3 New MS meds in the pipeline.
 

Here's an article about 3 meds in the pipeline -- It's an interesting article about 3 small pharma companies:

Apitope Technology: MS vaccine shows promise in Phase I/IIa

In addition to ATX-MS-1467, the current MS pipeline consists of two further vaccines which are in Phase II development; NeuroVax (Orchestra Therapeutics) and Tovaxin (Opexa Pharmaceuticals).


http://www.pharmaceutical-business-r...A-B8AB25D54E1A

Thanks, FG, they look promising, if they can get the needed funds. I wish they had some of that energy for us SP/PP folks.:(

Since I am in one of those small company clinical trials, I was a little discouraged. The comment about not having the funding to bring these vaccines to market once they go through the trials is disheartening. Not enough so that I will not continue, but I certainly hope that once the vaccine has gone through all these clinical trials and proves to be helpful to us, I sure hope that the company is able to take it to market!

And will we be able to afford them?

Look at the cost of Avonez, Copazone and Rebif. These drugs are not really proved to cure anything, just to delay relapses. I can't imagine the cost of a "cure" or a "vaccine". Pharm companies are making billions off of us...do they really want to "cure" or prevent MS? By helping us, they would lose the billions they depend on. I'm all for it, but highly sceptical.

Gee James, I didn't mean to post this to cause such an angry response. :(

This is not a cure...just another tool in the choice tool box.

Yeah, James, that's the real catch-22 in all this. Sure, treatments are out there, but for some, utterly unavailable. It's frustrating as can be, I'm still trying to get on Tysabri and my second insurance company is now giving me a whole new runaround. I can't win.

Thanks for sharing this information and continuing on with the study.

Thanks for the info FG!

They are doing a clinical trial on Ty for SPMS/PPMS. I can't believe that you are having problems with your secondary insurance (never mind, yes I can!) If your primary has approved it...what's the problem? :( I dislike insurance companies...who ever gave them the license to practice medicine? :eek: But you've seen my rants about insurance companies so I won't repeat that!

I hope you win.

Cheryl,
How is the study going with the oral medication (I've forgotten the name of it at the moment, but I know there are several clinical trials presently being conducted on it now)? It seemed to me that it was something similar to Tysabri in the way it worked on "T" cells. Do you know anything about it?

Ahhh...I think it starts with an "F", and ends with an "oid". Do you know what I'm referring to? (Fingolomoid?:confused:)

That's it! I met a guy at a legislative reception the other night whose daughter is in that study up in Seattle. He says that she is doing quite well. She is SPMS and like me, has failed everything. She is quite excited about the study.

That's wonderful to hear. I'm sure there are a lot of folks who would be thrilled at the thought of taking an oral medication rather than an injection or IV infusion.:)

So sorry, I didn't mean to come across as angry at all. In fact, just the opposite. I'm all for new improved treatments. It's just that I don't like the Pharm companies much. I realize they need large amounts of money to continue research, but at the same time I'm tired of the huge costs to those of us who need these drugs when we know as fact that we could get them outside the USA for a lot less. Mix in the fact that many who are stuck in the middle have zero access to them too (if your insured, good. If your on welfare, good. If your the working poor, your screwed)

I do wonder, if and when they come out with a drug that will at least halt the progression of MS completely how much this drug(s) will cost. One year of an ABC runs about $15,000 or more. So what would an average Joe like me have to pay for it (cure)? It's a very sad fact that I, and many, many like me will have to live the rest of our lives with MS simply because we cannot afford the drug(s).

I also can't help thinking that just one person on a ABC is spending $15,000 a year, and that if that person were to take a drug that would permanately halt MS, the drug company is out the $15K for the rest of that persons life???
Times this by hundreds of thousands of people, and were talking Billions of dollars lost to the Pharms.

I wonder how much money the Pharms' spend on TV advertizing trying to convince us to take this pill or that pill (ED as an example..Don't forget to ask your Doctor about...?). I can't help but think that the money could be used more effectively.

Sorry if you thought I replied as angry, I'm not really. I consider myself a logical person and I try not to let emotions outweigh facts.

I completely understand, The cost of meds are just crazy somethings. I had a friend years ago that had MS, she wasn't married and do to the cost of the meds she had to get Medicaid. Than later when she was ready to get married she could afford the meds still with his income also if she lost her Medicaid but if she married she would loss it, so she didn't marry.

I have the same problem. My fiance is disabled and his meds come to 30k+ a year. He gets help from Medicaid in addition to his Medicare. If we marry, Medicaid will take my income into consideration, but NOT MY medical bills and cost of meds, etc. over what my insurance pays. That will discontinue his Medicaid help.

So here we sit, engaged for years and still not married...

