March 16, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Minorities With MS Voice Interest in Clinical Trials, But Concerns Evident Regardless of race or ethnicity, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) agree that clinical studies are important and show a willingness and interest in being participants, a primarily U.S. survey found. Those belonging to minority groups, however, are often deterred from taking part in MS studies for reasons that range…
February 22, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Switch From Tysabri to Moderate-efficacy DMTs Linked to Worse Disability Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) switching from Tysabri (natalizumab) to moderate-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are at a higher risk of showing signs of MS activity and experiencing disability progression than those switching to high-efficacy DMTs, a real-world study found. Based on these findings, the researchers are arguing that,…
February 18, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD New Zealand Expands Patient Access to Funded MS Treatments New Zealand will expand patient access to a list of funded treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), starting on March 1. The government health agency, PHARMAC, will extend eligibility criteria to include MS patients with expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores ranging from zero to six. EDSS is a validated…
February 10, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Progressive MS Alliance Wants Changes to Trials to Better Realize Treatments Making clinical trials more comparable, consistent, and focused on the biological mechanisms underlying the onset and development of multiple sclerosis (MS) are all key to more quickly realizing new treatments for progressive MS, according to the International Progressive MS Alliance. To attain these goals, the Alliance, a worldwide…
February 8, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD No Added Risk of Pregnancy Complications for Women With MS, Study Finds Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) are not at a higher risk than those without the disease of having pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes, requiring an emergency cesarean section (c-section), or having a preterm or stillbirth delivery, according to the results of a new study. Yet, the study’s findings…
January 28, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Newly ID’d Group of Astrocytes Seen to Help Prevent Brain Inflammation A newly identified subset of astrocytes — cells long thought to be responsible for simply providing nutrition and support to neurons — can prevent brain inflammation by promoting the destruction of pro-inflammatory immune T-cells, scientists report. Their work also found that the anti-inflammatory activity of this astrocyte subpopulation is dependent on…
January 25, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Stem Cell Transplant Can Produce Long-term Benefits in Relapsing MS Patients A stem cell transplant can prevent disability progression and maintain disease remission over long periods of time in most patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who failed to respond adequately to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study reports. The study, “Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Hematopoietic…
January 25, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD NICE Opposes Zeposia Being Added to RRMS Therapies in UK’s Health Service The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not recommend Zeposia (ozanimod) be available at low or no cost through the National Health Service (NHS) to treat adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) living in England and Wales. In a recent draft recommendation, NICE stated that …
January 20, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD New Primate Model Can Shed Light on Mechanisms Underlying Myelin Loss A new primate model uncovered by researchers can help scientists understand the immune and inflammatory processes underlying the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans, a study reports. It was already known that Japanese macaques — also called snow monkeys — can spontaneously develop encephalomyelitis (JME), a disorder that…
January 15, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Silo Pharma, University to Explore Ways of Making MS Therapies More Effective Silo Pharma has entered into a sponsored research agreement with the University of Maryland to develop and explore the potential of a targeted therapy delivery system for multiple sclerosis (MS). The company and investigators at the Baltimore university will test a targeted therapy delivery approach that…
January 13, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD GW Pharma Plans More Clinical Trials for Sativex GW Pharmaceuticals is planning to continue recruiting patients into two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of Sativex (nabiximols), an oral spray that contains cannabis extracts and is being investigated as a potential add-on therapy for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and spasticity. The company also…
January 5, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Sobek Prize Given Physician-scientist for Work in Progressive MS The 2020 Sobek Research Prize has been given to Alan J. Thompson, MD, a physician scientist with University College London, for his pioneering work in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the National MS Society announced. The prize is jointly awarded by the German National MS Society (DMSG) and…
December 22, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Plegridy as Intramuscular Injection for RRMS Approved in Europe The European Commission (EC) has approved a new, intramuscular formulation of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This new mode of administration — in which Plegridy is directly injected into the muscle, rather than under the skin (subcutaneously) — does…
December 21, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Kesimpta Available Through AllianceRx for US Patients With Relapsing MS Kesimpta (ofatumumab), the first self-administered B-cell therapy to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now available via AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, one of the largest specialty and home delivery pharmacies operating in the U.S., to patients living in the country. The specialty pharmacy — which focuses on serving…
December 17, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Progressive MS Patients Urged to Enroll in Phase 3 Trials of Tolebrutinib Investigators are looking for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) to participate in two Phase 3 clinical trials assessing the safety and effectiveness of tolebrutinib (SAR442168), an oral BTK inhibitor that is being investigated as a potential treatment, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced…
