks and benefits of this therapy. Read the FDA’s announcement.
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National MS Society January 23, 2012
Rationale: Ocrelizumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a molecule (CD20) on the surface of select B cells and depletes them from the body. B cells are immune cells that make antibodies and conduct other functions, and play a role in the immune attack on the brain and spinal cord in MS. The drug is a humanized antibody, similar to ritixumab, a human/mouse antibody to CD20 that has previously shown benefit in people with relapsing-remitting MS, and had mixed results in primary-progressive MS. In an ongoing proof-of-concept study in relapsing-remitting MS, 2 doses of ocrelizumab were tested (600 mg and 2000 mg). Both were found to significantly reduce disease activity as measured by brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans and clinical attacks (relapses) versus placebo. One person on the higher dose (2000 mg) died due to consequences of live and kidney failure; the relation of this death to the study medication is unclear. (The Lancet, published online November 1, 2011).
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National MS Society January 17, 2012
Researchers and clinicians from around the globe gathered recently in Chicago to develop strategies for testing whether vitamin D supplements can prevent the development of MS. Participants discussed the latest findings relevant to vitamin D and MS and potential clinical trial designs, taking the first steps to making these exciting studies a reality. “Vitamin D and MS Prevention: An International Workshop,” was chaired by Colleen E. Hayes, PhD (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Anne-Louise Ponsonby, PhD (Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Canberra Australia), and was funded by the National MS Society.
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National MS Society January, 17 2012
An international team has identified clued that may help explain how Epstein-Barr virus, which has been linked to multiple sclerosis, may contribute to the brain inflammation experienced by people who have MS. In active brain lesions (spots of disease activity) in people who had MS in their lifetimes, the researchers found high levels of an inflammation-stimulating chemical (interferon alpha) that helps the body fight viruses, and nearby, immune B cells latently (inactively) infected by Epstein-Barr virus. They did not find signs of active viral infection. The findings may point to a possible mechanism for how the virus might indirectly stimulate MS disease activity. Dr. U.-C. Meier (Queen Mary University of London, UK) and colleagues published their study in the journal Neurology (January 3, 2012 vol. 78 no. 1 15-23).
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National MS Society January 9, 2012
Explosion in Treatment Advances for Multiple Sclerosis
Experts say that the solo drug is not the only saving grace for many people with MS. The past decade has offered the greatest advances in MS, so much so that it may be difficult to believe that at one time the chances of successfully combatting the condition were slim.
Twenty years ago, treatments for MS meant managing symptoms like urinary complications and joint pain. Now there are eight drugs approved for MS that control symptoms or modify the disease, half of which were approved within the past five years.
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