Marta Figueiredo, PhD, science writer —

In a nationwide survey of caregiver abuse and neglect among Americans with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), more than half of respondents reported some form of mistreatment, with psychological and financial abuse being the most common. Having a caregiver with a mental illness was the greatest risk factor for mistreatment, the survey…

Oral administration of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) — a natural simple sugar sold as a dietary supplement — prevents myelin degeneration and loss of motor function in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Myelin, the protective sheath around nerve fibers that helps to speed transmission of signals between nerve cells, is damaged…

Low blood levels of ferritin — the main form of iron stored in cells — are significantly associated with more severe depressive symptoms and poorer quality of life in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a small study from Poland reports. Data showed no link between the levels of other measures of…

Older age at disease-modifying therapy (DMT) discontinuation is the main predictive factor of sustained “no evidence of disease activity” (NEDA) in people starting DMT immediately after being diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), according to a study in Austria. In particular, patients discontinuing DMT at age 45 or…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $2.3 million grant to a bioengineer at Indiana University’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering to improve diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The project aims to find ways to detect disease-associated cells based on their ability…

Among oral sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators for multiple sclerosis (MS), Novartis’s Gilenya (fingolimod) remains physicians’ favorite in the U.S., but prescriptions of recently-launched Bristol Myers Squibb’s Zeposia (ozanimod) are beginning to rise, according to a survey conducted by Spherix Global Insights. Also, COVID-19 not…

After a pregnancy or childbirth, most women who went on to develop clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) did so about three years later than those who were never pregnant, a large and multicenter study reported. Multiple pregnancies or births, however, were not seen to further affect CIS onset. More research is…

Fatigue is the most impactful symptom on daily functioning in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is more severe in patients with relapse, pain, depression, and sleep disorders, according to a U.S.-based survey. The results were based mostly on a new MS-specific tool called the Fatigue Symptoms…

AB Science’s lead candidate masitinib safely and effectively delays disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to top-line data from a clinical trial. The therapy was found to significantly lower the risk of first and confirmed (three-month) disability progression, and to…

Early use of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) significantly slows shrinkage of the thalamus — a brain region involved in sensory and motor functions — in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS), according to new analyses from three Phase 3 trials that compared immediate use with a two-year…

Most children and adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), especially those treated intravenously with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT), achieve no evidence of disease activity within two years of diagnosis, according to a real-life study from the U.S. Patients whose DMTs are infused into a vein (intravenous treatment) are more likely…

Remyelination — or the restoration of lost myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve cell fibers — in multiple sclerosis (MS) depends mainly on pre-existing oligodendrocytes (myelin-producing cells), rather than on newly-generated oligodendrocytes, according to a recent study. The data also showed that perineuronal, or satellite,…

In people with multiple sclerosis (MS) under age 50, the presence of cardiovascular risk factors is associated with a greater loss of brain volume, including white and grey matter, a study showed. The brain’s white matter mainly consists of nerve fibers and is typically affected by MS, while…

Early use of high efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) is more effective than the traditional approach — that of an escalating treatment regimen — at delaying disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a real-life study from Italy reports. People later moving to more aggressive treatment also appeared…

Roche has launched a Phase 3 clinical trial program to evaluate fenebrutinib, its investigational oral BTK inhibitor, in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS). Data on fenebrutinib’s potency and selectivity, as well as the design of the clinical…

Novartis will present the latest clinical data on three of its approved multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies — Kesimpta (ofatumumab), Mayzent (siponimod), and Gilenya (fingolimod) — at the  MSVirtual2020 meeting that opens today. The 8th joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and…

Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ investigational oral therapy ponesimod is superior to Sanofi’s Aubagio (teriflunomide) in delaying disability progression in adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to exploratory analyses of OPTIMUM clinical trial data. These and other findings from Janssen’s MS research program, including on the health…

While the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the psychological well-being of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), it led to minimal changes in depression, anxiety, and quality of life, according to data from an international survey. This was true even for the 4% of patients who reported…

Switching to Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) following suboptimal treatment responses significantly lessens symptoms and leads to high rates of no evidence of disease activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from a Phase 3b clinical trial. That finding, as well as data about patients’ adherence and…

The upcoming MSVirtual2020 meeting, the largest international conference dedicated to multiple sclerosis (MS) research, will focus on advances and breakthroughs made in MS causes and risk factors, diagnostic tools, treatment response biomarkers, technology, and therapies and interventions. The 8th joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and…

Zeposia (ozanimod) oral capsules continue to safely and effectively prevent relapses and disability progression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to three-year data from a Phase 3 extension clinical trial. “Gaining insight into long-term therapeutic outcomes can enable clinicians to identify the most appropriate…

Migraine occurs in one third of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is more common among American and African patients, according to a review study. The data support previous findings suggesting this debilitating condition is more common in MS patients than in the general population. Further research is…

Two specific bacteria present together in the gut led to more immune attacks on myelin and harsher symptoms in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). These findings add to existing evidence supporting the link between gut microbiota and MS, and highlight the need to consider potential combined effects of these…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a second-generation anti-CD20 antibody, may be associated with a greater risk of infections. But it carries a lower risk of cancer and immune reactions than first-generation rituximab in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a real-life study. The higher incidence of infections linked with…

Anacardic acid, a compound found in cashew nuts, promoted myelin regeneration and eased neuronal damage and disability in two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS). These protective effects were associated with maturation of myelin-producing cells and production of IL-33, an immune-related molecule with a neuroreparative role in the central…

Lowering levels of a protein called reelin — which regulates how permeable blood vessels are to immune cells — reduced infiltration of these cells into the central nervous system (CNS), preventing neuroinflammation and disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). These data, which also showed that Reelin…

The corticosteroid methylprednisolone is detected at low, safe levels in the breast milk of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) during and after intravenous (into-the-vein) treatment for a postpartum relapse, according to a small study in Turkey. While these findings suggest that women can safely breastfeed their child during and shortly after…

Rituximab is more effective and leads to fewer treatment discontinuations in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), according to real-world data based on two years of therapy. Rituximab’s effectiveness appeared to be comparable to that of Tysabri (natalizumab), but with fewer…

Walking abilities decline earlier and faster than arm and hand function in people recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly those with progressive MS (MS), a study showed. These findings, which are consistent with those reported in a previous natural history study called NARCOMS, suggest an ascending order of…

A “prudent” diet rich in fresh fruit, non-fried fish, whole grains, vegetables, and nuts may lower the likelihood of a relapse in people with a first demyelinating event, a major risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Australia suggests. While the researchers did not find a strong link…