This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Which drug in the pipeline proposes the most promise?

Personally, I wish Rituxan would become available for MS patients. I am willing to take a bit of risk, although Tysabri seems way too risky for me.

Personally, I am most excited about Lemtrada (Campath). I think they have figured out how to prevent/treat most of the side effects, and the prospect of having a 80% chance of no relapses the next 3 years sounds good to me. Some who were part of the original clinical trials went from active disease to no relapses in 10 years.

The problem is getting insurance to pay for it. My insurance insists I use the old injectable DMDs until they prove they don't work. I am more inclined to treat my MS aggressively before I incur serious disability.

It gives me hope that medication like these plus a strict diet, exercise, and supplements might actually get me through this for a prolonged amount of time.

I HAD big hopes for Campath, but then the data started rolling in that there was a growing statistics on those it did not work for

Cure,

This has been a pattern for some immune system altering drugs that are being researched. Initial results show huge success and then the reality sets in when the drug is used on more patients. Of course we don't hear too much about the negative results at first but they eventually show up.

Harry

Amiloride...and there will be more of this nature to follow.
http://www.imm.ox.ac.uk/wimm-research/m ... onal-award

Thanks -- I think even from this small thread, the message is -- it could be a hell of a lot worse.

Hopefully the success in the lab model will work on humans but to date, nothing that has worked on mouse MS (presume that is the model they are referring) has ever translated into human success.

I have more hope for this one than others. #1 It isn't an "autoimmune" drug...though it does touch upon something that is part of an immune reaction. #2 I experienced improvements while reducing sodium level and channels (rrms). Today, I read of someone on the uk ms board who experienced similar improvements on the same drug I took (ppms). Amiloride inhibits sodium channel activity and will rebalance na/k levels. I should note that people with spms (2) who have done the same in some way have felt worse. #3 people with salt wasting congenital adrenal hyperplasia and na/k imbalance have ovoid lesions much like those seen in early rrms (not sure on location) #4 sodium accumulation in the brain increases from cis to late rrms. It is quite likely that sodium and sodium channels play a role in our increasing disability. #5. This is an old drug. They can't charge us an arm and a leg for it!

I too am most excited about Lemtrada/Campath. It seems to be the most potent thing coming out. CureOr Bust- not to burst my bubble but can you expound on who campath does NOT seem to work? Is there a patient type that they have identified? Thanks....I really have been holding out hope for this one and thought that good news just came out of AAn on this.

books have been written about it, that is how drug trials are 'manipulated'...
see for instance chapter 5 of University Inc by Jennifer Washburn
http://www.amazon.com/University-Inc-Co ... 0465090524

I do not believe that there is a one molecule solution, I do not believe either that immuno-modulation is the right angle of attack...
the problem is bigger, more complex, on a META-bolic level
see for instance postings on pg 27
general-discussion-f1/topic15188-390.html

Just read posts on this site. I followed it a little from a few years ago, and the numbers as to its efficacy appear to have been dropping.

I don't think anyone knows this yet, otherwise it would have a 100% efficacy on applicable patients.

Ocrelizumab, I think that this drug will surpass campath and poss be safer. Won't be available for years though...

Is there really an advantage of ocrelizumab over rituxumab except possibly in tolerance? Rituximab is not FDA approved but is used in a variety of centers.

By the way, the OPERA trial is going on for ocrelizumab right now

Alemtuzumab seems to have promising efficacy but has some safety concerns including increased risk of various infections and autoimmune thyroid disease.

Unfortunately, there seems to be an inverse correlation between safety in efficacy with MS drugs right now.

-C