The Handoff: Your Week in Neurology News – 11/17/16

The Handoff is a weekly roundup of neurology news covering various developments in subspecialties, the pharmaceutical industry, and the overall state of health care as it affects neurologists.

— The neurology world continues to hold its breath as it awaits results from Eli Lilly’s solanezumab trial, which are expected to be released within the next few weeks. 

— Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceutical’s Spinraza (nusinersen) has met its primary endpoint in an interim analysis of the Phase 3 CHERISH trail for spinal muscular atrophy. 

— Phillips is introducing a new suite of MRI software that will provide advanced visibility and multi-demensional data for neurologists, including black blood imaging, 4D-TRANCE, and MultiBand SENSE technology. 

— The number of physicians who prescribe millions of dollars in medication each year is growing, backed by ever-rising drug prices for diseases like multiple sclerosis. 

— Swedish photographer Maja Daniels has won the Bob and Diane Fund grant for her work in visualizing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. See Daniels’ winning entry here. 

— With help from a 3-year, $1.2 million grant, Boston Medical Center will lead the Telehealth Epilepsy Care Collaborative, a program designed to improve access to treatment for underserved youth with epilepsy. 

— Reuters journalist Dean Yates details his experience with PTSD after spending years covering war and tragedy in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. 

— Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is leading a randomized, controlled trial on the use of virtual reality to manage pain. 

— Is a $1,000-a-month injection for opioid addiction actually worth it? US prisons think so. 

— Researchers from UMC Utrecht report positive outcomes in a “locked-in” female patient with ALS who can now reportedly use a brain-computer interface to communicate. Watch the video below for details on the research and patient.

For previous installations of The Handoff, go here.