February 6, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Fatigue predicts worse health-related quality of life in RRMS Fatigue is a significant predictor of worse health-related quality of life in adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study reports. High levels of fatigue were significantly linked with worse physical and mental health, including cognitive impairments, depression, and anxiety. The findings suggest…
February 2, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Tysabri biosimilar Tyruko now available in Germany for RRMS Tyruko (natalizumab), the first biosimilar of Tysabri, is now available in Germany for adults with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). As a biosimilar, Tyruko has the same safety and efficacy profile, mechanism of action, and pharmacological properties as Tysabri. Biosimilars are typically sold at lower prices than their reference medication,…
February 1, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Florida’s Team Rocco hopes to raise $100K in Walk MS on Feb. 25 Rocco Mangel, the founding partner of Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, is joining the Walk MS: West Palm Beach 2024, in Florida, to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Walk MS events, taking place in numerous locations in the U.S., focus on raising disease…
January 30, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS treatment Ponvory wins patent protection in US, to run until 2042 The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has notified Vanda Pharmaceuticals that it will grant a new patent covering the use of Ponvory (ponesimod), an approved oral treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), that will span nearly two decades, the company announced. The upcoming patent specifically…
January 3, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD People living with HIV significantly less likely to develop MS: Study Living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is linked to a significantly lower rate of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) — including among people exposed to antiretroviral treatment, or medicines that can stop the HIV virus from replicating — a new study found. The rate of MS was particularly reduced…
January 2, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Sudo raises $116M to develop TYK2 inhibitors for MS, other diseases Sudo Biosciences has raised $116 million in a Series B financing to support the clinical development of two inhibitors of the TYK2 enzyme for treating neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS) and skin-related diseases. One of the TYK2 inhibitors, given orally, is designed to efficiently reach the brain…
December 29, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Tracking brain changes in early MS can predict odds of progression The rate of brain atrophy, or shrinkage, and changes in brain lesion volume in the first years of treatment with Rebif (interferon beta-1a) may help predict which patients with early multiple sclerosis (MS) will receive a clinically definite diagnosis, a study suggests. The brain radiologic measures may also…
December 21, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Dosing begins in Phase 2a trial of foralumab nasal spray for SPMS Tiziana Life Sciences has dosed the first patient in a Phase 2a clinical trial testing its foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The trial will include about 54 participants, enrolled across six clinical sites. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive one of two…
December 20, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD ‘Multifactorial’ approach may be needed to prevent falls in MS: Study The risk of falling among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) seems to be associated with a combination of personal, environmental, and activity-related factors, according to a large U.S. survey. Personal factors included poor balance, muscle weakness, and fatigue. Surface conditions and distraction made up environmental factors, while work-related factors…
December 12, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vanda acquires rights to Ponvory for MS in US, Canada for $100M Vanda Pharmaceuticals has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Ponvory (ponesimod), an oral therapy approved for relapsing types of MS, in a new deal with Actelion Pharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the agreement, Vanda paid $100 million to Actelion (now part of Janssen), the therapy’s original developer. While…
December 4, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Aerobic cycling eases fatigue and pain of MS, if intensity kept up Adhering to an aerobic exercise program of moderate to intense cycling for 12 weeks significantly eased pain and fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), allowing them to be more active in daily life, a small pilot clinical trial found. Results were similar for patients in the trial’s forced…
November 21, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD InSilicoTrials wins award for its AI efforts in treatment development InSilicoTrials (IST) has received this year’s Innovation Radar Prize for its efforts to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to advance clinical trials and predictive technologies that may benefit people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. Launched in 2015 by the European Commission, the award recognizes European Union (EU)-funded…
October 31, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Better sleep linked to quality of life, mental health in children with MS In children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), poor sleep quality is linked to fatigue, depression, and worse quality of life, a study has found. While no significant differences in sleep measures were identified between children and adolescents with MS compared with those without the neurodegenerative condition, sleep can have…
October 26, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Losing sense of smell can predict MS relapse-independent progression Losing the sense of smell is associated with a higher likelihood of worse disease outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a six-year follow-up study. Specifically, patients who are getting worse at identifying and discriminating odors are at higher risk of disability worsening, relapse-independent MS progression, and…
October 23, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Sativex reimbursed in Ireland for eligible MS patients with spasticity Nabiximols, the cannabis-based oral spray sold as Sativex, is available for reimbursement as an add-on therapy for moderate to severe spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Ireland who failed to respond as intended to other spasticity medications. Marked by muscle stiffness and involuntary spasms or twitches,…
