October 9, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Mental health can trouble MS patients 5 years before diagnosis Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are nearly twice as common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the five years preceding disease onset than they are in the general public, a study reports. These findings add to growing evidence that people with MS often go through a…
October 6, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD How well MS patients adhere to treatment tied to certain factors People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experience a greater number of more severe flare-ups, also known as relapses, are more likely to take their medications regularly, but less likely to keep taking them over time, a review study has found. Other factors associated with better treatment adherence and persistence…
September 27, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Brain volume loss helps in judging DMT efficacy in RRMS: Review The rate of brain atrophy, or volume loss, may help in determining whether disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are slowing disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a review of data from 12 published studies found. The analysis, āBrain Atrophy as an Outcome of Disease-Modifying Therapy for…
September 26, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 vaccines safe, do not worsen MS symptoms: Study Certain COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to worsen the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and may provide protection for at least six months after a booster dose, according to a study in Spain. The study specifically examined mRNA vaccines, or those that use a piece of RNA to teach…
September 18, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS patients with Shields Health Solutions have $10 copay for care People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. who have access to a Shields Health Solutions care model pay an average $10 out of pocket each month for their MS treatments, according to the company ā which noted that this amount is considerably less than the national average…
September 5, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS Australia awards incubator grants to four research projects Four researchers working in multiple sclerosis (MS) were awarded incubator grants in MS Australiaās latest funding round, which theyāll use to kickstart projects designed to better understand the progressive neurodegenerative disease. Worth a total of AU$92,565, or roughly $60,000, this round of incubator grants provides seed funding…
August 24, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Using highly effective DMTs early linked to fewer relapses in children Children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) early on are significantly less likely to experience a relapse than those given a less efficacious drug, a real-world study found. While most patients on moderate-efficacy therapies eventually switched to a more effective one, a…
August 21, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD EMBOLD data covering over 90 MS patients now due in November Atara Biotherapeutics now is planning to announce in November the one-year data from its EMBOLD Phase 1/2 study, which is testing the company’s experimental treatment ATA188 for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The results, originally expected in October, will cover the trial’s primary endpoint of…
August 2, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Gilenya generic safe and effective, adherence good: Real-world study A generic equivalent of oral Gilenya (fingolimod) significantly lowers relapse rates, slows disability progression, and works against new lesions developing in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a real-world study in Turkey. Feedback from patients also was favorable, with most being satisfied with the generic treatment…
July 28, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Using Copaxone while breastfeeding safe for infants: Study Infants breastfed by mothers on Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) do not experience more adverse events, hospitalizations, or need more antibiotics for the first 1.5 years than those in the general infant population. That conclusion comes from new analyses of data from COBRA,…
July 21, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Early disability tied to higher risk of secondary progressive MS: Study Experiencing disability in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), even without relapses, increases the risk of progression to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a more severe form of the disease, a large study finds. Starting a disease-modifying therapy early on in the disease may decrease the SPMS…
July 19, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Adhering to treatment is linked to better long-term outcomes People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who take their prescribed disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as recommended have better long-term health outcomes and lower healthcare costs than those who donāt, a U.S. study finds. Adhering to treatment can help reduce relapses, slow disease progression, and reduce the economic burden on both…
July 6, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Kesimpta reduces relapses, brain lesions for up to 5 years: Study Up to five years of treatment with Kesimpta (ofatumumab) continues to keep the number of relapses and brain lesions low in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), with most patients showing no evidence of disease activity. These are new data from the ongoing ALITHIOS study…
June 29, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Ocrevus keeps MS activity stable after stopping Tysabri: Study Switching from Tysabri (natalizumab) to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) does not appear to increase disease activity in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and stable disease, with most patients continuing to show no relapses or brain imaging findings one year after the transition, a clinical study shows.
