June 24, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Uncontrolled Hypertension More Likely in Black Americans With MS Black Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher chance of having uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension), despite being more likely to receive anti-hypertensive medication than white patients, a large study found. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and…
June 15, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD High Immune Cell Counts in Blood May Be Linked to MS, Study Finds Higher numbers of immune cells circulating in the bloodstream may mean a greater likelihood of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study based on a large pool of genetic data in people of European ancestry. One particular type of immune cell, called natural killer (NK) cells, was linked…
June 14, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Dysport Wins Positive Opinion in Europe for Treating Bladder Issues Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA), a form of purified botulinum toxin, has received a positive opinion in Europe for managing urinary incontinence in adults with neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO), or overactive bladder. The opinion is specifically for those who experience bladder issues due to multiple sclerosis (MS) or spinal cord…
May 9, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Past Childhood Abuse Linked to Increased MS Risk in Norwegian Study Women who were exposed toĀ sexual or emotional abuse as children may be at an increased risk of developingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, according to a large study in Norway. The risk was even higher among patients who experienced a combination of two or more types of abuse in…
April 6, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD UCSF Researcher Earns Scientific Breakthrough Award This yearās Scientific Breakthrough Award, funded by the American Brain Foundation, has been awarded to Stephen Hauser, MD, for helping to understand the genetic basis, immune processes, and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The award recognizes the work of an individual or a team whose research has contributed…
April 4, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 Not Linked to Long-term Worsening of RRMS: Iranian Study COVID-19 does not seem to be linked to increased disability worsening or more relapses in the long term for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), an Iranian study suggests. The study was relatively small, the researchers noted, indicating that more research is needed in the future to determine the…
March 25, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS Research Prize Goes to Barcelona Neurologist A researcher in Barcelona, Spain, has been chosen to receive the 2022 John Dystel Prize for his work advancing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The $40,000 prize, given jointly by the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), will be…
March 14, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD PIPE-307, Aiming to Restore Myelin, Found Safe in Phase 1 Trial PIPE-307, an investigational myelin-restoring medication being developed by Pipeline Therapeutics for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), appears to be safe and well tolerated in healthy adults. The results are from a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04725175) that evaluated the safety and tolerability of PIPE-307 in 70…
February 11, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Blood Stem Cell Transplant May Help Immune System Longer Treatment with an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) seems to reboot the immune system in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients for at least three years, a small study found. The study, āSustained immunotolerance in multiple sclerosis after stem cell transplant,ā was published in Annals of Clinical and…
February 4, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Researcher Will Use Award to Find Biomarkers of RIS in Children This yearās Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Award, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, has gone to a Yale University researcher who is searching for biomarkers of radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) in children. RIS occurs when imaging findings on MRI scans are similar to those seen in people…
January 25, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Tevogen to Develop T-cell Therapy That Might Prevent EBV Infection Tevogen Bio is planning to make use of its virus-fighting immune cell technology and turn it against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus thought to greatly increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). The technology employs off-the-shelf cytotoxic T-cells ā a type of white blood cell that can…
January 21, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Real-World Data Shows Tecfidera Comparable to Gilenya at Preventing Relapses Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) appears to have similar benefits to Gilenya (fingolimod) in preventing relapses and the loss of motor function and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study with real-world data found. The two medications also led to similar findings on MRI scans, including in…
January 18, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Gilenya Shows Long-term Efficacy, Safety in Real-world RRMS Study Long-term treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) in routine clinical practice is safe and effective for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a five-year study in Germany of more than 4,000 patients reported. Over time, relapses in the majority of study patients who continued with Gilenya became less common and less severe,…
December 31, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Cognition-targeted Exercise May Boost CBTās Easing of Fatigue Cognition-targeting exercise, when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) ā a type of talk therapy ā may further ease fatigue and other symptoms in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a study found. The study, āThe added value of cognition-targeted exercise versus symptom-targeted exercise for multiple sclerosis fatigue: A randomized…
December 28, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Donations to MS Society of Canada Triple in Value Through Dec. 31 Donations to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada through the end of this year will be double matched, meaning each donation will go three times as far in supporting Canadians with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in advancing research into the disease. All donations received until midnight on Dec.
