Some older people with multiple sclerosis (MS), namely those older than 60, may be able to safely discontinue disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as long as they continue to be regularly monitored for new disease activity, a new study suggests. The findings showed that people older than 50 generally experience an…
A stem cell transplant may offer better long-term results for people with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with standard high-efficacy drug treatment, according to new evidence presented at a major European conference this week. Specifically, researchers found that an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) was superior to…
I’ve written in the past that I thought I could stand to lose a few pounds. Well, I finally put a little effort into it and have managed to do exactly that by making some changes to my diet. I’d hoped that losing weight would reveal the washboard stomach…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) seem to experience significant changes in cognition more than a year before significant physical decline is evident, a study found. While measures of processing speed, verbal memory, and visual memory worsened after about 2.7 years, significant changes in walking function and dexterity were only…
Following the MIND diet, a program that focuses on brain health, may help reduce disability, ease fatigue, and improve quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of data from a U.K. database. The diet, which combines aspects of the Mediterranean and the Dietary…
The new revisions to the McDonald criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) — a set of guidelines long used to diagnose the neurodegenerative condition — have increased the proportion of people who can be diagnosed with MS and also allow for earlier diagnoses. That’s according to a new analysis…
The 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), the world’s largest congress dedicated to multiple sclerosis (MS) research and care, kicks off today in Barcelona. About 9,000 scientists, clinicians, industry leaders, and patient advocates from more than 100 countries are expected…
Note: This story was updated Sept. 23, 2025, to correct the generic name of Aubagio from tolebrutinib to teriflunomide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has delayed by three months its decision on whether or not to approve Sanofi’s tolebrutinib as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS),…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may receive less frequent treatments with anti-CD20 therapies without increasing their risk of disease activity or disability progression. That’s according to a new meta-analysis of published studies that investigated the use of different dosing schedules for anti-CD20 therapies — approved treatments that deplete the…
Psychological testing indicates that I’m not crazy, but when I share some of the things I’ve done in the Army, people sometimes wonder. I never say that I’m not, because that’s what a crazy person would say. Instead, I provide a three-point answer: One, would I even know? Two,…
Doctors will be able to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS) faster and with greater accuracy — allowing patients to access treatment and support earlier — following an update to the McDonald criteria, the official guidelines used to diagnose the condition. The revision reflects advances in understanding the biology of…
An international research team has secured nearly $800,000 (about CA$1.1 million) to advance a potential regenerative therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) toward clinical testing. While existing treatments can slow disease progression, none can repair the nerve damage that has already occurred. This new project aims to change that by…
Life with multiple sclerosis (MS) is unpredictable, involving many unknowns. Symptoms can come and go, flare up without warning, and affect every aspect of our health, from movement to memory. Managing MS is already a full-time job, and the added weight of life’s uncertainties often makes it even more…
People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who started fasting or adopted a ketogenic diet — one low in carbs and rich in fat — for 18 months showed reductions in risk factors for heart and metabolic disease that were similar to those who followed a standard healthy diet, according…
Children and adolescents who go on to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) begin visiting the emergency department more often than their peers as early as a dozen years before their first MS symptoms appear, a new study from Canada suggests. In fact, over an 18-year period, children later diagnosed…
Paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, are highly indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS) in people being evaluated for the disease, a new study reports. The findings support using this imaging biomarker as a useful tool for…
I recently got my yearly influenza vaccine, which protects against the flu. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “In an average year, thousands of people in the United States die from flu, and many more are hospitalized. Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and…
A generic formulation of Zeposia (ozanimod), which won tentative approval for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be manufactured and supplied by Synthon, based in the Netherlands. Tentative approval means the generic version has met all FDA requirements for…
At a recent social gathering, my military career came up, including the more than 100 parachute jumps I’ve done in my life. As usual, someone remarked that I must have enjoyed parachuting, and I had to say that I didn’t because I was actually afraid of heights. That brought the…
TG Therapeutics has started enrolling participants in a Phase 3 trial to test a new version of Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) that can be injected at home. This change could offer greater convenience and flexibility for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The new formulation is given…
Immunic Therapeutics will receive a new U.S. patent covering its experimental therapy, vidofludimus calcium, and some related molecules in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Titled “Treatment of multiple sclerosis comprising DHODH inhibitors,” the patent explicitly covers the use of the molecules in progressive types of MS, including primary…
We all have stomach or bathroom issues from time to time. Eat the wrong thing, catch a bug, drink too much coffee, and your body will let you know. That’s just life. But when you have multiple sclerosis (MS), digestive and urinary problems aren’t occasional; they become their own…
The CD20 inhibitor Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) rapidly depletes immune B-cells in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), as expected, but ongoing treatment also leads to changes in immune T-cells, a new study reports. After about six months of treatment, patients experience T-cell changes such as an increase in regulatory…
Octave Bioscience has raised $35.6 million in funding to continue marketing its multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity test and accelerate the development of a similar tool for Parkinson’s disease. The Multiple Sclerosis Disease Activity (MSDA) test — the first blood test of its kind…
Three biosimilar drugs — approved versions of brand-name therapies that have no clinically meaningful differences compared with their reference products — including one for multiple sclerosis (MS), will soon be available in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region under a new partnership between two pharmaceutical companies.
Most children with multiple sclerosis (MS) have chronic active lesions that slowly get bigger over time, and their frequency seems to correlate with the total number of lesions and reduced brain growth, according to a research letter. Changes in disability or cognitive scores over time, however, weren’t significantly associated…
One of the things my occupational therapist uses to strengthen and improve the coordination of my hands is a type of moldable therapeutic plasticine. I call it “serious” putty, as there is nothing silly about it, and the way we “play” with it isn’t particularly fun. She has me use…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation to Hope Biosciences‘ adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HB-adMSCs) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). RMAT status is given to therapies with compelling proof that they may substantially improve patient outcomes compared with existing…
In the U.S., nearly 4 out of 5 neurologists prescribing therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) have received payments from pharmaceutical companies that market MS treatments, according to a new analysis. The findings indicate that neurologists who receive payments from a company are significantly more likely to prescribe that…
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