May 11, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Low Levels of APP Molecule Found in Patients With MS-related Fatigue Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue have significantly lower levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP) — a molecule involved in nerve cell function — in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) relative both to those without this common symptom and healthy people, a study shows. The CSF is the liquid…
May 10, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Biogen, MedRhythms Working on Music Therapy for MS Gait Issues Biogen has entered a licensing agreement to develop and potentially commercialize MedRhythms‘ investigational music-based digital therapy, MR-004, designed to help make walking easier for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The partnership combines Biogen’s leadership and expertise in MS with MedRhythms’ digital therapeutics platform that uses sensors, algorithms, and music…
May 10, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD B-cell-depleting Therapies May Increase Risk of Psoriasis Reports of psoriasis — an autoimmune skin disease that shares some biological processes with multiple sclerosis (MS) — are disproportionally high among MS patients on therapies that deplete B-cells, according to a U.S. study based on patient adverse event data. Conversely, patients on Tysabri (natalizumab), glatiramer acetate (sold…
May 3, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Uncertainties of MS Challenging in Scary Ways: UK Patient Survey The uncertainties that accompany multiple sclerosis (MS) are among the biggest challenges faced by people with the disease, with two-thirds of patients in a recent survey saying “they’re scared for the future” because of such unknowns, the MS Society, which conducted the U.K. survey, reports. “We may all think the…
April 29, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Survey Results Show Impact of MS in All Aspects of Life Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects all aspects of life, from physical and mental health to relationships, and from work and finances to hobbies and holidays, according to results from an online survey conducted by the U.K.’s MS Trust. Most respondents said they wanted more support to manage their fatigue, improve…
April 25, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Plegridy Found at Minimal Levels in Breast Milk, Small Study Reports Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a), an approved treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), is detected at minimal concentrations in the breast milk of patients using the therapy postpartum, a small study showed. This is in line with label updates on Plegridy and other interferon beta therapies in Europe and…
April 20, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD New Imaging Techniques May Aid MS Diagnosis, Management Physician-researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in California, are developing brain and eye imaging techniques to improve the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is characterized by the progressive loss of myelin, the fatty protective sheath around nerve fibers, in the brain and spinal cord due to abnormal…
April 19, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Atara Planning Phase 3 Trials of ATA188 in Non-active SPMS, PPMS Atara Biotherapeutics plans to launch two Phase 3 clinical trials of its investigational immunotherapy ATA188 in people with non-active, progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Whether efforts for these trials will go forward, however, depends on positive results from an interim analysis of the Phase 2 portion of the…
April 15, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD 1st RRMS Patient Dosed in Phase 1/2 Trial of Immunotherapy IMCY-0141 A Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating Imcyse’s experimental therapy IMCY-0141 in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has dosed its first patient. The trial, called IMCY-MS-001, is expected to enroll nearly 150 adults with RRMS; sites were not disclosed in a release by the Belgium-based company. Interim results may be available…
April 13, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Australia Sets Aside $18M to Support MS Trials, EBV Research The Australian government has announced that a record AU$18 million (about $13.5 million) from the Medical Research Future Fund will be used to support research into multiple sclerosis (MS) as part of its 2022–23 budget. Grant opportunities will focus on increasing access to clinical trials and speeding the development of effective…
April 12, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD 8 More SPMS Patients Cleared for Foralumab Nasal Spray Treatment Based on findings from the first two secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients given foralumab nasal spray, an experimental therapy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved starting treatment in up to eight other patients under a special access program. Those enrolled in this intermediate-size expanded access…
April 12, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD New Blood Biomarker Technology May Help to Predict MS Activity Simoa, a technology that detects relevant molecules in samples with up to 1,000 times greater sensitivity than conventional methods, has helped to advance research into a blood biomarker expected to predict future disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Specifically, Quanterix‘s ultra-sensitive technology allowed an international team…
April 5, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #AAN2022 – Long-term Evobrutinib Safe, Effective in Relapsing MS Long-term treatment with evobrutinib safely and effectively reduces the rate of relapses in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to 2.5 years of data from a Phase 2 extension study. These findings — supporting evobrutinib’s therapeutic potential in relapsing MS — were shared in an…
March 30, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD National MS Society Details Steps to Achieving Pathways to Cures The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has detailed its Pathways to Cures Roadmap and potential ways of addressing gaps and advancing each of the pathways, with a final goal of finding a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS) in all its forms. Details were in the report, “…
March 23, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD ProTEct-MS Trial Data Reinforce Previous Temelimab Studies Higher doses of temelimab were generally safe and resulted in beneficial trends on key neurodegeneration markers in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who already were on rituximab treatment, according to top-line data from the ProTEct-MS Phase 2 clinical trial. While the study’s small size…
March 15, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Foralumab as Nasal Spray Safely, Effectively Treats 1st SPMS Patient Six months of treatment with foralumab, an experimental nasal spray, safely and effectively improved motor and cognitive function while easing immune activation and inflammatory responses in a person with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), Tiziana Life Sciences, the therapy’s developer, announced. The patient — the first with MS to…
March 11, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD FDA Clears Leg-worn ‘Neural Sleeve’ to Aid Walking Cionic has received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its lightweight, leg-worn Neural Sleeve to improve walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions that affect mobility. The decision comes four months after the company submitted the device — the first to…
March 10, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD MS Trust Survey: UK Nurses Treating ‘Unsustainable’ Numbers of Patients The number of nurses in the U.K. with a specialty in multiple sclerosis (MS) care rose significantly between 2018 and 2021, but these specialists on average carry a patient caseload that’s 50% higher than recommended, as a pronounced rise in MS cases was also noted, the MS Trust reports.
