Matt Hoffman

The mesenchymal stem cell-neurotrophic factor cells met the primary safety end point and displayed early but promising signs of efficacy, prompting excitement among investigators for moving forward with phase 3 study.

SK Life Science’s sodium channel antagonist cenobamate was approved based on data from pivotal trials in nearly 2000 patients in which it reduced the median number of seizures per 28 days.

Findings of a phase 2 assessment has suggested that otaplimastat can be safely administered in patients with stroke who are being treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and is realistic to be further studied.

The investigational new drug application for OWP Pharmaceuticals’ first-ever liquid formulation of topiramate, intended to offer a new delivery alternative for the therapy in epilepsy and migraine treatment, has been approved.

An analysis of ACHIEVE II suggests that the oral CGRP antagonist from Allergan provides significant pain freedom and relief of the most bothersome symptoms for adults with migraine for at least one dose assessed.

SK Life Science’s investigational agent cenobamate has shown an ability to significantly reduce focal-onset seizures in doses of 100, 200, and 400-mg compared to placebo. An NDA was filed for the therapy in early 2019.

Pooled analysis from 3 studies of more than 1000 patients with migraine suggest that galcanezumab (Emgality, Eli Lilly) has good cardiovascular safety and is not linked with vasoconstriction or an increase in cardiovascular adverse events.

The FDA has granted the go-ahead to Biogen and Alkermes’ diroximel fumarate, which will be marketed as Vumerity, for the treatment of relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive MS, as well as clinically isolated syndrome.

An automated deep neural network, SpikeNet, performed at or above the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of fellowship-trained clinical experts in identifying interictal epileptiform discharges.

"Mind Moments," a podcast from NeurologyLive, brings you an exclusive interview with Amaal Starling, MD.

Interictal epileptiform discharges on EEG readings had a positive predictive value of 77.3% and a negative predictive value of 70 %, with a sensitivity of detecting spikes prior to epilepsy of 85%.

The director of Centers for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research and Traumatic Brain Injury Research at Kessler Foundation spoke to the use of strategy training and how it mirrors real-life situations for patients with MS and TBI.

Study findings have shown sustained improvements in seizure-freedom rates and functional outcomes in a cohort of adults that mirror prior findings in pediatric populations.

The 2019 update to the 2018 guidelines clarifies prior recommendations and takes into consideration new clinical trial data to offer a comprehensive guide for treatment, from symptom onset through 2 weeks after acute ischemic stroke.

The comprehensive aggressive migraine protocol (CAMP), combining DHE infusion and multidisciplinary care, significantly reduced headache intensity and frequency among other measures in a small group of patients.

The director of the Sleep Disorders Research Program at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine provided her perspective on the differences in OSA prevalence for men and women and how adherence to CPAP remains a challenge.

The director of the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research and co-director of the Spinal Cord Injury Model System Center at Kessler Foundation shared his unique perspective on spinal cord injury and the work he and colleagues are doing to alleviate its challenges.

UCB’s intranasal midazolam spray (Nayzilam), an FDA-approved therapy for seizure clusters, has shown success and rapid efficacy in status epilepticus, with treatment effect occurring approximately 4 to 5 minutes post-administration.

A new analysis from the phase 3 HALO development program showed that Teva’s CGRP inhibitor fremanezumab (Ajovy) separated from placebo by Day 2 posttreatment, suggesting not only rapid clinical improvement, but the potential to positively impact treatment adherence.

The Green Valley agent, which is derived from seaweed, showed significant improvements in ADAS-Cog scores over placebo and is anticipated to make its debut on the market in China in late 2019.

Study results suggest that as many as 20% of patients may be nonadherent to medication regimens, with youth having the strongest association with intentional nonadherence.

The 2019 update to the 2018 guidelines clarifies prior recommendations and takes into consideration new clinical trial data to offer a comprehensive guide for treatment, from symptom onset through 2 weeks after acute ischemic stroke.

In Part 2 of this interview, Amaal Starling, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, discussed what still needs to be done in the migraine space in light of recent advancements and how disease-specific therapies are just the beginning for the field.

In Part 1 of this interview, Amaal Starling, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, shared her experiences with a number of new migraine drugs and devices and the impact that more options will have on clinical practice.

Study results suggest that adherence to individually tailored interventions, including behavioral, dietary, pharmacologic, educational, and other recommendations can have a positive impact on cognition and reduce risk in patients across the clinical spectrum who have a family history of Alzheimer disease.

The FDA has granted the go-ahead to Biogen and Alkermes’ diroximel fumarate, which will be marketed as Vumerity, for the treatment of relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive MS, as well as clinically isolated syndrome.

Data presented at the Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting suggest that the safety and efficacy of cannabidiol (Epidiolex; GW Pharmaceuticals) is maintained through 72 weeks of treatment for patients with LGS.

VTS-72 is a proprietary combination of fumarate and VTS-Aspirin believed to improve the pharmacokinetics of fumaric acid while improving flush, which is estimated to occur in up to 40% of patients on a fumarate agent.

The agency sent a joint letter with the FTC to Rooted Apothecary LLC for claiming its CBD products can medically treat a number of conditions including Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease. Since 2017, the FDA has issued more than 10 such letters.

SynapCell and Motac Neuroscience recently announced a novel biomarker, BetaPark [evo], for Parkinson disease progression. The chief innovation officer at SynapCell provided insight into the clinical implications of this discovery.