Author Archives: Patricia Inacio PhD

Actively taking steps to cope with the chronic stress of multiple sclerosis (MS) — from keeping a sense of humor to seeking emotional and tangible support — can help to improve patients’ quality of life, a small questionnaire-based study from Poland suggests. The study, “The Role of…

Three scientists in the U.K. were given awards by the International Progressive MS Alliance that will support projects aiming to explore new approaches to treating progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The three are among this year’s 19 winners of the alliance’s Research Challenge Awards, which totaled £1.2 million…

MediciNova announced that it will be given a U.S. patent covering the use of ibudilast (MN-166) in treating eye disease. This oral medication aims to lessen inflammation, including that of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, it will cover ibudilast’s use in  treating injury or damage to the macula —…

Sativex (nabiximols), an oral spray that contains cannabis extracts, was found effective as an add-on therapy for easing spasticity in adult multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who failed to respond to other anti-spastic treatments, a real-world study from Belgium reports. Overall, about 74% patients reported easing of spasticity — muscle stiffness or…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has granted its International Progressive MS Alliance (Alliance) Research Challenge Awards to 19 researchers for their work on progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Among them is Jennifer Gommerman, PhD, a professor at the University of Toronto, in Canada, who will use…

A home-based rehabilitation program can help ease fatigue, improve motor and cognitive function, and promote better quality of life in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a small clinical trial has found. While a structured supervised exercise program was better at improving fatigue and health-related quality of life, the…

BurnAlong and the Shepherd Center, a leading rehabilitation hospital in the U.S., have established a partnership to bring tailored rehabilitation classes to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neuromuscular diseases worldwide. The video classes, designed by clinicians, therapists, and wellness professionals at the Shepherd Center, based in Atlanta,…

A clinical trial investigating patient-derived stem cell transplants for the treatment of people with severe relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) has enrolled a patient in Minnesota. The patient was enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School, one of two trial sites in the state. An additional 18…

MindMaze’s animated ‘games,’ designed to aid in recovering motor and cognitive skills in people with neurological disabilities, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), will now be more widely available to patients worldwide. The brain technology company announced four new partnerships that will enable patients in Latin America, the Middle East,…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has maintained its initial draft recommendation and will not recommend that Zeposia (ozanimod) be added to the National Health Service (NHS) of England and Wales. This final decision on the cost effectiveness of the oral therapy means Zeposia will…

A conversational bot is being developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to promote COVID-19 vaccinations among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are hesitant to take the vaccine. The project is meant to provide accessible digital health information about the vaccines to more vulnerable populations…

Therini Bio announced raising $17 million in a financing round to speed the development of an antibody that might treat people with inflammatory conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), associated with damage to blood vessels. These funds will also support work aiming to move this antibody, targeting the protein…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has launched a monthly webinar series, in partnership with NeurologyLive, to keep doctors and others treating people with multiple sclerosis (MS) informed of the latest in disease care and research. Called “The Ever Changing Face of MS,” the series opened on…

The multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Gilenya (fingolimod) is associated with a 16% greater risk of infections, compared with a placebo or control treatment, according to data from 12 randomized clinical trials. The findings were published in a study, “Incidence and Risk of Infection Associated With Fingolimod in Patients…

Kesimpta (ofatumumab) has been approved in the U.K. as the first self-administered, at-home, B-cell-targeting therapy for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and active disease. More specifically, the approval includes patients with either clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), or active secondary progressive MS (SPMS), who have…

A genetic variant in the WNT9B gene and vitamin D response are both associated with a greater risk of relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study in Belgium has found. The study, “Genetic variation in WNT9B increases relapse hazard in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal…

A Phase 3 trial investigating GA Depot, a long-acting, once-a-month injectable formulation of glatiramer acetate, is seeking patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The global study (NCT04121221) aims to include 960 adults, ages 18 to 55, diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting…

Off-label treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly lessens disease activity and reduces the number of relapses per year in patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), real-world data from Portugal show. The treatment also was considered safe in this population, in agreement with earlier studies. These findings support the usefulness…

Pilates, done regularly, can significantly improve balance and posture in men with multiple sclerosis (MS), helping them to avoid falls and the injuries they can bring, a small randomized trial in Iran reports. The study, “Effect of Twelve weeks Pilates training on functional balance of male patients…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is helping Pack Health, a patient engagement platform, to optimize and expand its digital health coaching program to assist people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Building on what it has learned through work with the NMSS, Pack Health aims to bring its patient-centered and…

GeNeuro has completed patient enrollment in its ProTEct-MS Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating temelimab as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The study (NCT04480307), taking place at the Karolinska Institutet’s Academic Specialist Center (ASC) in Stockholm, Sweden, has enrolled 42 people with relapsing MS whose…

The levels of KIF5A protein are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord — of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and, further, are correlated with disease progression measures in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a new study shows. These…

Imatinib, a cancer treatment, stopped an injury response mechanism of the central nervous system (CNS) from activating, damage to which is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), an early study reported. Treatment with imatinib lessened immune cell infiltration and eased disease progression in mouse models of MS. Study researchers…

Reduced exposure to sunlight, previously reported as a risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), also seems to increase the risk for relapse and worsening disability, data from two clinical studies suggest. The beneficial effects of sunlight exposure were linked to increased levels of vitamin D, but also modulation…

New research in mice suggests that poor recycling of cholesterol in the brain impairs the repair of myelin, the protective coat surrounding nerve cells that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). Pharmacological stimulation of cholesterol synthesis by brain immune cells — called microglia — boosted the regeneration of myelin,…