Acorda's Remyelinating Antibody -- The MS Drug Trial I Missed

The holy grail for MS treatment is finding a drug that rebuilds the protective myelin sheath around nerves.

In 2012, I had been called to be a test subject in a Phase 1 safety and tolerability study for a remyelinating drug from Acorda that had shown promise in mice. My spinal cord had spots where my immune system had damaged the myelin. My wiring was literally shorting out, leg control was starting to fade, and I was more than ready to be one of the first humans tested on the drug.

But then a very severe MS attack hit me and I was disqualified from the study. I was devastated when Acorda proceeded without me.

But I was later fortunate to be accepted for Dr. Burt's different stem cell transplant (HSCT) study a few months later.

All's well that ends well. HSCT stopped my MS attacks, so my nerves can now slowly heal naturally. And nobody died in the Acorda study. It now appears that the Acorda drug is safe enough to move on to Phase 2. This is great news for future MS patients, and perhaps victims of spinal cord injury. But bear in mind that FDA studies take a long time. If the Acorda drug passes the next rounds of testing, it will still be at least a decade before it's approved for the marketplace.

The Phase I study results are still being tabulated. One February 6, 2015 the study is listed as active but not recruiting.  Stay tuned . Acorda could start recruiting for Phase 2 at any time.

https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01803867?term=acorda&rank=21

http://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/2015/02/06/acorda-announces-phase-1-results-for-remyelinating-antibody-in-multiple-sclerosis/