Iqra Mumal, MSc,  —

Health Canada has approved Novartis‘s Mayzent (siponimod) for the treatment of adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) to delay the progression of physical disability. Active disease is determined either by the presence of relapses or magnetic resonance imaging features characteristic of inflammatory activity. Multiple sclerosis (MS)…

NeurologyLive, a multimedia platform for specialists in that field, partnered with the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) for its recent video series on changes in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol and guidelines for treating and managing multiple sclerosis (MS). This “Peer Exchange” panel discussion includes four specialists in neurology…

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to Flowonix Medical’s Prometra II Programmable Pump System for use with intrathecal baclofen for the treatment of spasticity across numerous conditions, including multiple sclerosis. Intrathecal baclofen — sold as Gablofen by Piramal, Lioresal by…

Specific mutations in genes that provide instructions to make two proteins —  called C3 and C1q — are linked to increased severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research. The new finding will be presented by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researcher Peter Calabresi, MD, during…

Insomnia, and all that repeat sleepless nights mean, burden a vast majority — 85% — of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a survey of patients who are part of the Shift.MS social network in the U.K. reports. The online community of more than 30,000 people examines this symptom in…

A surgical technique known as non-continent urinary diversion is an effective last-resort solution for treating urological dysfunction in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. Titled “Outcomes of ileal conduit urinary diversion in patients with multiple sclerosis,” the study was published in the journal…

A way of detecting the density of proteins in the blood, called “magnetic levitation” or MagLev, may aid in more quickly diagnosing chronic diseases, including the particular type of multiple sclerosis suspected in a person, the scientists who developed this method report. Plasma, the liquid component of blood, is composed of…

A psychologist at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne has been awarded an incubator grant by MS Research Australia to identify ways to better detect and treat depression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The grant given to Lisa Grech, PhD, with the School of Health Sciences at Swinburne, is…

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent to Endonovo Therapeutics for Application No. 15/549,748, which covers the company’s technique and device for electromagnetic treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Endonovo has a pipeline of “Electroceuticals” — wearable, electronic, non-invasive therapeutic devices. These devices…

MedRhythms is planning to soon open a pilot clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of its MR-004, its investigational product that uses rhythmic sounds to improve walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The randomized and controlled trial, fully support by a grant…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) named four scientists the winners of its Pilot Research Award for 2019, given to support projects thought to advance the CMSC’s mission and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The awards, supported by EMD Serono (known as Merck…

People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) have a better prognosis and a slower progression to disability since the introduction of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) some 20 years ago, according to a retrospective study. The study, “Outcomes in a Modern Cohort of Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients Followed from Diagnosis Up…

Effective money management, critical to independent living, is particularly  difficult for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) affects executive thinking skills and who struggle with depression and anxiety, a study reports. The study, “Money Management in Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Cognitive, Motor, and Affective Factors,” was published in the…

Women who breastfeed have a lower rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses in the postpartum period compared to those who do not breastfeed or supplement it with regular formula, an analysis of published studies shows. The findings suggest that breastfeeding protects women from postpartum relapses, but due to the…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) across Canada are a major step closer to having access to EMD Serono’s Mavenclad (cladribine). EMD Serono, known as Merck KGaA outside of North America, has finish negotiations with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) that oversees new drugs coming in,…

The Government of Alberta is investing CA$1 million into a research project that will follow for years a group of people with multiple sclerosis — with varying disease types and at differing stages — to better understand progression in MS. The province’s contribution brings to more than CA$10 million (about…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers appear to be just as satisfied with a video evaluation given by a neurologist using telemedicine as they have been with those done through an in-person visit, a review from the American Academy of Neurology reports. The review, “Teleneurology is neurology,”…

Combining data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to better identify patterns that may underlie the cause or causes of multiple sclerosis (MS) is the focus of a novel partnership. Despite numerous advances in MS research and treatments, what causes the disease is still unknown. “Given the complexity…

GeNeuro is collaborating with clinical researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Academic Specialist Center (ASC) in Stockholm to open a new clinical trial of temelimab in people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is progressing in the absence of relapses. Fredrik Piehl, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at…

A blood-cleansing process known as immunoadsorption appears to be superior to plasma exchange in treating relapses that don’t respond to conventional steroid therapy in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a study reports. These findings were reported in “Safety and efficacy of immunoadsorption…

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics received a $495,330 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society  to support biomarker studies in its ongoing clinical trial testing the cell therapy NurOwn in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). NurOwn is a treatment based on the patients’ own bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem…

Novartis’s Mayzent (siponimod) has been approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), making it the first therapy to be approved for this use in Australia. SPMS is a form of MS that develops after the onset of…

Depression and fatigue have a more powerful influence on the overall health-related quality of life, compared to physical impairment, among patients with multiple sclerosis, a new study shows. The study, “Contributing factors to health‐related quality of life in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Brain and…

A 30-year study of outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reports that radiological findings in the first year of disease onset, and the amount of disability evident at five years, helps to predict both the likelihood of a person advancing to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and long-term survival. The study,…

Employed individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have lower work productivity, reduced health-related quality of life, and use more healthcare resources than individuals who do not have multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The study, “Burden of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis on workers in the US: a cross-sectional…

Teva Canada announced that Teva-Fingolimod 0.5 mg capsules, a bioequivalent generic version of Novartis’ Gilenya (fingolimod), are now available in Canada and approved by the country’s national health system called Health Canada. Generic medicines are chemically identical to the original branded therapy, but carry a significantly lower cost. Canadian…

A new study shows that 40% of patients in Italy and Germany who have  secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are not aware of their diagnosis, indicating a need for significant improvement in patient-physician communication.

The Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center at McLean Hospital, also known as the Brain Bank, has signed a new, potentially $12.8 million contract with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that allows it to continue to collect brain specimens from donors with a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including…

The levels of the inflammatory molecule interleukin-22 (IL-22) may be used as a potential biomarker to evaluate disease severity and the effectiveness of treatments in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study shows. The study, “Impact of interferon β-1b, interferon β-1a and fingolimod therapies on serum…

Early treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) of patients with aggressive pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis is highly effective at achieving disease activity-free status and preventing cognitive decline, a new study shows. The study, “No evidence of disease activity including cognition (NEDA-3 plus) in naïve pediatric multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab,”…