The oral medication FTY720 (fingolimod) has moved another step closer to approval as a new disease-modifying therapy for MS. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee reviewed the clinical trial data submitted by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (makers of FTY720), and reported its findings at a meeting held on June 10, 2010.

Biogen Idec and Facet Biotech Corporation, developers of daclizumab, report that when added to an interferon regimen, this drug reduces the number of new or enlarged MS lesions in patients with active, relapsing forms of MS. Additionally, daclizumab showed an increase in the number of a certain type of cell that helps to regulate the immune system. These results were published in the online edition of The Lancet Neurology and in the April 2010 issue of The Lancet Neurology.

In February 2010, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced the publication of their data from 15 years of prospective and continuous evaluation of Copaxone®. The 15-year study findings appeared in the February 2010 issue of the journal, Multiple Sclerosis. Given the positive results, this study has been extended to 20 years, and is presently in its 19th year. Copaxone is given via daily subcutaneous injections and is approved for individuals with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

In January 2010, the results from two large Phase III trials with oral FTY720 (fingolimod) were published in The New England Journal of Medicine. According to a press release from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (makers of FTY720), the TRANSFORMS and FREEDOMS studies showed positive results in reducing relapses, disability progression, and MRI lesions when MS patients were given FTY720.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Botox® (onabotulinumtoxin A) for the treatment of spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults. Manufactured by Allergan, Inc., this drug is administered via injection by a medical professional and is available through prescription only.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) encourages everyone to take time this March to learn about multiple sclerosis (MS) and discover all of the programs and services MSAA offers to everyone affected by MS.

Jimmie Heuga, founder of The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis in Colorado, passed away on February 8, 2010. Renamed "Can Do Multiple Sclerosis," this center continues to carry on Heuga’s philosophy and passion for teaching individuals with MS to live life to the fullest.

The United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ampyra™ (dalfampridine), an oral, timed-release medication developed to improve the conduction of impulses between damaged nerves of the central nervous system (CNS).

A great deal of media attention has been given recently to the possible connection between chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) and multiple sclerosis (MS). CCSVI is a complex condition involving changes in blood flow from the brain back to the heart, which some researchers theorize could possibly lead to activation of the immune system, excess iron deposits, loss of myelin, and other nervous system damage.

In addition to the recent approval of Extavia, other drug updates include Fampridine-SR, oral cladribine, Copaxone, Tysabri, and fingolimod.