treatment

A branch of the European Medicines Agency has recommended that Enspryng (satralizumab) be approved to treat patients, 12 and older, with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), who carry antibodies against the aquaporin-4 protein (AQP4-IgG). The recommendation, made by the agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use…

Just over a year ago, I started a new biologic. As part of my preparation to begin this treatment, I needed to have a power port placed in my chest because I would be having infusions every two…

Long-term treatment with Uplizna (inebilizumab-cdon) is safe and sustainably reduces the frequency of attacks in adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to four-year data from the N-MOmentum Phase 2/3 clinical trial. Notably, these benefits also were observed among patients who previously received rituximab, an immunosuppressive therapy often…

Note: This story was updated March 29, 2021, to note that Uplizna is indicated for all NMOSD patients, regardless of the presence of aquaporin-4 water channel autoantibodies. Uplizna (inebilizumab-cdon) has been approved in Japan for preventing relapses in people with neuromyelitis…

As a rare disease patient living with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), I take an enormous number of medications. I have pills for blood pressure, steroid pills to suppress my immune system, and pills to protect my stomach from the side effects of the steroids. I also take a handful…

An improved understanding of the biological processes that drive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) has led to treatment advancements in recent years. In a presentation at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2021, Sean Pittock, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for…

Because there is little information available about certain diseases, many people may be misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. People with rare diseases are at a disadvantage compared with people with well-known medical conditions. Not only do people with rare diseases have limited information, but also their treatment is often not as…

At an educational seminar next month, experts will discuss advances in the diagnosis and care of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how it is affecting the NMOSD community.  Sponsored by the…

The autoimmune biomarker CH50 was directly impacted by treatment with Soliris (eculizumab) in three people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a case report has shown. According to researchers, this suggests that CH50 may be a useful…

When I was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) in 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hadn’t yet approved any medications specifically to treat this disease. However, doctors could select various therapies to help patients prevent or deal with attacks. When NMO patients had an attack, doctors treated…