December 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD US Patients Urged to Enroll in STEP for MS Trial Assessing 2 Exercise Programs Adults with mild to moderate multiple sclerosis (MS) are being urged to participate in a new clinical trial — STEP for MS — that will assess the impact of two different exercise programs on patients’ mobility, walking abilities, and quality of life. Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research…
December 11, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD MS Patients Urged to Enroll in Clinical Trial Assessing Chronic Fatigue Treatments Adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) are being urged to enroll in a new clinical trial — now recruiting in Washington and Michigan states — that aims to assess the effectiveness of different treatments to counteract the effects of chronic fatigue. The investigators are hopeful that data from this…
December 4, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Nonprofit Surf & Turf Therapy Seeks Donations to Extend Services to More People Surf & Turf Therapy, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the quality of life of those with disabilities through non-conventional therapeutic activities, has launched a donation drive to help the organization extend its services to more people. The nonprofit led by Jillian Stewart, a licensed physical therapist,…
December 2, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tecfidera May Be Effective Option for Relapsing MS Patients Who Fail to Respond to Glatiramer Acetate Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) may be an effective treatment option for patients with early relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who fail to respond adequately to glatiramer acetate, according to a post-hoc analysis of an observational study. The findings were reported in an article, “Effectiveness…
November 17, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Scientists Create Oligodendrocytes From Stem Cells in Lab Dish in Just Three Weeks Scientists have created myelin-producing cells, called oligodendrocytes, from pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in just three weeks. They also demonstrated these lab-made oligodendrocytes were able to produce myelin — the fatty substance that normally wraps around neurons’…
November 13, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Bone Marrow Transplant Most Useful for Younger Patients, MS Society Experts Suggest A bone marrow transplant may be particularly useful for those with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who, despite treatment with high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), continue to experience relapses or show signs of new lesions, experts say. According to new recommendations from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,…
November 5, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Phase 3 Trial of Sativex, Cannabis Extract Treatment for MS Spasticity, Opens in US A Phase 3 trial is underway in the U.S. to assess the safety and efficacy of Sativex (nabiximols), an oral spray that contains cannabis extracts, in treating spasticity — muscle stiffness or spasms — associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Sativex, by…
November 3, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Beetroot Peptide May Hold Promise in Treating MS, Similar Diseases A small protein isolated from beetroot is able to block the activity of an enzyme called prolyl oligopeptidase (POP), which breaks down certain hormones and signaling molecules, and is thought to control the body’s inflammatory responses. According to the researchers, the discovery of this plant-derived protein may make possible…
November 3, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD InnoCare Cleared to Launch Phase 2 Trial to Test Orelabrutinib in RRMS Patients InnoCare Pharma is preparing to launch a Phase 2 trial to assess the safety and efficacy of orelabrutinib, its investigational Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The trial, which is expected to enroll approximately 160 patients, will be carried out in the U.S.
October 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Helius to Survey MS Users of Emilyn App in US With Gait Problems for PoNS Device Helius Medical Technologies partnered with Breakthrough Health on a project focused on understanding how people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. evaluate the therapies at their disposal in terms of how well they help their ability to walk. The collaboration will take advantage of an MS companion application, called…
October 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD New Immune Cells Therapy Found to Suppress MS Symptoms in EAE Mice Scientists developed a new therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) that prevents immune cells from exiting the lymph nodes and entering the spinal cord of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) — a condition that mimics MS in humans. The therapy, which consists of a…
October 1, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Disability Level and DMT Use Don’t Raise COVID-19 Risk, UK Study Finds When safety measures like isolation are in place, neither disease-modifying therapy (DMT) use nor greater physical disability appear to heighten the risk of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) contracting COVID-19, a large U.K. registry-based study found. Preliminary study data also suggested that these factors do not affect…
September 30, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Rituximab, Ocrevus Linked to Higher Risk of Worse COVID-19 Outcomes The use of certain disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) such as rituximab and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which lower the number of a patient’s immune B-cells, may increase the odds of developing a more severe COVID-19 disease course for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, which includes data from the…
September 29, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD FDA Approves Generic of Tecfidera for Adults With Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cipla’s dimethyl fumarate capsules, a generic version of Biogen’s Tecfidera, to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced in a press release. This generic is packaged as 120 mg or 240 mg…
September 24, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Immune Treg Cells Seen to Ease Paralysis in Mouse Model of MS Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) — immune cells that normally dampen immune and inflammatory responses by inhibiting the activity of pro-inflammatory immune cells — enabled mice in a model of multiple sclerosis to partly recover from limb and tail paralysis, scientists reported. Tregs can do this by preventing a subtype of…