July 22, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Fellowship will fund research into myelin sheath repair in MS A PhD student at the UMass Chan Medical School will use funding from a newly awarded fellowship to advance his research into the mechanisms used by cells to repair myelin, the protective sheath around nerve cells that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating conditions. The ongoing…
July 3, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Synaptogenix cleared to launch Phase 1 trial of bryostatin-1 in MS The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an investigational new drug application from Synaptogenix, clearing the company to launch a clinical trial to test whether its lead candidate bryostatin-1 can prevent cognitive decline in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT06190912),…
June 21, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Centers of Excellence added to grow Neural Sleeve use in MS care Cionic has added three renowned institutions on the East Coast to its national Centers of Excellence program, a move that expands the availability in the U.S. of the Neural Sleeve to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions that affect mobility. The program represents a key…
June 13, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Foralumab eases inflammation in 80% of nonactive SPMS patients Most patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who took foralumab nasal spray for at least six months saw a decrease in microglial activity in their brains, according to its developer Tiziana Life Sciences. The results were gleaned from PET imaging data from 10 nonactive SPMS patients…
April 8, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS healthcare experts to gather at 38th CMSC meeting in Nashville Renowned experts inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) healthcare, research, and advocacy will again gather at the annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), slated this year for May 29 to June 1. The event, now in its 38th edition, will return to the Music City Center, in Nashville,…
April 5, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD PoNS device made available to US veterans through new collaboration Helius Medical Technologies is collaborating with Lovell Government Services to make its PoNS deviceĀ ā designed to improve walking ability in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) ā available to U.S. veterans and MS patients in other federal healthcare systems. The PoNS device, officially named the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator, is…
April 3, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Clinical trial to test multiple Lucid-MS doses in healthy volunteers FSD Pharma has entered an agreement to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial that will test multiple ascending doses of Lucid-21-302 ā an oral treatment candidate commonly known as Lucid-MS, for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā in healthy volunteers. The company’s subsidiary Huge Biopharma Australia established…
April 2, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD JuvisĆ© to market, develop Ponvory outside North America The French company JuvisĆ© Pharmaceuticals has acquired the rights to develop and market the approved multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Ponvory (ponesimod) outside the U.S. and Canada. The global rights were acquired from Actelion Pharmaceuticals, the therapy’s original developer and now part of JohnsonĀ &Ā Johnson Innovative Medicine.
March 19, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Neurostimulator to repair myelin in RRMS named breakthrough device The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated SetPoint Medicalās neurostimulator a breakthrough device for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This designation is intended to accelerate the development of devices intending to more effectively treat or diagnose life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases than standard approaches.
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 significantlyĀ 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 TyrukoĀ (natalizumab), the first biosimilar ofĀ Tysabri,Ā is now available in Germany forĀ 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) ā including among people exposed to antiretroviral treatment, or medicines that can stop the HIV virus from replicating ā 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 itsĀ foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (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 approvedĀ for relapsingĀ types of MS, in a new deal with Actelion Pharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the agreement, Vanda paid $100 million to Actelion (now part ofĀ Janssen), the therapyās 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 byĀ 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 Pharmaās Lucid-21-302 ā an oral treatment candidate known as Lucid-MS, for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā 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…