Swiss drug manufacturer Novartis MS pill approval is making a big splash in the medical community. The new MS pill offers patients an easier, more convenient way to get their treatment without having to leave their home. And doctors say this means more patients will continue their treatment over the long term. Consensus has always been that the bottom line for any MS therapy to be successful is for the patient to stay on that therapy over the long-haul.  MS afflicts about 400,000 in the U.S. alone. There is no cure yet for the disease, but there have been advances in both reducing relapse frequencies and in modifying the course of the MS.  But one problem is that patients often have symptoms so severe that they become depressed or debilitated to the point that it makes it difficult for them to get out of the house, or they simply don’t …

Novartis MS research has been focused primarily on the new Novartis MS pill Fingolimod. But it doesn’t end there. Novartis Multiple Sclerosis research is also now developing a new oral medication for MS called BAF-312 for the time being. This is a second generation spingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator. Currently in Phase II studies, it is now being tried on humans for the first time. The new Novartis Multiple Sclerosis drug is a back-up compound for Fingolimod, the Novartis MS stalwart. The phase II trial of BAF-312 is trying to determine the best dosage for use in further trials. BAF-312 acts on lymphocytes to limit or inhibit them from moving to inflammation sites.  Information on this drug is still very limited from Novartis. MS researchers are hopeful that it may be more selective in which receptors it modulates. More selectivity may result in better outcomes with less side-effects but that remains to …