Can't win for losing.:(

Addressing the cost of bringing a drug to market:

Most drug companies that discover drugs that WORK and run the initial trials are small companies. When they get the data that shows promising results, they usually sell a portion of the rights to that drug to a larger drug company, who then funds the rest of the trials. When the drug does come to market the income from the drug is shared according to the agreement made.

This usually works to the benefit of both companies. It doesn't ALWAYS work out that way. There are drug companies who have been known to cut the throat of their partner in order to gain the whole package. They don't always win. :winky:

The cost of trials is the most expensive part of drug development. The FDA is on a rampage right now, and there are drugs today that have been through trials designed in collaboration with the FDA, showed efficacy, and are still denied BY the FDA. The FDA is overstepping their regulatory bounds, and a LOT of money and research is moving away from some major diseases, because after all the money they spend to GET the drugs to end stages , they are being denied approval, regardless of their shown efficacy and safety.

No drug works the same for everyone. If they did, we wouldn't be sent home with brochures and CDs and told to pick a drug we can live with to treat MS. We wouldn't be switching drugs, and we would all be living the high life with a great QOL!

( sorry, rant over...:mad:)

:Thanx: for the info.

That's awful, I really feel for you two. :hug: You know my friend and her boy friend just got rings and told everyone they were married after a while, it was easier than trying to explain why they weren't married yet. You know a lot of women don't change there last name now so you wouldn't have to worry about the last name being different thing.

Although I agree it stinks when any co charges whatever they think they can get away with, here's another way to look at it.

No matter what the cost, if it halted or cured ms - wouldn't it be worth it? Isn't that still cheaper than ms itself?

I'd pay anything if I could be okay again. Just my humble opinion.

Anyhoo, thanks for the info Flygirl. I hope these pan out.

This is true.

I actually know a couple that are getting divorced on paper because their son has a rare disease and needs a very complicated operation that thier insurance company deems experimental, but yet when they divorce medicaid will be available to him and will pay for the surgery. Go figure.

I'd do it too if it were my child.

I think I'd sell our house if it proved to be a cure or actual halt to ms.

Thanks for the info Cheryl!

You have pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to developing drugs for MS. As another poster wrote, often we see the small company finding some success and then having to sell part of their drug's "rights" to a much larger company in order to develop it. Just look at Elan going to bed with Biogen in order to develop Tysabri.

While it is very true that the cost of a drug's development is huge, it makes you wonder why medications such as Avonex, Betaseron and Copaxone cost up to $ 18000.00 a year for each patient when they have been around for 15 years or more!! There is a decent profit and then there is greed. Then again, that's what our society is all about!

Harry

I do have to agree.

I keep forgetting that Pharms are not "Not For Profit" companies. They are entitled to make a profit. I guess it's a matter of opinioun of how much is too much.

The NMSS has invested $1 million in Apitope for their research. If it is successful they will share in the profits. The CRAB medications are more than $25,000 per year. oral laquinimod has been accepted by the FDA for fast track. It is looking better and better for the future.

Bill, since you dragged this thread up I will comment on it.

The clinical trial for Tovaxin was terminated due to lack of funding. According to the research I have done, they needed less than $400,000 to finish the Phase IIb open label trial in order to move forward to the Phase III trial. Myelin Repair Foundation pulled their funding/partnership which would have allowed this drug trial to continue.

No one has been able to get the attention of any other research/grant dollars to continue this so the 150 of us have been dropped. Period. We are left to find other methods to treat our MS. For a lot of us, this was a last resort. For some of us, since we were in this trial, it precludes us from eligibility for other clinical trials.

Since I am a volunteer as the Government Relations Chairman for the National MS Society for Idaho, you can bet that I will be speaking to this issue at the Public Policy Conference in DC in March.

This was the first drug that has worked for me and many others that were in this trial. A couple of us are writing letters to all the Legislators, the drug company, and anyone who will listen to us.

Make as much noise as possible, it is the only way.

Sure could use some help

Hi Cheryl..:) It seems to me that you were having exacerbations and infections and such, while you were on Tofaxon. Please tell me how you think/know, it was helping you and how you are worse off, without it.

I'm not being picky I really want to know..:hug:

hey thinking, if I do have MS, and they dx me in coming years, maybe it will be time for the oral meds to come on the scene, so I do not have to do the shots lol..big baby..gave birth to five naturally, yet shots get me ewwwwww

hugss and thanks for sharing the info flygirl hugss,sarah

I had fewer exacerbations - I went from 4 a year to 1 a year. I did have a pretty bad sinus infection but to be honest, the ENT surgeon said that last year was a bad year from everyone around here for sinus stuff.

The year after I was off the drug, waiting to go back on it, yes I was sick. That was the year I was on NOTHING!!

To be honest, the time period that I was actually receiving the drug, from March 07-Sept 07, I did very well.

Thanks for asking Sally! :hug: