Diogo Pinto,  —

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has pledged $12 million to support 40 new, multi-year research projects focused on “stopping MS, restoring lost function, and ending the disease forever,” the organization announced in a press release. This commitment — the last allocation set aside for research in 2018 —…

Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals announced that it has begun enrolling healthy volunteers for a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of EHP-101, a potential cannabidiol treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and scleroderma. The randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study (ACTRN12618001390279p) will  investigate the safety and pharmacokinetics (how…

A person’s social network can have an effect on their functional disability. This is what researchers discovered when they applied an online assessment tool they developed to people at risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The tool, developed by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Broad Institute in Boston,…

A recent study found that elder individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience significantly less severe depressive symptoms and better quality of life than their younger counterparts. The research, “Subjective well-being differs with age in multiple sclerosis: A brief report,” was published in the journal Rehabilitation Psychology.

A brain training technique that helps boost processing speed was seen to significantly improve the cognitive capacity of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, as well as their ability to perform everyday activities, a pilot study shows. The study, “A Pilot Study Examining Speed of Processing Training (SPT) to Improve…

A large Phase 3 trial getting underway at sites across the U.K. will test the effectiveness of simvastatin, a widely used oral statin, in possibly treating secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), the study’s sponsor, University College of London Hospitals (UCLH), announced. The study, the largest ever undertaken for SPMS…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, better known as NICE, issued a final decision against including Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as a treatment for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in the subsidized public health system for England and Wales. The agency’s “final appraisal,” which mirrors its draft…

Active Biotech announced it has regained global development and commercialization rights over laquinimod, its investigational oral therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), from Teva Pharmaceuticals. Teva released rights to laquinimod after the company decided not to continue with its clinical development. Teva will give Active Biotech full…

Sexual problems are a frequent but unreported symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that affects other symptoms patients experience with this disease, including depression, a study reports. The study, “Factors associated with sexual dysfunction in individuals with multiple sclerosis,” published in the International Journal of MS Care. Sexual dysfunction is…

The ice water test, a tool used to evaluate the function of the bladder in patients with neurological disorders, was successfully used to identify undiagnosed cases of bladder dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers from Germany. The findings of the study, “Ice water test…

People who eat a healthy diet that includes foods such as vegetables, fish, eggs, poultry, and legumes may have a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, “A healthy dietary pattern associates with a lower risk of a first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system…

Pregnancy, including successful delivery or miscarriage, worsens symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as onset of the disease, a retrospective study shows. Researchers found the same effect of pregnancy on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), an inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination and damage of…

Changes in the brains of patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), the first clinical presentation of multiple sclerosis (MS), may be partly responsible for depressive symptoms and reduced quality of life in these patients, a study shows. The study with that finding, “Health-related quality of life, neuropsychiatric…

An MRI technique known as magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) correlated closely with the progression of slowly evolving lesions (SELs) — a specific type of multiple sclerosis lesion — in patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS). According to the researchers, monitoring changes in SELs — which indicate demyelination and loss of nerve fibers —…

Long-term exposure to three common air pollutants — fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone — were not found to be “convincingly” linked to incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a large population study conducted in Canada. The study, “Long-term exposure to air pollution and the incidence of multiple sclerosis: A…

A survey of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients that looked at their sense of social identity based on their family relations — meant to help explain mood disorders like depression and anxiety seen in this population — found a clear link between the strength of family bonds and mood, a U.K. study…

Girls given the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) vaccination, commercialized as Gardasil, showed no increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new Canadian study. The time since vaccination and the number of vaccine doses given also did not correlate with diagnoses of such disorders, supporting…

A review of data concerning the multiple sclerosis (MS) medicine Zinbryta (daclizumab) confirmed its association with the risk of developing severe and potentially fatal immune reactions in the brain, liver and other organs, according to the European Medicines Agency‘s (EMA)’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC). Zinbryta…

