o Six oral drugs are in phase 3 clinical trials: cladribine, fingolimod, laquinimod, teriflunomide, BG00012 and minocycline. People with MS are clamoring for an oral therapy because all existing FDA-approved treatments are injectable, meaning they can be painful and, for some, frightening to take. Also in phase 3 testing are infrequent-dosing injectables, including dirucotide for secondary-progressive MS.
o Fast ForwardSM, the Societys subsidiary dedicated to speeding the development of MS drugs, began accepting grant proposals and made its first investment: in Apitope, a European company developing a therapeutic vaccine to turn off the immune attacks of MS.
o A small and preliminary Northwestern University clinical trial suggested that transplanting a patients own blood stem cells might reboot the immune system, halting the progression of MS or even reversing disability slightly. More research is needed, and larger trials of this technique are underway.
o Two Society-funded teams found a link between enzymes and the ability of the central nervous system to repair itself, opening another door to possible repair strategies for people with MS.
o A widely suspected link between hepatitis B vaccine and MS was disproved, leading the Society to advise people not to let fear of MS prevent them from taking the potentially life-saving vaccine.
o MS scientists gained access for the first time to a pool of research money controlled by the Department of Defense.
o A Society-funded team at University of California-San Francisco discovered a genetic pattern that could lead to the identification of markers to predict MS disease activity and progression.
o A Phase 3 study of a new drug called Fampridine-SR improved walking speed in people with all types of MS, and its maker has applied for FDA approval.

FOR MORE INFO SEE NATIONAL MS SOCIETY WEB SITE.