Mums-to-be with multiple sclerosis less likely to suffer complications

November 17th, 2009 more imagesWASHINGTON - Multiple sclerosis diagnosed in childhood is more aggressive and causes more brain lesions than that detected in adulthood, according to magnetic resonance images (MRI) performed by University at Buffalo researchers. However, patients with pediatric-onset MS- which comprise up to 5 percent of total MS cases-develop disabilities at a slower pace than patients with adult-onset MS, the data showed.

November 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Women are more likely to suffer from depression after stroke than men, according to a large new review of studies. ost-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death.

November 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A woman is six times more likely than a man to be dumped if she gets diagnosed with cancer or multiple sclerosis, according to a study that examined the role gender played in so-called "partner abandonment." The study found that a woman has more chances of being separated or divorced soon after a diagnosis of cancer or multiple sclerosis than if a man in the relationship is the patient The study also found that the longer the marriage the more likely it would remain intact. The study confirmed earlier research that put the overall divorce or separation rate among cancer patients at 11.6 percent, similar to the population as a whole.

November 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Obese teenage women are two times more likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) as adults than female teens who are not fat, says a new study. The study has been published in the November 10, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

October 20th, 2009 Biogen 3Q profit beats views on smaller chargesCAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Biogen Idec says its profit jumped 34 percent in the third quarter due to lower amortization costs and increased sales of its multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri.

October 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - People with multiple sclerosis use excessive force when they are holding, lifting or manipulating objects such as drinking from a cup or placing a book on a shelf. Now, a new study has shown that a gentle touch may help solve the problem.

October 9th, 2009 Acorda shares plunge on negative FDA reviewWASHINGTON — Shares of Acorda Therapeutics plummeted Friday after the Food and Drug Administration issued a negative opinion that questioned the safety and effectiveness of the company's multiple sclerosis drug. A panel of FDA advisers is scheduled to meet next week to vote on Acorda's Fampridine-SR, which is designed to improve patients' ability to walk.

October 9th, 2009 Avanir posts mixed late stage Zenvia study resultsALISO VIEJO, Calif. — Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc.

September 22nd, 2009 FDA confirms 3 new infections linked to TysabriNEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration says it confirmed three new cases of a potentially lethal brain inflammation linked to the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. There have been 13 reported cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, since mid-2006.

September 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) have identified a mechanism that could trigger onset of various genetic diseases. They have found a process by which proteins with a tendency to cause conformational diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy, etc.

September 16th, 2009 Priority groups will get swine flu shots firstThe federal government has decided five groups should be first in line for swine flu vaccines: —Children and young people through age 24 —People caring for infants under 6 months —Pregnant women —Health care workers —People aged 25-64 with health conditions that put them at high risk of flu complications. Those include cancer, blood disorders, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disorders, liver disease and neurological disorders such as muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.

September 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that multiple sclerosis patients taking Tysabri (Natalizumab) experienced a significant improvement in both their physical function and psychological well-being. "The symptoms that an MS patient deals with on a daily basis result in significant psychological and physical effects that can adversely impact their quality of life," said Dr William Stuart, medical director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Atlanta.

September 10th, 2009 ZymoGenetics says RA drug misses advancement goalsSEATTLE — ZymoGenetics Inc. said Thursday that its drug candidate Atacicept did not meet goals that would have automatically advanced it to late-stage clinical testing as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Unlike cigarettes, Swedish snuff doesn't increase a person's risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), finds a new study. "While tobacco cigarettes increased a person's risk of developing MS, our research found that using Swedish snuff was not associated with an elevated risk for MS," said study author Dr Anna Hedstrom, of the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

August 31st, 2009 LONDON - Scientists from University College London have revealed that a simple blood test may soon help predict the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS). Lead researcher Rachel Farrell says that a biological marker in blood appears to be linked to a patient's prognosis after the first MS attack.