September 17, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 — Ofatumumab Superior to Aubagio in Lowering Relapse Rates and Lesions, Data Show Monthly under-the-skin injections of ofatumumab are superior to Aubagio (teriflunomide) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), leading to over 50% reduction in relapse rates, and more than a 90% reduction in active brain lesions, compared with Aubagio, results from ASCLEPIOS I…
September 17, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Early Ocrevus Use Slows Disability in PPMS, Including Risk of Wheelchair Reliance Early and continuous treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) leads to a greater and more durable slowing of disability progression — seen for up to 6.5 years — in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), according to long-term data on its use in PPMS patients in a Phase 3…
September 16, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Mayzent Reduces Risk of SPMS Patients Becoming Wheelchair Bound, Data Show Mayzent (siponimod) reduces the risk of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) becoming dependent on a wheelchair, a new analysis of the EXPAND study shows. These findings further corroborate prior trial data demonstrating that Mayzent use delays disability progression and cognitive decline in SPMS patients. The results…
September 13, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplants Safe and Help Stop Progressive MS, Trial Data Show Transplanting mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is safe and can delay disease progression in people with active, progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from a single-center clinical trial conducted in Israel. Six months after the transplant, a considerable proportion of patients showed no signs of disease activity, compared to…
September 13, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Longer DMT Use and Female Sex Seen to Protect Against SPMS Conversion Women with multiple sclerosis (MS), and people who stay in a relapsing stage or use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for longer periods are less likely to transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) than others, according to a study based on the Italian MS registry. But patients whose…
September 12, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 — Promises and Warnings About Stem Cell Therapy Stem cell therapy, or stem cell transplant, is an emerging yet controversial treatment approach for multiple sclerosis (MS). While some data uphold it as one of the most efficacious MS treatments, to date there have been no controlled studies comparing it to conventional medicines and providing more robust…
September 12, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Plasma Exchange Ineffective for Treating Tysabri-associated PML, Study Shows Use of plasma exchange (PLEX) is not effective for treating progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a dangerous brain infection that has been associated with using the multiple sclerosis (MS) medicine Tysabri (natalizumab), a real-world study contends. The findings highlight the importance of  closely monitoring Tysabri users to detect…
September 11, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – MS Patients Should Be Informed about Pregnancy Risks and Family Planning, Experts Say While pregnancy does not appear to affect the disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS), questions remain about the best time to stop or resume treatment before conception and after delivery, the safety of new medications, and the importance of family planning. Pregnancy was the “hot topic” discussion today…
September 3, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Poorer Social Cognition Linked to Worse Fatigue, Depression, and Anxiety in People with MS Social cognitive deficits in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with higher levels of fatigue, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, new research conducted at the Kessler Foundation has found. Even though the study included only a small group of participants, it represents a step toward better understanding of the underlying…
August 27, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Central Vein Sign Maintains Potential as MS Diagnostic Marker, European Study Shows Detecting changes to the brain’s central vein using common magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans is a useful and accurate strategy to enhance diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. Analysis of more than 4,000 brain lesions, obtained from contrast-enhanced MRI scans collected from eight neuroimaging European…
August 23, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Rituximab Leads to ‘Dramatic’ Recovery in Boy with Aggressive RRMS, Case Study Reports Treatment with rituximab — sold as Rituxan in the U.S. by Roche and Biogen, and as MabThera by Roche in Europe — reversed disease course in a “dramatic fashion,” leading to complete remission in a 12-year-old boy with aggressive relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a case report states. The report, “…
August 22, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Lack of Progressive MS Treatments Has Several Causes, But Advances are Promising, Reviewers Contend The complexity in underlying mechanisms, a lack of representative research models, and inconsistent criteria defining therapeutic benefit are the main reasons why an effective therapy for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still lacking, researchers maintain in a review study. Nevertheless, as research continues to shed light on…
August 21, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Gilenya, Aubagio, Tysabri, Tecfidera Dominate MS Therapy Switches in Europe, Spherix Survey Finds Novartis‘ Gilenya (fingolimod), Sanofi Genzyme‘s Aubagio (teriflunomide), and Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are the top disease-modifying therapies to which patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have most frequently switched in…
August 20, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Exploring Early Treatment Strategies for RRMS: An Interview with Neurologist Daniel Ontaneda When it comes to initial treatment selection for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), there is one question that has yet to be answered: Is it better to start with potentially safer moderately effective disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) or to hit the disease immediately with a high-efficacy DMT that may be…
August 16, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Dark Rimmed Brain Lesions May Be Signal of Aggressive Disease, NIH Study Says Brain lesions appearing as dark rimmed, “smoldering” spots on imaging scans, representing active inflammation, may be a hallmark of more aggressive and disabling forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report. Using a powerful MRI brain scanner and a 3D printer, the…