October 12, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vidofludimus calcium reduced NfL levels in progressive MS patients Vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838), an investigational oral therapy being developed by Immunic Therapeutics for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS), has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in people with progressive forms of the disease, interim clinical trial data show. The experimental therapy was associated with reductions in neurofilament light chain (NfL)…
October 10, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Switching DMTs in MS found to impact relapse risk in real world People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who switch between more than two disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have a higher risk of relapses compared with those who never switch, regardless of how well these patients adhere to their prescribed medications, according to real-world study in Canada. These findings are consistent with…
October 5, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Google Maps Timeline may help in monitoring walking ability in MS Assessing a person’s daily walking patterns using the Google Maps Timeline tool may help doctors remotely monitor fatigue, walking ability, and disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The digital tool is built in the smartphone application Google Maps and records daily walking distance and…
September 25, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Data: Lucid-MS seen to be safe, well tolerated in healthy volunteers FSD Pharma’s Lucid-21-302 — an oral treatment candidate known as Lucid-MS, for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS) — was found safe and well tolerated across multiple doses in healthy volunteers, according to interim data from a Phase 1 clinical trial. The newly released data are from the…
September 22, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Fatigue not eased with DMTs in people with MS: Study Using disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) doesn’t reduce fatigue levels in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Norway suggests. Anxiety and depression were both associated with fatigue, suggesting “there are other underlying causes of fatigue than focal inflammation, on which DMTs have an effect,” the study’s researchers wrote…
September 21, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD FDA clears first clinical study of investigational therapy LPX-TI641 Lapix Therapeutics is launching a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate LPX-TI641, its investigational treatment for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy individuals. The first-in-human trial (NCT05853835) is expected to begin dosing later this year. It follows the recent clearance of an investigational new…
September 20, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD First of its kind algorithm may help predict treatment adherence in MS Swoop, a consumer health data company, is launching a first of its kind algorithm that’s designed to predict treatment adherence in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions. The aim of the new algorithm — which is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) strategies…
September 13, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD About 1 in 4 MS patients experience migraines: Review study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are about two times more likely to have migraines than healthy people while migraines affect around 24% of people with the neurodegenerative condition, a recent meta-analysis suggests. The mechanisms behind the higher risk in MS, “continue to elude us, and further investigation is warranted…
September 7, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Bowel problems often unreported by MS patients to their doctors Bowel symptoms go largely unreported among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), mostly due to the unwillingness of patients to talk about their symptoms with their doctors, according to a recent study. However, a self-reported questionnaire called Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction (NBD) may help screen patients for bowel symptoms without the…
September 6, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ocrevus now publicly funded for PPMS in New Zealand Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be funded in New Zealand for treating certain people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) about six years after being approved there. The decision from the Pharmaceutical Management Agency (Pharmac), which decides what medicines are funded in New Zealand and to what extent, makes Ocrevus…
August 30, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Neural Sleeve wins multiple honors for excellence in design this year Cionic’s Neural Sleeve, a leg-worn garment designed to boost strength and walking performance in people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), has won multiple awards in this year’s International Design Excellence Awards program. The event, organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), is touted as one of…
August 22, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Progressive MS trial of vidofludimus calcium fully enrolled A global Phase 2 clinical trial investigating the oral therapy vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) has reached full enrollment, the treatment’s developer, Immunic Therapeutics, reports. Called CALLIPER (NCT05054140), the trial is assessing whether the neuroprotective effects of vidofludimus calcium seen in…
August 18, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Disability leads to great costs for patients, society: Real-world data Disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) significantly reduces their quality of life, affects their ability to work, and represents a major socioeconomic cost, according to real-world data collected from a German MS registry. These results suggest that the use of disease-modifying therapies to slow MS progression…
August 15, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD DMT use does not seem to affect sleep quality, daytime sleepiness The use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) does not seem to affect sleep quality or daytime sleepiness in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Australian study finds. However, patients with a belief that DMT use impacted their sleep tended to have poorer sleep quality and report that the medication…
August 7, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cow milk proteins likely trigger of broader immune response with MS A significantly higher immune response against proteins found in cow milk is evident in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), likely because of similarities between milk proteins and proteins in the human central nervous system (CNS, the brain and spinal cord), a study reported. No such differences were seen between…