Stem cell transplants may halt progression of multiple sclerosis

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MS DIGEST – Dec. 29, 2014 – MS patients who underwent stem cell transplants had sustained remission of their active relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and had improvements in nerve function three after the procedure, researchers report.

The study called Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (HALT-MS) study was designed to look at the safety and effectiveness of treating MS patients with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by an infusion of their on blood-making stem cells. The report was published online in JAMA Neurology.

Early results show little effect for Gilenya on progressive MS

MS DIGEST – Dec. 1, 2014 – Novartis today announced disappointing results for the largest clinical trial ever conducted for treatment of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

The INFORMS clinical trial is a Phase III clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of the drug Gilenya (fingolimod) to placebo in reducing the risk of three-month sustained disability progression based on standardized tests. The study, which began in 2008, enrolled 970 people aged 25-69 years with PPMS from 148 sites, across 18 countries.

Promising drug may repair nerve damage from MS

Seema K. Tiwari-Woodruff is the senior author of the
study showing results for a promising MS drug

MS DIGEST – Dec. 1, 2014 – Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have tested a new drug that promises to repair the damage to nerves from multiple sclerosis. Their findings appear in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

FDA approves Lemtrada for multiple sclerosis

MS DIGEST – Nov. 14, 2014 – The FDA today announced it has approved Lemtrada^TM (alemtuzumab) for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS.

The approval of was based on two randomized clinical trials comparing Lemtrada to Rebif^® (high-dose interferon) where those assessing patients for relapse did not know which drug the patient was receiving.