August 15, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Specific Fats in Cerebrospinal Fluid of MS Patients May Be Telling Markers of Disease, Study Suggests Testing for the types of fat (lipid) molecules present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be a very useful way to diagnose and monitor the disease, a study suggests. “MS patients present a different lipid profile at the time of diagnosis” than…
August 7, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD FDA Approves Bracco’s Varibar Thin Liquid for Use in Imaging Tests for Dysphagia The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Bracco Diagnostics’ oral suspension of barium sulfate, called Varibar Thin Liquid, for use as imaging agent to detect swallowing disorders known as dysphagia, a problem common among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. In the U.S., 1 in 25 adults are estimated to…
August 6, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Research Underway on Space Station Looking at Cellular Triggers of MS and Parkinson’s An ongoing experiment at the International Space Station may help identify triggers for multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease by studying how nerve cells and immune cells interact when exposed to microgravity. Using patient-derived cells, researchers will study the way nerve cells grow, survive, and change their gene…
August 5, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Vaccines Pose No Risk of Developing MS, Large Population Study in Germany Reports Vaccines are not a risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), a large data analysis spanning more than 12,250 MS patients in Germany shows. Fewer vaccinations were given to people who — five years later — would be diagnosed with MS, compared to those who would be diagnosed with…
August 1, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Oral Vumerity Easier on Gastrointestinal Tract Than Tecfidera, Phase 3 Trial Finds Fewer and less severe gastrointestinal (GI) side effects were evident in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients taking the investigational oral treatment Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) twice a day compared to those using Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), topline data from the EVOLVE-MS-2 trial show. Vumerity is a fumarate compound being developed…
July 30, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Ponesimod Fares Well in Phase 3 Trial for Relapsing MS, Janssen Announces Janssen has announced positive, top-line results from its Phase 3 OPTIMUM study, testing the effectiveness and safety of ponesimod tablets, compared to Sanofi‘s Aubagio (teriflunomide), in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study met its primary goal — a reduction in the…
July 29, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD $1.83M NIH Grant Supports Trial into STEM, Learning and Memory Training for Adults with MS The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $1.83 million grant to a Kessler Foundation researcher leading a clinical trial to test if a month-long cognitive training program can improve learning and memory in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of the Centers…
July 26, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Neuronal Circuit Likely Behind Chronic Itch in MS and Other Diseases Identified The nerve cell circuit, stretching from the skin to the spinal cord, that is likely responsible for the persistent itching sensation  that can afflict people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions was identified in a study.
July 25, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Abundant T-helper Cells Evident in MS Patients May Cause Inflammation, Study Reports Scientists identified and “fingerprinted” a group of T-helper cells that are unusually numerous in the blood and central nervous system of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and may be the reason behind the neuroinflammation seen in these patients. This T-cell population carries specific markers involved in the transmission…
July 22, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Damage to ‘Projection Neurons’ in MS Possible Cause of Brain Atrophy, Study Says Projection neurons, a specific type of nerve cell, are prone to damage in the brain of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and could be at the root of brain atrophy (shrinkage) and the cognitive changes seen in patients. Looking at individual cells in the brain, scientists found…
July 18, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Specific Lipids in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Progressive MS Patients Rob Neurons of Energy, Study Finds The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) contains elevated levels of specific fatty molecules that disrupt the energy “powerhouses” of nerve cells, and appear to underlie the neurodegeneration seen on brain scans of these patients, a study reveals. The research, which compared the CSF…
July 17, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Phase 3 Trial of Ibudilast Planned for SPMS Patients with Inactive Disease, MediciNova Says A Phase 3 trial is planned to confirm the safety and efficacy of oral ibudilast (MN-166) in treating people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) without relapses, or those whose disease is not active, MediciNova announced. Data from this single Phase 3 study may be used to request…
July 15, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD MS Possibly Linked to Greater Cancer Risk in Large, But Preliminary Norwegian Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have a greater overall risk of developing cancer than the general population, according to the results of a 58-year follow-up study of nearly 7,000 patients in Norway. Risk seems particularly high for cancers in respiratory organs, urinary organs, and the central nervous system.
July 11, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD UK Researchers Pursuing Breath Test to Diagnose MS Scientists at the University of Huddersfield, U.K., are trying to develop a breath test to detect volatile molecules exhaled only by people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Doing so might offer a non-invasive and simple way to diagnose the disease. The research team now plans to undertake…
July 9, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Cannabidiol-based Oral Treatment Seen to Promote Remyelination in Mice, Trial Planned in MS Patients EHP-101, a cannabidiol-based experimental therapy for multiple sclerosis, was able to recover myelin in damaged nerve fibers and lessen neuroinflammation in a mouse model of MS, data show. Emerald Health Therapeutics, the manufacturer of EHP-101, also announced plans to open Phase 2 clinical trials in patients by…