March 7, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stem Cell Therapy NG-01 Shows Neuroprotective Effects in Trial Administering the stem cell therapy NG-01 — designed to have neuroprotective and neuro-regenerative properties — directly into the spinal canal can significantly reduce the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a neuronal damage biomarker, in people with active, progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These are the new…
March 4, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Masitinib Slows Disability Progression in PPMS, Non-active SPMS Masitinib, AB Science’s experimental oral therapy, significantly slows disability progression in adults with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to final data from the AB07002 Phase 2b/3 clinical trial. These findings, indicating that the trial met its main goal, support…
February 24, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Bryostatin-1, Molecule to Protect Synapses, May Move Into MS Trials Synaptogenix announced plans to advance bryostatin-1, its lead candidate, into clinical trials for multiple sclerosis (MS), marking the third neurological disease the small molecule therapy is being developed to potentially treat. “Multiple sclerosis joins Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”) and Fragile X syndrome as our third indication with potential clinical…
February 17, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Fatigue Severity in MS Predicted by Shrinkage of Certain Brain Regions Lower-than-normal volumes of certain brain regions at disease onset — indicating shrinkage, or atrophy, in those regions — are significantly associated with current and future fatigue severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Germany shows. Some of these regions also were found to be central brain…
February 14, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD EU Copaxone Label No Longer Advises Against Use During Breastfeeding The label of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) — an approved therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) — has been updated in Europe to no longer contain a warning against its use during breastfeeding. The label update follows a review by European Union health authorities of non-clinical and clinical evidence submitted…
February 10, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Weak Bones That Are Prone to Fractures May Affect Many With MS Almost half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show reduced bone density (osteopenia) and about 17% have osteoporosis, a progressive disease characterized by weak bones that are prone to fractures, a review study of data covering almost 14,000 patients reported. These findings suggest that people with MS should be monitored…
February 7, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Sweden, Like France, OKs Start of Masitinib Trial in Progressive MS The Swedish Medical Products Agency has approved AB Science’s request to launch in the country a confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial of its lead candidate masitinib in adults with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and nonactive secondary progressive MS (SPMS). The decision comes on the heels of a similar authorization by the…
February 3, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD KAT7 Enzyme Spotted as Key to Training Immune System’s T-cells KAT7, an enzyme known to regulate gene activity, is essential for the process of teaching immune T-cells to correctly identify the body’s molecules and cells as ‘self’ — a process that goes awry in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. This enzyme is also critical for training T-cells…
January 31, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Higher Risk of Long COVID Possible With MS, UK Study Suggests Nearly a third of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with COVID-19 experience symptoms that last at least one month, according to a review of of more than 550 infected MS patients in the U.K. who did not need to be hospitalized. This study’s rate is higher than that reported for the…
January 28, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Cortrophin Gel Now Widely Available in US for Acute Relapses ANI Pharmaceuticals has announced the full U.S. commercial availability of Cortrophin Gel (repository corticotropin injection), an injectable therapy approved for managing acute relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders. “Patients with certain chronic autoimmune conditions often need additional treatment options,” Mary Pao Seideman, MD,…
January 27, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD COVID Booster May Benefit Patients on Anti-CD20 Therapy Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with weak immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines are more likely to respond successfully to the booster shot if they are receiving an anti-CD20 therapy compared with those on Gilenya (fingolimod), according to a small study in Norway. These early findings suggest that booster shots…
January 17, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD 1st RRMS Patient Enrolled in ENSURE-2 Trial of Oral IMU-838 The ENSURE-2 Phase 3 clinical trial, evaluating Immunic Therapeutics’ experimental oral therapy IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), has enrolled its first patient. The milestone, announced in an email to Multiple Sclerosis News Today, follows the recruitment of the first RRMS patient in…