Multiple Sclerosis
Spasticity & Tremors
Multiple Sclerosis
Spasticity & Tremors
Our Focus
There are now more than 2 million people worldwide who suffer from multiple sclerosis spasticity and tremors, according to the most extensive global study to date. Furthermore, the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation's most accurate estimate shows that at least 1 in 3,000 people are currently living with the disease.
ECP Pharma is currently in the research and development phase with the objective to find a drug molecule that will treat the spasticity and tremors caused by multiple sclerosis.
What is MSST?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complex chronic neurological autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 2.3 million people around the world. Relapsing & remitting MS is the most common form of MS and is characterized by episodes of new or worsening signs or symptoms followed by periods of recovery. Despite available disease-modifying treatments, most individuals with MS continue to experience disease activity and disability progression.
Spasticity and tremors are common multiple sclerosis symptoms. They are caused by damage to the brain and/or spinal cord from MS. They refer to the stiffness and involuntary muscle spasms that occur without warning or reason to people suffering from the disease. The patients’ reflexes activate involuntarily and become hyperactive, resulting in increased muscle stiffness and tightness, cramps, spasms, tremors, pain, and in some cases the complete inability to move. The spasticity and tremors episodes may last from a few seconds to several minutes, and range from mild to extremely painful, putting a halt to one’s daily life.
Spasticity and tremors episodes may happen at any time, even during sleep, preventing the patient from living a normal life due to exhaustion and sleep depravation. Moreover, caretakers may also experience difficulty to perform hygiene activities while the individual is suffering from the symptoms. There is a substantial and unmet medical need for new and effective treatment therapies for patients suffering with spasticity and tremors caused by multiple sclerosis. Most treatment methods are invasive in nature, come with severe side effects and do not treat the source of the condition.
Current Treatments
Current treatments for this condition are typically focused on speeding recovery from attacks, slowing the progression of the disease and managing the symptoms of MS through physical and occupational therapy. For treatments to modify the progression of MS, several options are available but carry significant health risks and side effects, some of which include low blood pressure, abnormal liver function tests, drowsiness, hallucinations, excessive drowsiness, slow heartrate, dry mouth, tiredness, and weakness. Treatment options include both injectable, infusion and oral treatment medication.
Treatments for recovery from attacks include the use of corticosteroids, such as oral prednisone and intravenous methylprednisolone to reduce nerve inflammation. Other treatments involve plasma exchange where the liquid portion of part of your blood (plasma) is removed and separated from your blood cells. The blood cells are then mixed with a protein solution (albumin) and put back into your body. Plasma exchange is used when there hasn’t been a response to treatment using corticosteroids.
At ECP Pharma, we believe there is a considerable gap in current MS therapy. Current therapies only address the symptoms associated with MS and modify its progression, which ultimately does not address the root pathology of the disease. Our approach to MS therapy is to develop a therapeutic drug that is two-fold, which reverses the damage, reduces the frequency of episodes, and ultimately prevents spasticity and tremors from happening.
ECP Pharma's Research & Treatment Method
The preclinical development program for treatment of spasticity and tremors caused by MS has evaluated a wide variety of active pharmaceutical ingredients to determine the ideal combination providing the greatest potential to treat the auto-immune disorder (suppress the auto-immune response) and to regenerate degraded neuronal pathways in the most severe form of MS. To date, the pre-clinical research is in the developmental stage and studies are being performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the selected active pharmaceutical ingredients.
ECP Pharma believes the active pharmaceutical ingredients that it is pursuing will deliver both neuro-regeneration and modulation of the human body auto-immune response to dramatically improve and reverse the progression of MS to clinical baseline or normal status.