Sativex, a cannabis-based anti-spasticity medicine commercialized as oromucosal spray by GW Pharmaceuticals, improves the driving ability of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers. The findings were published in the journal Brain and Behavior, in a study titled “The influence of THC:CBD oromucosal spray…

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), a rehabilitation technique originally developed for stroke patients, may also be effective in improving limb use in the daily activities of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, results from a Phase 2 trial show. Findings were reported in the study, “Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial of…

A lot of people with multiple sclerosis take disease-modifying therapies to reduce the inflammation associated with the disease — but in many patients, the treatments' effectiveness wanes at a certain points. When that occurs, the question is whether to stop taking these treatments, known as DMTs. A study reports that patients' outcomes are better if they discontinue the treatments when they are over 60 years of age and when their doctors advise them to stop. The research, “Discontinuation of disease-modifying therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis over age 60,” appeared in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. By targeting the immune system, DMTs decrease inflammatory activity. But over time, inflammation decreases on its own. Some patients start to accumulate disabilities gradually, regardless of relapses and with no apparent inflammatory activity. Researchers believe that at this point the inflammation caused by MS ceases and other mechanisms drive the disease's progression. This raises the question of whether to continue taking DMTs. A patient's age and their doctor's advice should be considered when making this decision, researchers said. Studies have shown that both the frequency of relapses and the immune system's  functioning decrease with age. In addition, treatment patterns vary. A key reason is that there are no guidelines that doctors can use when treating patients over 60 with DMTs. Researchers decided to look at DMT discontinuation rates in patients over 60. The research included comparing physician- and patient-reported outcomes in those who stopped the treatment. Thirty percent or 178 of the 600 patients in the study stopping taking DMTs. Those who discontinued treatment were 2.2 years older than the others. They also had MS 3.2 years longer but had been treated 1.6 years less. Researchers used two outcome measures — patients' scores on performance scales (PS) and patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ9). Lower PS and PHQ9 indicate better outcomes. Doctors were the driving force behind 68 percent of the treatment discontinuation cases. Among those who stopped treatment, relapsing-remitting MS patients had lower PS than primary progressive patients. Also, physician-initiated discontinuation was linked to lower PS than patient-initiated discontinuation. PHQ9 scores appeared to be higher in patients who discontinued intravenous DMTs, including Tysabri (natalizumab) and Novantrone (mitoxantrone), compared with those treated with interferons. After stopping treatment, 10.7 percent of the patients went back on DMTs. Researchers found DMT discontinuation more successful when a patient's age, and not just disease stability, was taken into account. They also discovered that patients who stopped taking DMTs on their doctor's advice fared better than those who stopped on their own. "Most patients over age 60, who discontinued DMT, remained off DMT," the researchers wrote. “We hope that these results drive the discussion toward understanding the changes occurring with age in MS patients.” "This study can also offer some reassurance when considering DMT discontinuation in older MS patients," the team concluded.

Multiple sclerosis patients are among those with debilitating diseases who are most satisfied with their healthcare, two surveys indicate. Others who are satisfied include people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s, according to the questionnaire-based PatientsLikeMe research. In contrast, people with fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder…

Physical and psychiatric comorbidities in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are associated with an increased risk of experiencing more pain — namely pain intensity and pain affect. The research to support that finding, “Psychiatric and physical comorbidities and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the Journal of Pain…

AbobotulinumtoxinA, marketed as Dysport Therapeutic by Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Canada, was approved by Health Canada for the treatment of lower limb focal spasticity in adults. Focal spasticity is a medical disorder characterized by an abnormal increase in muscular stiffness in one or more muscles, and usually is the result…

Novartis and Pear Therapeutics are joining forces to develop novel prescription digital therapeutics to treat patients with schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis (MS). Digital therapeutics are software applications designed to treat diseases and improve clinical outcomes for patients. Combining Novartis’ expertise in biomedical research and clinical development with Pear’s…

Eating fish once a week, or one to three times per month along with taking daily fish oil supplements, may help lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a preliminary study shows. These findings suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish like salmon, tuna and shrimp may…