July 2, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Osmotica Amends NDA for Arbaclofen ER to Treat MS Spasticity Osmotica Pharmaceuticals has submitted an amended new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting the approval of arbaclofen extended release (ER) tablets for the treatment of spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Arbaclofen ER (brand name…
July 1, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Exposure to DMTs Does Not Increase Risk of Severe COVID-19 in MS Patients, Study Finds Exposure to disease-modifying therapies does not increase multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19, according to a registry-based study. However, MS patients who are older, obese, or have severe neurological impairments have a greater risk of developing a severe form of the disease. Findings…
June 25, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD 1st Relapsing MS Patient Enrolls in Phase 3 Trial of Oral SAR442168 A first person has enrolled in Sanofi’s Phase 3 trial evaluating SAR442168, an oral BTK inhibitor intended to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), Sanofi’s partner, Principia Biopharma, announced. “We are delighted that Sanofi has initiated … [this] trial in patients with relapsing MS,” Roy Hardiman, chief…
June 23, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Adamas Stopping Further Work on ADS-5102 for Walking Problems in MS Adamas Pharmaceuticals has decided to stop further clinical development of ADS-5102 (amantadine), intended to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have difficulties with walking. The decision came after the company reviewed findings from a comprehensive analysis of…
June 19, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Gilenya May Help Control Severe Respiratory Disease in COVID-19 Gilenya (fingolimod), which works to modulate immune system activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), may benefit people with severe respiratory disease associated with COVID-19, a case report highlights. The study, “Severe COVID-19 infection in a patient with multiple sclerosis treated with fingolimod,” was published in…
June 18, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Depression 2 to 3 Times More Likely in MS Patients Than Others, Study Finds A likelihood of depression is two to three times higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S. and U.K. than in similar groups of people in these countries without the disease, a study reported. This risk was also “most evident in the first five years after MS diagnosis” among…
June 17, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Phase 3 Trial of GA Depot for Relapsing MS Advances With $20M Support Mapi Pharma, supported by an additional $20 million investment from its partner Mylan, will continue a Phase 3 trial assessing the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of GA Depot, its long-acting, once-a-month injectable formulation of glatiramer acetate. The study (NCT04121221), which opened in October 2019,…
June 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD ERT Acquires APDM With Goal of Better Data for Movement Disorder Trials ERT, which specializes in clinical trial data collection, announced it has acquired APDM Wearable Technologies (APDM), a provider of wearables and digital biomarkers, to improve the accuracy of key efficacy measures used in clinical studies of multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, and other movement disorders. A…
June 12, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Switch From Tysabri to Other DMT Raises Relapse Risk, Study Finds The risk of a relapse is two to three times higher in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who switch from Tysabri (natalizumab) to an oral or other injectable…
June 10, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Prime Signs Agreement With EMD Serono to Improve Mavenclad’s Cost-benefit Value Note: This story was updated on June 15, 2020, to clarify that the agreement allows for possible reimbursement for Prime’s health plan clients, not patients directly. Prime Therapeutics has signed an agreement with EMD Serono that may provide financial compensation for its health plan clients if their members…
June 8, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD 2 Exercise Rehab Aids Soon Available to Patients in US via ReWalk Robotics ReWalk Robotics is preparing to implement agreements allowing it to distribute in the U.S. two new neuro-rehabilitation devices for people with motor disabilities, including those with multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal cord injury, and stroke. Under these agreements, the company will become the sole U.S. distributor of…
May 29, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Ofatumumab Lowers B-cell Counts and Helps Relapsing MS Patients Reach NEDA, Data Show Ofatumumab (OMB157) elicits a strong and fast reduction in the levels of circulating immune cells in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), effectively helping to stop disease activity, according to new data from the Phase 2 APLIOS trial. The medication was also found to be more…
May 28, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD MS Diagnostic Criteria Should Be Changed to First Rule Out NMOSD, Study Says Diagnostic guidelines for multiple sclerosis (MS) should be amended to first rule out the presence of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a neurological inflammatory disease that also affects the brain and spinal cord, a study recommends. The study, “Can a Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis Be…
May 22, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Cell Transplant Restores Myelin Production in Brains of Adult Mice in MS Model Human glial progenitor cells — forerunners of nerve cells that protect and support neurons — transplanted into adult mice in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS) were seen to restore myelin production and motor function in the animals. This study and others it builds on “establish an operational…
May 14, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD FDA Grants Breakthrough Device Designation to Helius’ PoNS Device The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough device designation to Helius Medical Technologies’ portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) for the treatment of walking impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The device, which is meant to be used…
May 11, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD MMJ Can Ship Cannabis Products to US for Clinical Testing, Agencies Say MMJ International Holdings announced that it has been given clearance to ship its cannabis-based products to the U.S. for use in future clinical trials of potential cannabis-based treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease. The process was facilitated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which worked alongside…
