I'm pretty happy about September arriving. The trees are starting to change.
The weather is so much nicer for sleeping at night. Perhaps the scientists will
be back at work and MS news will pick up again. And I can start wearing layers
of clothes and comfy sweaters and polar fleece. I heart fall.

99.5%

2006-09-12 17:46:06

I went for my 3 month Neuro Opth checkup today at the MS clinic. He feels
that my double vision for a couple months back is about 99.5% resolved. Thats
pretty good news to hear. I'll be back there for my yearly visit in November.

Oral Fingolimod (FTY720) for RRMS

2006-09-23 15:49:43

Well this drug keeps coming up with positive
results and they are now moving forward with further studies. It'd be nice
to see an oral drug option for our futures! "If larger and more lengthy studies
show patients respond well to the drug, it could offer MS patients the first
effective treatment in a pill form. Fingolimod is one of several oral MS drugs
that are under development. Fingolimod works by trapping T cells in the lymph
nodes. This keeps them away from the central nervous system where they do their
damage. Novartis Pharmaceuticals, the drug's manufacturer, paid for the study
of 255 patients. The patients received one of two fingolimod doses for up to
a year. In the first six months, they got either got an oral dose of 125 milligrams
of fingolimod, 5 milligrams of the drug or a placebo. In the second six months,
the patients on the placebo were switched to fingolimod. Among the patients
who switched from a placebo to the active drug, the relapse rate was reduced
by at least 70 percent. Furthermore, the number of brain lesions was significantly
lower in the patients who had been taking fingolimod during both six-month periods."

Campath 2 year study results

2006-09-23 15:57:04

Campath showing potential to treat multiple sclerosis - San Antonio Business Journal: This article says that this Leukemia drug shows better results than Rebif. Hmm... but it has a little flavour of Tysabri if you ask me. It can lower your platelets. More lab work please!! "The study compares Campath with Rebif, a drug produced by Serono International S.A., in the treatment of 334 multiple sclerosis patients over a three-year period. Data analyzed after two years showed a 75 percent reduction in the risk of relapse for patients taking Campath compared to patients treated with Rebif, Genzyme says. The study was put on hold a year ago after three patients taking Campath developed immune thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), a treatable condition in which patients experience a low platelet count as a result of an immune response. Genzyme says it is working closely with clinical investigators and regulatory agencies to complete the study and ensure that the risk of ITP is understood and managed. "These results continue to demonstrate that (Campath) has great potential to make a meaningful impact on the treatment of multiple sclerosis," says Dr. Richard A Moscicki, chief medical officer for Genzyme. Campath is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a rare form of blood cancer."