Latest Therapies under investigation for multiple sclerosis Stories

By Rita Rubin A leukemia drug was about 70% more effective than a standard therapy in treating early multiple sclerosis, according to clinical trial results in today's New England Journal of Medicine. In multiple sclerosis, or MS, the immune system attacks myelin, the sheath that enables nerve cells to conduct impulses between the brain and other parts of the body. The drug, alemtuzumab, depletes the body of the white blood cells that attack myelin, which are eventually replaced by...

Genentech and Biogen Idec have announced that a global Phase III study of Rituxan in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy met its primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival, as assessed by investigators, in patients with previously treated CD20-positive chronic lymphocytic leukemia compared to chemotherapy alone. There were no new or unexpected safety signals reported in the study. An independent review of the primary endpoint is being conducted for US...

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has announced that the ongoing Improve study met its primary endpoint. The primary objective of the Improve study was to evaluate the efficacy of the new formulation of Rebif, compared to placebo, in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and active disease by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the end of 16 weeks of treatment. The 16-week study results show that the mean number of combined unique...

Opexa Therapeutics has announced top-line data from the company's Phase IIb Tovaxin for early relapsing multiple sclerosis, or Terms, study. Top-line results from the study demonstrated a positive trend in the reduction in annualized relapse rate for patients treated with Tovaxin as compared to placebo. However, this finding did not achieve statistical significance. In addition, the study did not achieve statistical significance with its primary endpoint, the cumulative number of...

MELBOURNE, Australia and CARLSBAD, Calif., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Antisense Therapeutics Ltd. and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. are pleased to advise that the results from the ATL/TV1102 Phase IIa clinical trial in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were presented Saturday at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in Montreal, Canada by the Principal Investigator for the trial, Volker Limmroth, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Neurology,...

MONTREAL, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Data presented at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (WCTRIMS) demonstrated that early initiation of Betaseron(R) (interferon beta-1b) treatment had a greater impact on long-term outcomes, when compared to delayed treatment. (i) The study, sponsored by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, used data from the 16-Year Long-Term Follow-up Study of Betaseron to investigate the relationship between timing of drug initiation and...

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPXA), a company dedicated to the development of patient-specific cellular therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and diabetes, today announced top-line data from the company's Phase IIb TERMS (Tovaxin(R) for Early Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis) study. Top-line results from the study demonstrated a positive trend in the reduction in annualized relapse rate (ARR) for patients treated with Tovaxin as compared to...

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has reported new data from the extension phase of oral laquinimod in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, which demonstrated a significant reduction in the mean number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions in both patients who switched from placebo to laquinimod and patients who continued with their initial laquinimod dose. In relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients who switched from placebo to laquinimod, 52% reduction in the mean number of GdE lesions...

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, has initiated a Phase III trial to evaluate the therapeutic effects of its proprietary oral formulation of cladribine in patients at risk of developing multiple sclerosis. The trial, called Oracle MS will evaluate the safety and efficacy of two dosage regimens of cladribine tablets versus placebo in the treatment of patients who have experienced a first clinical event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). Cladribine tablets are currently also being...

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has announced new positive data from the longest prospective study of treatment to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, which proves robust efficacy and safety of Copaxone. Findings demonstrated that more than 80% of patients were able to walk unassisted following 15 years of treatment and average disease duration of 22 years. The majority of the 100 patients in the study experienced either stable or improved disability rates over the duration of the study,...