Lemtrada-A New Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
By Leigh Kreshel and Doug Schell
A brand new Multiple Sclerosis Treatment is now available. The FDA just approved Lemtrada on November 14th as a multiple sclerosis treatment. Rowe Neurology Institute and some of our patients helped test this drug when it was still in the experimental phase. These studies helped advance Lemtrada from an experimental treatment to a proven, FDA-approved Multiple Sclerosis Treatment. We offer a huge Thank You to the brave patients who helped test Lemtrada in our Multiple Sclerosis Center.
Lemtrada is a powerful, aggressive treatment for Multiple Sclerosis that only has to be taken for a few days each year in order to fight Multiple Sclerosis all year long, but is not appropriate for everyone with MS. It will mostly be used by those with the most active forms of MS who have tried other treatments without good response. Lemtrada will only be available through specially trained and certified healthcare facilities. Rowe Neurology Institute plans to be certified in December 2014. Because we have been involved with the research on Lemtrada since 2006 and have treated patients with it for several years during the approval process, we expect to be ready to help patients make wise decisions about whether Lemtrada is right for them.
With the approval of Lemtrada following closely after the approval of Plegridy, we’ve seen two new MS treatments approved in just a few months, making this an exciting time to be involved in treatment and research in MS. We at the Rowe Neurology Institute will continue to work to help develop new knowledge and new treatment options for patients with all types of Multiple Sclerosis and its variants.
Rowe Neurology Institute and the not-for-profit MidAmerica Neuroscience Research Foundation conduct basic, as well as clinical, research studies in Multiple Sclerosis, dementia disorders such as Alzheimer Disease and Fronto Temporal Lobar Degeneration, migraine and other types of headaches, and sleep disorders. By combining the research services of the foundation with the diagnostic and treatment services of a clinical practice, we believe patients get the highest possible level of care, and can access cutting-edge treatment options potentially helpful to them, even during the approval process.
