Current Treatments
BETASERON® (interferon beta-1b) is indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. Patients with multiple sclerosis in whom efficacy has been demonstrated include patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRI features consistent with multiple sclerosis

AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a) is a 166 amino acid glycoprotein with a predicted molecular weight of approximately 22,500 daltons. It is produced by recombinant DNA technology using genetically engineered Chinese Hamster Ovary cells into which the human interferon beta gene has been introduced. The amino acid sequence of AVONEX® is identical to that of natural human interferon beta.

COPAXONE is the brand name for glatiramer acetate (formerly known as copolymer-1). Glatiramer acetate, the active ingredient of COPAXONE, consists of the acetate salts of synthetic polypeptides, containing four naturally occurring amino acids: L-glutamic acid, L-alanine, L-tyrosine, and L-lysine with an average molar fraction of 0.141, 0.427, 0.095, and 0.338, respectively. The average molecular weight of glatiramer acetate is 5,000 – 9,000 daltons. Glatiramer acetate is identified by specific antibodies.

Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) is a purified 166 amino acid glycoprotein with a molecular weight of approximately 22,500 daltons. It is produced by recombinant DNA technology using genetically engineered Chinese Hamster Ovary cells into which the human interferon beta gene has been introduced. The amino acid sequence of Rebif® is identical to that of natural fibroblast derived human interferon beta. Natural interferon beta and interferon beta-1a (Rebif®) are glycosylated with each containing a single N-linked complex carbohydrate moiety.

Tysabri is a monoclonal antibody that affects the actions of the body's immune system. Monoclonal antibodies are made to target and destroy only certain cells in the body. This may help to protect healthy cells from damage. Tysabri is used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.
Gilenya™ is a new class of medication called a phingosine 1-phosphate receptormodulator, which is thought to act by retaining certain white blood cells (lympohcytes) in the lymph nodes, thereby preventing those cells from crossing the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system (CNS). Preventing the entry of these cells into the CNS reduces inflammatory damage to nerve cells.


Early Symptoms
The most common early symptoms of MS include:
* Tingling * Numbness
* Loss of balance
* Weakness in one or more limbs
* Blurred or double vision

Less common symptoms of MS may include
* Slurred speech
* Sudden onset of paralysis
* Lack of coordination
* Cognitive difficulties
Listed above, the early symptoms. I tend to be a poster child for these. The symptoms that occur later on are too numerous just to list. There will be a link included that will get you to a site where these symptoms are listed and explained. Keep in mind that someone may have some of these or many of these, there is no way to tell.
Multiple sclerosis statistics show that approximately 250,000 to 350,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with this disease. The life expectancy for people with multiple sclerosis is nearly the same as for those without MS. Because of this, multiple sclerosis statistics place the annual cost of MS in the United States in the billions of dollars. MS is five times more prevalent in temperate climates -- such as those found in the northern United States, Canada, and Europe -- than in tropical regions. Furthermore, the age of 15 seems to be significant in terms of risk for developing the disease. Some studies indicate that a person moving from a high-risk (temperate) to a low-risk (tropical) area before the age of 15 tends to adopt the risk (in this case, low) of the new area and vice versa. Other studies suggest that people moving after age 15 maintain the risk of the area where they grew up.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Federal Focus - December 2012

Activist Read the MS Activist Blog Chapter Contacts for State Issues Issues Briefs and Background National MS Society Homepage Take Action on Important End-of-the-Year Policies Before heading home for the holidays, Congress has several important items to tackle and complete before early next year. Two of these are particularly vital to the MS community and we urge you to take action and email your members of Congress about them today. One important must-do for Congress is to extend an exceptions process so that Medicare beneficiaries can continue to have access to therapy services. In an effort to save money, Congress passed legislation in 1997 capping the outpatient physical, speech, and occupational therapy services to which Medicare beneficiaries are eligible each calendar year. Because this placed an undue burden on many individuals with MS and other diseases whose annual costs for these services exceed the cap, Congress has consistently acted in a bipartisan manner to extend an exceptions process whereby beneficiaries can ask for services necessary to keep them healthy and functional to be covered. If Congress doesn’t act on this before the end of the year, the exceptions process will go away and access to therapy services will be threatened. Another significant focus of Congress is how to reduce the federal deficit. Across-the-board cuts are slated to take effect in January 2013, but Congress and the Administration are looking at alternatives to avoid that approach. This could take several forms, but regardless could have serious implications for MS research funding and programs important to people with MS, including Medicare and Medicaid. Changes are necessary, but as Congress considers options for deficit reduction, it is important to educate them about the federal programs that directly impact our community. Be sure to take action today—by clicking here, you can email your members of Congress and urge them to consider our priorities before the end of the year: extend the exceptions process for therapy and protect MS research funding, Medicare and Medicaid. Happy Holidays The National MS Society wishes each and every one of you a very happy holiday season. We continue to face economic challenges in our country and occasional opposition but despite these obstacles, MS Activists remain strong and true to our mission of ending MS forever. In 2012 alone, MS Activists sent over 25,000 email messages to Congress urging support of various policies important to our community and we were heard. Progress would not be possible without the dedication and tenacity of MS Activists. Happy holidays and we look forward to another great year in 2013.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Rights Treaty Fails in the Senate, but Progress was Made

You may have heard by now that on Tuesday, the United States Senate took the vote on whether to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It needed a two thirds majority for ratification and fell short, garnering 61 votes in favor to 38 opposed. (For a list of how all Senators voted, click here, and feel free to send thanks to those who supported the treaty). This was a rare opportunity for American MS Activists to push expansion of civil rights for persons with disabilities on an international scale and while not yet successful, your efforts were very impressive and you should be proud of the progress that was made. Over a series of months, MS Activists sent over 10,000 messages to U.S. Senators. Because of the tremendous effort of you and our coalition partners, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the CRPD and voted it out of Committee. You also helped garner support from key political champions of the disability community including war heroes like Sen. John McCain and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole as well as President George H. W. Bush. Unfortunately the opposition created arguments against the treaty that simply aren’t accurate, suggesting that the United Nations would interfere with how we educate and raise children with disabilities. Some Senators took the position that by ratifying the treaty, it would give ‘cover’ to our enemies that have signed the treaty. This opposition clouded what was most important--declaring and reaffirming the rights of Americans with disabilities in the international realm. The United States became the worldwide leader in the disability rights the moment President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) over 22 years ago and the nations that have already ratified this treaty are now, a generation later, moving forward with disability rights by declaring that they too embrace what is embodied in the ADA. To date, 125 countries and the European Union have approved the treaty. While the result of the Senate vote is extremely disappointing, this isn’t the end. In January, a new Senate will be sworn in and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has already indicated that he intends to bring the CRPD back for another vote sometime in the next two years. We will continue to work on this important issue so that the rights of Americans with disabilities are rightly recognized internationally. In the meantime, be proud of the work you have done and be ready to take action when the opportunity arises.

About Me

My photo
North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States
Well-educated, disabled at this point with Multiple Sclerosis. I am very glad that I was able to do the things that I have been able to do over the years. had to change the picture, this one's more realistic.