Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Vaccination does not increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and adolescents within five years, a study found. Instead, there was a trend toward a lower risk of pediatric-onset MS in vaccinated children. This in line with earlier findings that vaccination is not a risk factor for…

Nabiximols and other cannabis-based preparations sometimes used with multiple sclerosis (MS) appear to work well for controlling spasticity, a common disease symptom that occurs when muscles stiffen or tighten, a meta-analysis of findings in published studies reported. Larger studies into cannabis-based treatments of spasticity for these patients…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who undergo an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) — which uses a patient’s own stem cells — face unique physical and emotional challenges at every stage of the process, from balancing hope and fear when deciding on moving forward with the treatment…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared an extended version of Neurophet Aqua, an MRI analysis software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to measure disease-related changes in brain scans. Earlier clearance enabled Neurophet‘s software to analyze brain atrophy using T1-weighed MRI scans in people with neurodegenerative conditions.

A large majority of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who received Tysabri (natalizumab) in a real-world setting experienced no evidence of disease activity for as long as six years, according to a study from a single center in Hungary. No evidence of disease activity, known as NEDA-3,…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are primarily admitted to the hospital due to urinary tract infections, which indicates that bladder problems need to be better managed in this population, a study shows. Neurological problems without an identifiable cause came second among the reasons for admission to a hospital,…

Backed by a $1 million grant, researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio will explore ways to keep astrocytes in check, protecting the nervous system from damage due to multiple sclerosis (MS). These star-shaped cells of the brain and spinal cord go awry and become toxic in this…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is awarding a total of $4.6 million in funding to advance research into how the protective myelin sheath that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) can be repaired — a step toward developing new treatments for the disease. Five research projects have been chosen…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who better adhere to an at-home therapy regimen with the PoNS device — which provides electrical stimulation to the brain and is approved for use in combination with physical rehabilitation — may experience greater improvements in walking function. That’s according to early data…

The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) has received a $100,000 donation from EMD Serono, known as Merck Kgaa outside North America, to honor the foundation’s late CEO June Halper by supporting a nursing scholarship fund in her memory. Halper was a former nurse practitioner…

Anti-CD20 therapies like Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and rituximab appear to be ineffective at slowing disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a form of the disease characterized by symptoms that steadily worsen over time, according to data from a real-world study in France. The study,…

A revised version of the McDonald criteria, a set of guidelines used to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS), is expected to include additional features that will help doctors make an accurate diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease, even if patients have yet to manifest clinical symptoms. The…

Daily treatment with high-dose simvastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering medication, failed to slow disability progression in adults with secondary progressive disease or SPMS, according to top-line data from a Phase 3 clinical study. Jeremy Chataway, PhD, a professor of neurology at University College London (UCL) in the U.K.,…

Taking high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D) as a supplement is safe and can nearly double the time it takes for people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a first manifestation of neurological symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS), to experience new disease activity. That’s according to data from D-Lay-MS…

A short course of treatment with Mavenclad (cladribine) can provide long-term reductions in disease activity and disability progression for as long as four years in adults with highly active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new data from the MAGNIFY-MS studies. The majority of patients had…

Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS), wherein mild electrical impulses are applied to the tibial nerve located near the ankle, may help with sexual dysfunction related to multiple sclerosis (MS) in both men and women, a study suggests. The study, “Tibial nerve stimulation in the management of primary sexual…

Rituximab, which is sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), doubles the risk of hospital-treated infections, but may prevent worsening disability better than some approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a Swedish study finds. Hospital-treated infections were significantly associated with a higher risk of relapse-independent disability worsening among relapsing-remitting…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are about half as likely as those without the disease to have signs of the amyloid-beta plaques in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in the U.S. “Our findings imply that some component of the biology…

Methylphenidate, a stimulant sometimes used to manage fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS), may also ease oculomotor (eye movement) symptoms and increase how quickly the brain processes visual information, according to a pilot study by Kessler Foundation in New Jersey. “Our findings suggest that methylphenidate could be a beneficial…

Can Do Multiple Sclerosis is putting together a two-day program to help newly or recently diagnosed patients and their caregivers learn more about multiple sclerosis (MS), meet others with the disease, and find strategies to adapt to a new lifestyle. Called Take Charge, the free program will…

Nearly one year of treatment with frexalimab, an antibody being developed by Sanofi, significantly reduced the blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve cell damage that typically is elevated in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from a company-sponsored…

Two inverse vaccines from Nykode Therapeutics — developed to teach the immune system not to respond against its own body — worked to reduce disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. This adds to earlier findings that the company’s experimental approach and…

Siemens Healthineers has received the CE mark in Europe for a lab-based blood test that measures the levels of neurofilament light chain, known as NfL — a protein that gets released into the bloodstream upon damage to nerve cells — in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis…

TG Therapeutics is conducting two post-marketing studies to determine how safe Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) is among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as their babies. The goal is to generate data on the use of Briumvi during pregnancy and lactation…

The Neural Sleeve developed by Cionic significantly reduced foot drop, which is a difficulty lifting the foot that often causes people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to drag their toes when they walk. The lightweight bionic garment is cleared in the U.S. to improve mobility in MS. In…

Alexander Gow, PhD, a professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, has been awarded a grant to study how stressed oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce myelin in the brain and spinal cord, could be at the origin of multiple sclerosis (MS). The three-year, $644,827 grant from…

For people who develop multiple sclerosis (MS), the disease can exact a toll on their ability to work and on how much they earn in the private sector, according to a study by researchers in France, who said policies need to be enacted to replace lost income. “The effects…

There’s no evidence to suggest that multiple sclerosis (MS) directly causes most cancers, but having the condition may marginally increase the likelihood of developing cervical cancer, according to a new study from China. That study found “no causal relationship between MS and 15 types of cancers except cervical cancer,”…

A subcutaneous (under-the-skin) formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) helped most adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) remain free of clinical relapses and new or worsening brain lesions, according to one-year data from the Phase 3 OCARINA II study. Given twice a year as a 10-minute injection, this formulation of Ocrevus…

Viatris has launched a generic version of low-dose Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) in the Canadian market for the treatment of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who retain the ability to walk. Called Glatiramer Acetate Injection 20 mg/mL, the product was approved in Canada as a generic of…