December 21, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Higher Genetic Risk for MS Linked to Disease Onset at Younger Ages People with a higher genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) are significantly more likely to develop the disease at an earlier age, a large study found. Specifically, those with the highest genetic risk were on average five years younger at the time their symptoms started than those with the…
December 21, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Cortrophin Gel Now Available in US at AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Cortrophin Gel (repository corticotropin injection), an injectable gel medication approved for acute flares in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic autoimmune diseases, is now available through the AllianceRx Walgreens Prime specialty pharmacy to patients living in the U.S. First approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…
December 9, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Sensorimotor Exercise Linked to Better Overall Quality of Life Sensorimotor exercise, which aims to improve the neuromuscular system with reduced pressure interventions, such as robotic-assisted training or aquatic exercises, was found to have the greatest total benefits on both mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, aerobic exercises ā such…
December 6, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD OTC Melatonin Improves Sleep Quality in MS Patients, Trial Finds Taking the hormone melatonin may increase overall sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a clinical trial found. The compound, available as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, was particularly effective at extending sleep time in patients. Of note, sleep time decreased with age, meaning that āyounger participants may have…
November 24, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Mynd Tests MAP, Blood Biomarker for MS Diagnosis Mynd Diagnostics is launching a clinical study to test the ability of a blood biomarker, which the company coined Mynd anti-inflammatory peptide (MAP), to help in the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Starting in the first quarter of 2022, the company will collect blood samples from diagnosed patients…
November 22, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects With MS Similar to Public at Large Side effects upon receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) are similar to those reported in the general population, and patients on certain disease-modifying therapies are less likely to have vaccine reactions,Ā a survey-based study found. The findings provide āa reassuring pictureā for those who feel hesitant about…
November 4, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Analysis Finds Acthar Gel Cost-effective for MS Relapses Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) was found to be a cost-effective treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experiencing a relapse, according to an economic analysis. Notably, the economic value of Acthar Gel was greater than that of alternative treatments āĀ plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin ā from the…
October 26, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Owlytics’ MS Smartwatch Goes Through First Validation Stage Owlytics Healthcare, in partnership with Tel-Aviv Medical Center in Israel, has taken its smartwatch ā designed to monitor symptoms ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) from afar ā through a first stage of validation. The smartwatch, worn on the wrist, collects a continuous stream of personal health data that are sent to…
October 8, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Australian Council Supports Research Into MS Risk Factors, Falls Australiaās National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is giving a total of AU$6.75 million (about $5 million) in grants to advance research into multiple sclerosis (MS), including risk factors for the disease, preventing falls, and harnessing viral-immune system interactions to improve patients’ lives. The threeĀ investigator grants,…
September 28, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Having MS Did Not Increase Risk of Severe COVID-19 in German Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are not at greater risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes, according to a study of more than 150,000 hospitalized people in Germany. The study, āMultiple sclerosis is not associated with an increased risk for severe COVID-19: a nationwide retrospective cross-sectional study from Germany,ā was…
September 10, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Vibration Training Also Seen to Aid Cognition and Life Quality in Study A six-week program, called vibration training ā in which people stand on a vibrating platform for short periods of time ā eased disability and improved cognitive abilities and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a small randomized study found. The program was also well accepted and…
August 24, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS Society to Hold Black MS Experience Summit The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will host the second edition of its Black MS Experience Summit, a virtual event to help forge connections among those who understand the experience of living with multiple sclerosis (MS) as a Black person. Register hereĀ to join the interactive, two-day…
August 20, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Barriers Limit Sativex Access for Patients With Spasticity in UK Sativex (nabiximols), a cannabis-based oral spray approved in the U.K. to ease spasticity ā or muscle stiffness and spasms ā in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), remains unavailable to many patients there, according to a report by the MS Society UK. Sativex is the only licensed…
July 29, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Brain Structures Tied to Worse Memory in Pediatric-onset MS People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) in childhood have more difficulty recognizing words and faces than healthy individuals, a small study found. The volume of certain structures of the limbic system ā a part of the brain involved in memory and emotion ā is smaller in those with MS,…
July 23, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Skin Reactions ‘Frequent’ With Mavenclad, Real-world Study Finds Skin reactions are common amongĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients being treated with oral Mavenclad (cladribine), affecting about one-third of the people evaluated inĀ a real-world study in Germany. These findings suggest the need for careful clinical surveillance to rapidly diagnose and possibly treat skin problems stemming from Mavenclad’s use,…