Multiple Sclerosis News and Research

Latest Multiple Sclerosis News and Research

New MS drug withdrawn from the market

Two patients involved in clinical trials of Tysabri, have contracted a rare and fatal disease, Elan’s multiple sclerosis (MS); one has already died. Withdrawal of the drug, eliminates all hope that it will be allowed back on the market this year, or ever.

8 Mar 2005

Neuren and Metabolic collaborate to develop range of nerve repair compounds

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Neuren) and Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Metabolic) have announced that the two companies have agreed to collaborate to co-develop Neuren's class of Neuro-regenerative Peptides (NRPs) for the treatment of degenerative conditions such as peripheral neuropathy, motor neuron disease and repairing the brain or nerves after injuries such as spinal cord injury.

7 Mar 2005

FDA wants full authority to control labeling for drugs

Sandra L. Kweder, FDA's deputy director for new drugs, wants Congress to issue the FDA with the authority to control labeling for drugs to stop the prolonged disputes on this matter.

2 Mar 2005

Discovery could lead to the prevention, and possibly treatment of autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes

Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have identified a way to prevent Type I diabetes in rats that are genetically prone to develop the disease.

23 Feb 2005

Exercise therapy can improve muscle strength in people with multiple sclerosis

Exercise therapy also improved the mood of MS patients in exercise therapy programs, compared to patients who did not participate in the therapy. The researchers did not find any evidence that exercise therapy affected patients’ fatigue or their sense of how ill they were.

22 Feb 2005

Renovis announces investigational medicine for multiple sclerosis study

Renovis announced today the initiation of a Phase Ia clinical trial for REN-850, an investigational oral small molecule that is being targeted for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

14 Feb 2005

Exposure to infant siblings decreases multiple sclerosis risk

Adults who report having had higher exposure to infant siblings during their first 6 years of life have a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in the January 26 issue of JAMA.

26 Jan 2005

Lifting weights can help people with multiple sclerosis

Lifting weights can improve muscle strength and quality of life for people afflicted with the degenerative disease multiple sclerosis, a new University of Florida study finds.

17 Jan 2005

Sex hormones modulate brain damage in multiple sclerosis

Abnormalities in sex hormone levels may contribute to the damage to brain tissue typical of multiple sclerosis, indicates research in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

16 Jan 2005

Reduced progression of atherosclerosis tied to statin drugs lowering fats, protein

Aggressive therapy with statins -- drugs that inhibit cholesterol synthesis -- works better than moderate statin therapy in reducing fats and proteins in the blood that have been linked to atherosclerosis, a new multi-center study concludes. Statins’ effects on both complex compounds appear beneficial in cutting patients’ cardiovascular risks.

6 Jan 2005

Cell replacement therapy offers a novel and powerful medical technology

Cell replacement therapy offers a novel and powerful medical technology. A type of embryonic stem cell, called a neural crest stem cell, that persists into adulthood in hair follicles was recently discovered by Maya Sieber-Blum, Ph.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milos Grim, MD Ph.D., of Charles University Prague, and their collaborators.

13 Dec 2004

Study of safety issues surrounding the medical use of cannabis has just been launched

A first-of-its-kind study of safety issues surrounding the medical use of cannabis has just been launched. Known as the COMPASS study (Cannabis for the management of pain: assessment of safety study), the research initiative will follow 1400 chronic pain patients, 350 of whom use cannabis as part of their pain management strategy, for a one-year period.

8 Dec 2004

Month of birth linked to risk of multiple sclerosis

In the northern hemisphere, being born in May is linked to an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis later in life, while being born in November carries the lowest risk, finds a new study published on bmj.com today.

6 Dec 2004

African Americans more likely to carry genetic variants known to stimulate inflammatory response

Specific variants in genes that encode proteins regulating inflammation may hold a key to explaining a host of disease processes known to cause increased risk of illness and death among African Americans, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH).

1 Dec 2004

FDA approval of Tysabri, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis

Biogen and Elan Corporation have announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tysabri (natalizumab), as treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) to reduce the frequency of clinical relapses.

24 Nov 2004

New research may lead to new treatments for spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis

For the first time, researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to create new insulating tissue for nerve fibers in a live animal model – a finding that has potentially important implications for treatment of spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

23 Nov 2004

Animal research and its benefits to both humans and animals

From preventing polio to finding cures for cancer patients, animal research has saved countless lives.

18 Nov 2004

Abbott's investigational anti-interleukin-12 fully human monoclonal antibody in Crohn's disease study

Results of a Phase II study of Abbott's ABT-874, a fully human anti-interleukin-12 (IL-12) monoclonal antibody, will appear tomorrow in the New England Journal of Medicine citing treatment with ABT-874 shows differences in response and remission in patients with active Crohn's disease compared to placebo, in one arm of the study.

10 Nov 2004

New understanding of the role viruses play in the development of autoimmune diseases

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have added a significant milestone to scientific understanding of the role viruses play in the development of autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes.

4 Nov 2004

Californians say yes on 71

With a clear mandate, the voters of California yesterday overwhelmingly approved Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative.

4 Nov 2004