June 28, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Early use of high-efficacy DMTs may keep patients on therapy longer Starting treatment with a high-efficacy disease-modifying therapy (DMT), rather than one with lesser efficacy, may reduce the number of times people with multiple sclerosis (MS) switch therapies due to a lack of effectiveness, a study of survey responses from doctors suggests. High-efficacy DMTs often are perceived to have…
June 26, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Education found to help with MS treatment adherence in Iran An educational intervention program was found to help improve treatment adherence among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving injectable therapies in a clinical trial in Iran. The program was designed based on the theory of planned behavior ā a psychological premise that assumes people act rationally according to their…
June 22, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD For women with MS, finding coping strategies for sex is more satisfying The sexual satisfaction of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) improved when they actively sought out ways to deal with the practical challenges related to sexuality instead of just relying on managing their emotions, a study finds. It’s therefore important for women with MS to consider a problem-focused coping strategy…
June 12, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD FDA clears way for Phase 1 study of PIPE-791 in healthy volunteers Pipeline Therapeutics will soon launch a Phase 1 clinical study to test PIPE-791, one of its candidate treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers. The announcement follows a go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an investigational new drug (IND) application to initiate clinical…
June 1, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Stress in MS linked to worse disability, more burden in US survey Being exposed to stress as children or adults makes it more likely that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will experience more disability and/or a heavier burden from relapses, according to a new survey study of more than 700 people in the U.S. āMS is the leading cause of non-traumatic…
May 26, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Fertility rates about 2 times lower in women with MS: Study in Italy While fertility rates in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been increasing over time, they remain about two times lower than in the general population, a study in Italy has found. āThere is a large gap in fertility between women with MS and the general population that needs to…
May 15, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD 1st group of healthy volunteers dosed in Phase 1 trial of ‘Lucid-MS’ FSD Pharma has completed dosing in the first group of healthy volunteers enrolled in its Phase 1 clinical trial testing Lucid-21-302, an oral medication candidate for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS). The medication, also known as Lucid-MS, was first given to a sentinel subject ā one…
May 8, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Myeloid cells with added ‘backpack’ may help halt MS inflammation Attaching a kind of molecule backpack to myeloid cells ā a type of immune cells involved in the inflammatory attack that drives multiple sclerosis (MS) ā may help to halt inflammation and damage in the brain in MS by modulating immune cell activity, a study…
April 24, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Region in Japan sees steady increase in MS prevalence over 20 years Tokachi, a region in northern Japan, has seen a steady increase in the prevalence or proportion of people in the population living with multiple sclerosis (MS) over the past two decades, a recent study found. Data show the disease has also become more common in women in northern…
April 20, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD First participant completes dosing in Phase 1 Lucid-MS trial The first participant has completed dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial testing FSD Pharma‘s Lucid-21-302, an experimental oral medication for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers. After receiving a green light from Health Canada to launch the first-in-human trial, the company began by…
April 18, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Vitamin D at high dose doesn’t lower MS relapse risk, Phase 3 trial finds A high-dose vitamin D supplement did not reduce the risk of relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) already using a disease-modifying therapy to control disease activity, according to findings of a Phase 3 clinical trial. The VIDAMS study (NCT01490502) ā standing for Vitamin D…
April 11, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Lemtrada aids cognitive skills, eases depression in real-world MS study One year of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) significantly improved cognitive abilities, particularly with processing speed, and eased depression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a small real-world study reported. Most of the 39 patients (92%) evaluated after that treatment year showed either stable or improved…
April 6, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Women with MS at higher risk of having premature, smaller babies Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have a higher risk of giving birth to premature or smaller babies, but it’s unclear if using MS medications during pregnancy has an effect on the babyās health, according to a systematic review. The long-term health outcomes of children whose mothers have…
April 4, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD CHMP favors Briumvi for approval to treat relapsing forms of MS in EU An arm of the European Medicines Agency favors the approval of Briumvi (ublituximab) to treat adults with active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) across theĀ European Union (EU). The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) opinion is based on data from twin Phase 3 trials,…
April 4, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Sensoready Pen easier to use for MS therapy than other devices: Survey Both people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their nurses prefer the Sensoready Pen for administering Kesimpta (ofatumumab) ā an approved MS treatment that’s injected subcutaneously, or under the skin ā mostly because it’s easier to use than other available devices, a survey study found. With this pen āpatients…
March 30, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Tiziana to launch clinical trial for MS therapy foralumab in late 2023 Tiziana Life Sciences plans to launch a Phase 2 clinical trial to investigate its foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in late 2023, the company announced. The decision follows a Type C meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), wherein…