April 27, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD US Grants Patent to MedRhythms’ Proprietary Audio Engine Used in Walking Therapy Products The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent covering the intellectual rights to MedRhythms’ proprietary audio engine, a core component of the company’s rhythmic sound products designed to improve the walking ability of adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders. The…
April 22, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Nimodipine Can Prevent Spasticity Following Spinal Cord Injury, Mouse Study Shows Nimodipine, an approved medication to prevent brain damage caused by hemorrhage, can be used to prevent spasticity following a spinal cord injury, a mouse study shows. In addition to spinal cord injury, nimodipine may be a promising treatment for neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and…
April 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Scientists Build Map of Toxic Immune Cells Contributing to Neurodegeneration in MS Scientists have built a map of the toxic immune cells that contribute to neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). Their findings may open the door to the development of new medications that protect the brain from the effects brought on by these harmful immune cells. Results were reported in the study,…
April 13, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tysabri Shows Safety, Effectiveness in Real-world RRMS Use: 10-year TOP Data Tysabri (natalizumab) is safe and shows robust, real-world effectiveness at reducing the frequency of relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), 10 years of data from a large, observational study report. Findings were reported in “Long-term safety and effectiveness of natalizumab treatment…
April 9, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Ursolic Acid, Compound in Fruit Peels, Promotes Myelin Repair, Early Study Finds Ursolic acid, a compound found in some herbs and in the peels of certain fruits, promoted nerve cell repair and restored the myelin sheath covering and protecting nerve endings in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Due to its strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory…
April 7, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Specialist Inpatient Rehabilitation Cost-effective for MS Patients in UK, Particularly in Advanced Disease Specialist inpatient rehabilitation is a cost-effective strategy that can improve the clinical outcomes of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly those at more advanced stages of the disease, a study in the United Kingdom (U.K.) found. The study, “Cost-efficiency of specialist inpatient rehabilitation for adults with…
April 3, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Ocrevus Lowers Progression Risk in More Disabled MS Patients, Study Suggests For multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with considerable disability, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) appears to lower the risk of continued progression in both relapsing and primary progressive forms of the disease, data from an exploratory and post-hoc analysis of three Phase 3 trials report. These findings were in the study, “…
March 27, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Mix of Broad and Specific Language May Help in Talking About MS Using a mix of broad diagnostic terms and more disease-specific ones may help physicians and patients to better communicate symptoms of autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS) that are not always obvious or easy to explain, a study reported. The study, “Using autoimmune strategically: Diagnostic lumping, splitting,…
March 25, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Myelin Health Depends on Steady Supply of Lipids, Study Suggests Continuous production of fatty molecules (lipids) is crucial to the maintenance of the myelin sheath that wraps nerve fibers to protect them, ensuring the transmission of electrical impulses between nerve cells, a study reported. These findings may have strong implications for treating disorders caused by myelin loss, including…
February 20, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Bone Marrow Transplant Can Replace Overactive Immune Cells, Preventing Inflammation in MS, Study Says A bone marrow transplant can remove the majority of overactive immune T cells from the central nervous system (CNS) in patients with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), allowing the body to replace them with healthy ones, a study has found. This opens up new treatment avenues to…
January 6, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Language Classes Promote Brain Health and Life Quality in RRMS Patients, Study Finds Learning a second language can bolster the health-related quality of life and mental well-being of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) by working to expand areas of the brain involved in language and damaged by MS, especially in early disease stages, a study suggests. These findings were reported in the…
December 11, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tysabri May Promote Inflammatory B-Cell Activation in MS Patients, Study Says Tysabri (natalizumab), an effective T-cell targeting treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), seems to also promote the activation of pro-inflammatory immune B-cells in people with this disease, a study found. The study, “Natalizumab promotes activation and pro-inflammatory differentiation of peripheral B cells in multiple sclerosis patients,” was published in the…
December 6, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD FDA Approves Three Generic Versions of Novartis’ Gilenya for Treating Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved three generic versions of Gilenya (fingolimod) for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). A generic is a nearly identical, lower-priced version of an original brand medication. The three generic applications approved Thursday by the…
December 6, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Signaling Protein of Intestines May Trigger Nervous System Inflammation in MS, Study Says A signaling protein (Smad7) that usually blocks the activity of a molecule called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) appears to be overactive in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to the activation and migration of immune cells from the intestine to the central nervous system, a study reports. The study,…