VBCN - July 2014 Volume 1, No 2

Results of a new study suggest that the rate of peripheral CD4 replenishment after the administration of alemtuzumab, a lymphocyte-depleting anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, does not correlate with multiple sclerosis (MS) activity in patients with relapsing-remitting MS.

Philadelphia, PA—Immunization against amyloid-beta and tau protein, starting in the preclinical period, may represent the future in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), said David M. Holtzman, MD, Chairman of Neurology, Washington University, St Louis, MO, during the presidential plenary session at the 2014 American Academy of Neurology meeting.

Philadelphia, PA—Some of the most expensive diagnostic tests for stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) do not affect patient management but expose patients to potential harm, said Pratik D. Bhattacharya, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

Philadelphia, PA—Changing from monotherapy to the early initiation of adjunctive therapy with a second antiepileptic drug in patients with partial-onset seizures may lead to a substantial reduction in healthcare utilization and costs, according to a retrospective claims database analysis presented in a poster at the 2014 American Academy of Neurology meeting.

Philadelphia, PA—Achieving no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) in the treatment of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is a clinically meaningful goal, but a strategy to achieve it remains untested, said Robert Bermel, MD, a neurologist at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, the Cleveland Clinic, at the 2014 American Academy of Neurology meeting.

Philadelphia, PA—A systematic literature review conducted by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) shows that certain forms of medical marijuana can be useful to treat some symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), but the evidence is insufficient to support its use in other neurologic diseases, and there are a number of safety concerns with medical marijuana.

Philadelphia, PA—Extending the dosing interval of natalizumab to every 6 to 8 weeks may lower the risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) without affecting efficacy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Philadelphia, PA—Estriol may represent a future novel treatment option for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In a phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-­controlled trial of women with RRMS, estriol, given with glatiramer acetate, reduced the relapse rate by almost 50% with only 1 year of treatment and improved cognition, reported Rhonda Voskuhl, MD, Director of the MS program, University of California, Los Angeles, at the 2014 meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Philadelphia, PA—Multiple formulations and generic equivalents of anti­epileptic drugs are prevalent, and choosing between them can help optimize seizure control and minimize adverse effects, said Carl W. Bazil, MD, PhD, Director, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, at the 2014 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) meeting.