Marta Figueiredo, PhD, managing science editor —

Prescriptions of Roche’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients initiating or switching a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) continue to rise in Europe, according to a survey conducted by Spherix Global Insights. Ocrevus, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody administered directly into a vein, was approved in the European Union to treat active forms…

Changing the gut’s microbial community (microbiota) with antibiotics prevented the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), but not its progression after the disease was established, data from a mouse model of the disease show. These findings support evidence that microbiota manipulations affect inflammatory immune responses involved in MS development, but…

Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) and Avonex (interferon beta-1a), both by Biogen, may be used — if necessary — by women with relapsing multiple sclerosis who are pregnant or breastfeeding, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in updating prescribing information for these MS treatments. Due to the limited…

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended Zeposia (ozanimod) oral capsules to be approved in the European Union (EU) to treat adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Opinions released by CHMP, an arm of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), are generally accepted by the European Commission,…

Researchers developed a way of reprograming cells to use synthetic materials — provided by the team — to create artificial, working structures within or about the cells. This approach may be a way to reprogram nerve cells to produce myelin-like protective polymers — large molecules made of many repeating…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zeposia (ozanimod) oral capsules to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), including relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS),  active secondary progressive MS (SPMS), and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, when it will arrive in clinics…

Older age at onset and evidence of active disease, like clinical relapses or inflammatory brain lesions, significantly increase the likelihood of  faster disability progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a natural history study suggests. These findings — which included active disease being seen in 31% of the 178…

Monthly under-the-skin injections of Novartis’ investigational candidate ofatumumab show promise as a convenient, effective, and safe therapeutic option for people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Data from the ASCLEPIOS and APLIOS clinical trials showed that ofatumumab — currently under regulatory review for possible approval in the U.S. and Europe…

Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals’ investigational cannabidiol-derived EHP-101 continues to show potential to ease inflammation and myelin loss (demyelination) — a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) — according to data from healthy volunteers and a mouse model of MS. The data support the advance of EHP-101’s clinical development into…

Placing a feeding tube before age 50 in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with dysphagia, or difficulties swallowing, may extent their life by more than two years, a study suggests. These findings may help doctors and patients with decisions about feeding tube use, but more work is needed to better understand…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to allow Myeliviz, an imaging agent of myelin — the protective layer that covers nerve fibers and is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) — to be evaluated in a clinical trial with healthy volunteers. Myeliviz, created by Case Western Reserve University researchers, has the potential…

The European Commission has approved Novartis‘s Mayzent (siponimod) as the first oral treatment for adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Active SPMS is defined by the presence of evident relapses or the detection of inflammatory activity in brain lesions on imaging scans. “As the only indicated oral therapy proven for…

The high cost of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS), and the challenging process of insurance approval, lead to treatment gaps or alterations, increased symptoms, and sacrifices in lifestyle, a survey from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) shows. “People with MS are paying the price, not…

Recovering well after a first relapse and starting a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) immediately afterward considerably increases the likelihood of slowing progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. Its findings support relapse recovery as a critical factor for DMT initiation, and one that should be assessed routinely in MS…

A common mutation in the fat-mass obesity (FTO) gene is associated with obesity and increased disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a Kuwaiti study. The data, which showed no link between this mutation and an increased risk of MS, highlights the need for more studies about…

Probiotics show potential to prevent and delay the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) by changing immune and inflammatory responses, according to a review study. Data further support the link between the gut’s microbial community (microbiota) and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and neurodegenerative diseases. However, large-scale clinical…

Pregnancy does not lead to long-term changes in the disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. This work, which emphasizes the importance of careful data analysis, supports studies disputing previous beliefs that pregnancy worsened or lessened the long-term disease course of MS. The findings were presented by Mar Tintore,…

Long-term treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) corrects the defective immune balance characteristic of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study has found. The study also identified more than 200 genes with significantly different activity between complete and partial responders to IFN-beta treatment, which could be used to identify which…

A specific mutation in the FOXP3 gene, one already linked to multiple sclerosis in the Iranian population, was now also seen to increase the risk of MS in Brazilian women, a study reports. This mutation is also associated with higher-than-normal levels of TGF-β1, an anti-inflammatory molecule, a finding that requires…

Physical symptoms and poorer coping mechanisms are major risk factors for unemployment in younger and older people with multiple sclerosis (MS), while psychological problems have the greatest impact in middle-aged patients’ unemployment, a study suggests. These findings highlight that unemployment risk factors vary with age and call for interventions…

Higher intellectual ability and physical activity during childhood and adolescence may help protect against the development of cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study suggests. These findings, though preliminary, suggest that intellectual enrichment and early-life physical activity may reduce the likelihood of developing cognitive deficits…

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) — a molecule with potent blood vessel-narrowing (vasoconstrictive) properties — may be used as a biomarker of severity for optic neuritis in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a small Italian study suggests. The molecule also may be a potential indicator of patients’ failure to recover…

Blocking production of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) — involved in inflammatory and immune responses — specifically in myelin repair cells halts neuroinflammation and promotes myelin repair, a preclinical study shows. These results, from two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), shed light on the underlying mechanisms…

Brain inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) hijacks immature myelin repair cells, not only preventing myelin restoration but also promoting sustained inflammation and immune attacks against myelin, a preclinical study shows.

Scientists may have found a way to manipulate T-helper 17 (Th17) cells so as to lower their ability to trigger inflammation, delaying the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model and slowing its progression without affecting the entire immune system. Their findings may lead to new treatments with fewer…

Persistent fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with damage in specific areas of the brain, regardless of depression symptoms, a study shows. The study, “Microstructural fronto-striatal and temporo-insular alterations are associated with fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis independent of white…

A Phase 1 clinical trial found T20K, Cyxone’s investigational plant protein-derived treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), to be safe and well-tolerated in healthy men, and raising the possibility that it might work at low doses, the company announced. A next step is to develop an oral formulation for the…

Tysabri (natalizumab) was reported in a small retrospective study to significantly improve cognitive abilities in people with relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS) over two years of use. The study, “Improvement in Cognitive Function as Measured by NeuroTrax in Patients with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated with Natalizumab: A 2-Year…

Spasticity scales may be insufficient to reflect the actual benefits of Sativex (nabiximols) treatment on spasticity symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small case series study. The results support the need to conduct a more extensive and functional examination to clarify treatment responses and help…

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Gilenya (fingolimod) are equally effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but Tecfidera shows higher rates of discontinuation, according to a real-world study. The study, “Discontinuation and comparative effectiveness of dimethyl fumarate and fingolimod in 2 centers,” was published in the journal Neurology Clinical…