The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

Tag: DMTs

My MS timeline: 4 1/2 decades of living with MS.

Picture of a journal book to illustrate my MS timeline.

Forty-five years ago—in late August 1980—I’d just returned home from a business trip to Detroit. It was a long, stressful, tiring week. A day or so later, I was walking backward, and I fell. I wasn’t hurt—“no harm no foul,” right?—but it was surprising. And there was, in fact, a foul. It’s called multiple sclerosis (MS). As almost everyone connected to this illness knows, MS is a progressive disease. We…Continue Reading

Using DMTs to treat older people: Yes or no?

Hourglass to illustrate time running out for older people

Using disease modifying therapies (DMTs) to treat older people who have multiple sclerosis, like me, isn’t a simple choice. Many neurologists seem to make their recommendations guided by a 2017 review by University of British Columbia researchers, reporting that disease activity declines as people with MS grow older. It suggested that those of us who are 55 or older – and are having no relapses, new brain lesions, or other…Continue Reading

A choice of shot or infusion for Ocrevus users

ocrevus zunovo vial

A 10-minute injection or a two-hour infusion? Which would you prefer to treat your multiple sclerosis (MS)? That choice is now available, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Ocrevus Zunovo in mid-September. The treatment combines Genentech’s very popular Ocrevus with ocrelizumab with a drug delivery system called Enhanze. Ocrevus, according to Genentech, has been used to treat more than 350,000 people with MS (PwMS) since it was…Continue Reading

But doctor, I can’t afford the cost of that MS drug

Picture of empty pockets due to health costs

Have you checked the cost, recently, of MS drugs or of drug insurance premiums?  Reuters, using data compiled by the health care research firm 3 Axis Advisors, has reported that price boosts were expected on more than 140 brands of drugs early this year – more than 500 if you include different doses and formulations. It’s probably not a coincidence that the monthly cost of my AARP Medicare Part D…Continue Reading

Is it time to end your MS DMT?

Yes/no sign for DMT age decision

Is there a time when multiple sclerosis (MS) is finished attacking the nervous system – when it just “burns out” and there’s no longer any need to continue using a disease-modifying therapy (DMT)? A 2017 review by researchers at the University of British Columbia notes that disease activity declines as people with MS grow older. It suggests that those who are 55 years or older and have had no relapses,…Continue Reading

Pills the most popular for 1st MS treatment

Pills

Times, they’ve been a-changin’ for disease-modifying therapies. When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1980, there were no DMTs. The first, the injectable Betaseron (interferon beta-1b), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1993 for relapsing-remitting MS. A few years later, I was thrilled to be included in the Phase 3 clinical trial of Avonex (interferon beta-1a), the second injectable, even though it required a self-injection…Continue Reading

Will layoffs change the MS focus at Biogen?

Biogen layoffs

Biogen has been a top dog in the multiple sclerosis treatment field for decades. The pharmaceutical giant developed Avonex (interferon beta-1a), approved in the U.S. in 1996 as one of the first disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for MS. I remember how excited I was to be participating in its Phase 3 clinical trial. “Finally, there’s a medication that might stop my MS,” I thought. MS medications, such as Avonex, have long…Continue Reading

Three tools to help you choose the right MS treatment

Choosing the best disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to treat your MS can be a tough decision.  When I was diagnosed with MS way back in 1980, it was easy. There were no DMTs to choose from. The first three — Avonex (interferon beta-1a), Betaseron (interferon beta-1b), and Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) — weren’t approved in the U.S. until the early-to-mid 1990s. Today, there are more than 20 MS treatments on the…Continue Reading

This Tool Can Help You Choose an MS Treatment

MS treatment choice

It’s not easy choosing a MS treatment. There are shots and pills and intravenous infusions. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society lists more than 20 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) on its website. Some, such as Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and Tysabri (natalizumab), have proven to be effective at slowing the progression of MS. Others, less so. All DMTs have potential side effects, some more than others. So how do you know which…Continue Reading