Source Queen Mary University of London:

A drug for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been granted a license by the European Commission, following evidence from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) that it improves patients’ quality of life and is safer than previously thought.

MS is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system affecting more than 120,000 people in the UK and 2.5 million people globally, leading to disability and significant loss of quality of life.

The CLARITY trial, which ran from 2005 to 2009, was the largest ever trial of the drug Cladribine in people with relapsing MS, involving 1,326 patients. The results found that Cladribine was highly effective in controlling relapses, lesions in the brain and the progression of disability.

Cladribine also has advantages over other MS treatments in that it does not appear to be associated with severe adverse effects, including opportunistic infections and secondary autoimmune diseases.

For a number of reasons, including a perceived increase in cancer risk, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) rejected licence applications from the drug manufacturer, prompting a halt in commercial development of the drug in 2011. This was followed by the withdrawal of the drug from markets where it had been licensed (Russia and Australia) and ongoing trials were terminated.  Read on. 

Source University of California San Francisco:

Researchers at UC San Francisco have identified specific gut microbes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) in human patients, and show that these microbes take part in regulating immune responses in mouse models of the disease.

The new findings – to be published during the week of Sept. 11, 2017, in the Online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) – suggest that gut microbes may play a role in the neurodegeneration that characterizes MS. The authors hope the finding will help scientists understand the origins of MS and potentially lead to treatments, such as dietary changes or drugs based on microbial byproducts, that could improve the course of the disease. Read on.

Source MS Trust:

Do you want to talk to your kids about MS but are not sure where to start? Our resources for children and young people can make those family conversations a little bit easier. As well as explaining such a complicated condition in simple terms (very useful for grown-ups too!), the books feature real life experiences of other parents and children.  You can read or order publications here.

“Alexa” is Amazon’s talking service that acts as a virtual personal assistant. According to tomsguide.com, as part of the company’s Echo speaker system, the voice-activated device can pick out music tracks for you, operate other electical devices, create to-do lists, and of course help you shop. MORE: Acorda launches interactive MS awareness facts for Alexa As part of Multiple Sclerosis […]

The post 12 Ways Amazon’s Alexa Can Help People With Multiple Sclerosisappeared first on Multiple Sclerosis News Today.

Read on »

As your MS progresses, you may find it necessary to make some modifications to your home to make it safer and more accessible. Such alterations can vastly improve the quality of life for people living with the disease, allowing them to regain some independence and making life more comfortable. Here are some common home modifications you may want […]

The post 18 Common Home Modifications to Improve Life With MS appeared first on Multiple Sclerosis News Today.

Read on »

If you or a loved one is living with multiple sclerosis (MS), it’s important to remember that you can always try to make your situation better. If your doctor says something like “there’s no other option” or “we have nothing more to offer you,” find another doctor. Doctors are humans, too, and they make mistakes and have differing […]

The post Important Things to Remember If You Have MS appeared first onMultiple Sclerosis News Today.

Read on »

Source MS Society:

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has licensed cladribine (also known as Mavenclad) to treat people with highly active relapsing MS.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will now decide whether to make it available on the NHS in England and Wales. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) will decide for Scotland.

How does it work?  Cladribine is currently used as an anti-cancer drug. In MS, the body’s own immune cells mistakenly attack the myelin that protects nerve cell fibres. Cladribine works by reducing the number of immune cells in the body, which should reduce the damage to myelin.

Cladribine is taken as two courses of tablets, one year apart.  Read on.

Source MS Trust:

The development of new drugs is a long and difficult process. Fewer than one or two compounds in 10,000 tested actually make it through to being licensed treatments with many being rejected on safety, efficacy or quality grounds. On average it will take 10-15 years for a new compound to get from the test-tube into the medicine cabinet. It is important to remember that not all the treatments currently being developed or tested will receive a license or be approved for use in the NHS.  Read on.