Disappointment for NMOSD drug listing

There was no Christmas present from PBAC for people with NMOSD. The PBAC announced in late December its decision not to recommend PBS listing of eculizumab (Soliris) for the treatment of NMOSD. It said eculizumab was more effective than best supportive care in reducing relapses, however the magnitude of the effect on disability progression and quality of life was highly uncertain. It also said that the price was too high, especially when the drug would be used as a lifelong prophylactic treatment. MS Research Australia said it will continue to advocate for PBS listing of an effective treatment.

Dementia patients hardest hit by COVID-19

People with dementia have been some of the real victims during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to researchers from the UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing. Writing for Nature Reviews Neurology, Dr Katya Numbers and Professor Henry Brodarty called for additional support for older adults with dementia both during and after the pandemic. They said that even when old age and comorbidities are taken into account, people with dementia were more likely to contract COVID-19 and experience severe virus-related outcomes, including death, than people without dementia. Cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms make it challenging for individuals with dementia to understand, remember or comply with advice such as wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing or self-quarantining. COVID-19 lockdowns have also disproportionately impacted people with dementia, contributing to more distress and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Oxytocin is more than the love hormone

Dance for Parkinson’s is already a thing in the community. Can music and dance have a greater role in the clinic – on managing pain or neurodevelopmental conditions? That’s a yes from WA neuroscientist Emeritus Professor Alan Harvey, from the  Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, says music and dance are good for everyone’s health. There’s evidence for the impact of music on oxytocin expression and evidence for positive systemic effects of oxytocin on cardiovascular disease, inflammation, mood, appetite and food intake, and more. We just need more research beyond that. Read a summary here or the full paper here.