Author Archives: Joana Carvalho

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, together with the Lewin Group, has launched a survey to assess the economic impact multiple sclerosis (MS) has on patients and their families. In the survey, which can be found here, MS patients and/or their family members are asked to answer…

Tysabri (natalizumab) is superior to other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) at improving balance and vision, easing bladder problems and sexual dysfunction, and alleviating anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from an Australian study. The study’s findings were presented at…

Long-term treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) continues to be safe and effective at reducing the frequency of relapses and disability progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to 13-year data from a Phase 3 extension study. The study findings were presented at MSVirtual2020 by Ralf…

Continuous treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) can safely lower the risk of relapses and disability progression in children with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to interim data from the open-label extension of a Phase 3 trial. These findings were detailed at MSVirtual2020 by Tanuja Chitnis, MD,…

Cognitive problems can persist into adulthood in people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) began in childhood or adolescence, and are linked to neurological issues and delays in treatment initiation, a study reports. Early use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and of approaches designed to preserve cognition should be encouraged for pediatric…

Compared to low-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), high-efficacy medications are more effective at slowing the loss of nerve cells making up different layers of the retina — the region at the back of the eye that enables one to see — in patients with relapsing-remitting…

Before signs of neurodegeneration in the brain and spinal cord are evident in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) — which resembles human multiple sclerosis (MS) — signs can first be found in the network of nerves innervating the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a study reports. Additional research is needed…

Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using moderate- or high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before conceiving are more likely to have a relapse during pregnancy than are those taking low-efficacy DMTs or no medicines at all, a registry-based study found. This greater relapse risk during pregnancy could be reduced with…

Longer exposure to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) may delay disability progression and the time until people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) require the aid of a wheelchair, an Italian registry-based study found. The study also suggests that starting treatment with DMTs — medications that reduce the activity of…

Low doses of rituximab, an anti-inflammatory medication used off-label to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), are safer and as effective as higher doses at reducing the frequency of relapses and the number of MS lesions, a clinical study shows. The study findings were presented at MSVirtual2020 by Luciana…

Tolebrutinib (SAR442168), an investigational oral BTK inhibitor to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), was seen to prevent the loss of myelin when given to a mouse model of demyelination in a preclinical study. The investigative therapy achieves this by preventing…

Temelimab, GeNeuro’s investigative treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), showed a favorable safety profile when given alongside rituximab, according to preclinical safety experiments performed in preparation for the company’s new Phase 2 trial involving patients with relapsing MS. Data from the preclinical experiments, along with details of…

EMD Serono will present new data from programs assessing the efficacy and safety of Mavenclad (cladribine) and Rebif (interferon beta-1a), as well as investigative evobrutinib in treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) at the MSVirtual2020 meeting. Findings are part of 54 abstracts being presented by EMD Serono,…

ATA188, Atara Biotherapeutics’ investigative T-cell immunotherapy, is safe, well tolerated, and able to ease disability and improve exercise capacity in patients with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to one-year data from a Phase 1 trial and its long-term extension study. Findings also showed that, after…

Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate), a bioequivalent of Tecfidera to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now available to patients in the U.S. through a network of specialty pharmacies, Banner Life Sciences, the therapy’s developer, announced. Banner previously stated that Bafiertam would arrive on the market…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who interact with different sources of health information are more likely to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors, a study has found. A combination of in-person interactive educational workshops and practical tools to implement these concepts in daily life may be the best strategy to…

SomaCeuticals, a subsidiary of AngioSoma, has acquired exclusive global rights to a patented formula that aims to ease and possibly eliminate signs of neurodegeneration in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). By entering a licensing agreement with 7 to Stand, a Delaware corporation, SomaCeuticals gained access…

The number of new cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) possibly due to obesity in childhood and adolescence could rise by  14% in the U.S. over the next 15 years, and by 10% in the U.K., a study reported. While the worldwide risk of MS linked to obesity in early life…

Certain MRI measures of the brain and spinal cord directly associate with functional improvements in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. According to BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, these data will help in determining the benefits of NurOwn, the company’s stem cell-based…

In a $3.68 billion transaction, Sanofi is preparing to acquire Principia Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies for disorders caused by dysregulation of the immune system, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision was unanimously approved by the board of directors of…

Levels of a protein linked to inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) — called chitinase 3-like-1 (CHI3L1) — may prove to be a cerebrospinal fluid biomarker of neurologic disability in primary progressive MS (PPMS), a pilot study suggests. Higher CHI3L1 levels at PPMS diagnosis showed a…

Tysabri (natalizumab) is effective at reducing the frequency of relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and is rarely associated with poor clinical outcomes, a real-life and multiyear observational study reports. The study, “Long-term effect of natalizumab in patients with RRMS: TYSTEN…

A vast majority — 7 out of every 10 — healthcare professionals working with multiple sclerosis (MS) patients across the U.K. believe health services are failing to meet their needs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an online survey conducted by the MS Society and the MS…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to review  Osmotica Pharmaceuticals‘ amended request for the approval of arbaclofen extended release (ER) tablets to treat spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced.

The thickness of two layers of nerve cells forming the back of the eye, or retina, can be used to distinguish patients with progressing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) from those with stable disease, a study suggests. The study, “Macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer…

High levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein circulating in the blood of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at an early stage of the disease are linked to higher disability and faster disease progression, a study has found. According to researchers, these findings suggest that NfL — a…

The Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has awarded AU$7.1 million (about $4.95 million) to support two projects focused on harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to develop new ways of diagnosing and treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and mental health disorders in young people.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and its partner, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), have invested CA$1.5 million to open a clinical trial that will investigate the potential of two cannabis derivatives — cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — in treating spasticity (muscle stiffness) and other…

Immune B-cells that proliferate unchecked when infected by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) appear to increase the risk of relapses in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a mouse study suggests. The study, “Epstein Barr virus‐immortalized B lymphocytes exacerbate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in xenograft mice,” was published…

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has granted €1.2 million ($1.35 million) to support a project seeking to characterize the function of the protein TRPM4, a potential therapeutic target to prevent nerve cell injury associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to develop new drug…