Category: Latest News

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that Lemtrada™ (alemtuzumab) has been approved for the long-term treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Given via intravenous (IV) infusion for a course of five days and followed one year later by a second three-day course, Lemtrada has been approved as a second-line therapy. This classification refers to a drug that may only be prescribed when other FDA-approved treatments fail or are not tolerated well by a patient. Lemtrada should generally be prescribed for patients who have had an inadequate response to two or more of the disease-modifying therapies, because of the medication’s safety profile.

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, has announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved adding the data from two Phase III studies to Aubagio®’s (teriflunomide) product label. These studies are the TOWER and TOPIC studies, which provide additional study results for Aubagio’s efficacy and safety. Aubagio was approved by the FDA in September 2012 and was the second of three (to date) oral medications approved as a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for relapsing forms of MS.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is pleased to announce the launch of My MS Journey, a new website addition accessed at mymsaa.org/journey. My MS Journey has been designed to guide individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) to the relevant information that best matches their needs – whether newly diagnosed or coping with the disease for many years.

On August 20, 2014, MSAA posted a news item announcing that the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition (MSC) had published a paper detailing the current evidence that supports the FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for the long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Experts from member organizations of the MSC, including the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), collaborated to write this paper expressly for healthcare providers and the health-insurance industry, using a highly detailed and scientific style. The primary goal of developing this paper is to promote early and ongoing access to all of the presently approved DMTs for individuals with MS.

Every three years, two international organizations come together to share, discuss, and debate the most recent basic and clinical research findings in the area of multiple sclerosis (MS). The joint meeting, alternately hosted in North America and Europe, took place in Boston, Massachusetts September 10th through 13th.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), a national nonprofit organization and leading resource for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), announces the launch of a new website addition accessed at mymsaa.org. Titled My Health Insurance Guide, this dedicated section provides comprehensive, easy-to-follow information and resources for the MS community about the Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid.

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has formed a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, rehabilitation specialists, cognitive researchers, mental-health professionals, and patient advocates to improve overall patient outcomes. The group of experts reviewed current guidelines and evidence, gaps in care, and developed a “measurement set” for multiple sclerosis.

Experts from member organizations of the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition (MSC), including the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), collaborated to develop and write a paper summarizing the current evidence that supports the FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for the long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

On August 15, 2014, Biogen Idec announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved Plegridy™ (peginterferon beta-1a) for the long-term treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Manufactured by Biogen Idec, this new medication is the 11th disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to be approved for MS since the early 1990s. Plegridy is given once every two weeks through a subcutaneous self-injection.

The largest and most comprehensive meeting on multiple sclerosis (MS) care and research in North America took place May 28 through May 31 in Dallas, Texas, combining the 28th Annual Meeting of CMSC and the 19th Annual Meeting of ACTRIMS. This is the sixth year both organizations have met together to bring researchers and clinicians from across the spectrum of MS care to share and discuss the latest research findings in MS.