September 27, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Trethera to Win New US Patent for TRE-515 Chemical Composition The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will grant Trethera Corp. a new patent covering the composition and chemical structure of TRE-515, an experimental oral therapy being developed for multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer. The patent number 11,446,307, titled “Crystalline forms of a deoxycytidine kinase inhibitor and…
June 3, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Study Ties Antinuclear Antibodies to Inflammation, Relapses The presence of self-reactive antibodies, typically seen in autoimmune diseases like scleroderma, may be common among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). That finding from a small study indicates high levels of these antinuclear antibodies were correlated with relapse status and ongoing inflammation in MS. The study, “Antinuclear…
May 23, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Lower MS Risk in People With High Vitamin D Levels When Young People with high levels of free vitamin D in circulation before the age of 20 have a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, a new study suggests. A significantly lower risk was also observed among people who, at ages 30–39, had elevated levels of a…
April 7, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Questionnaire May Help Women Talk About Sexual Health While sexual problems are relatively common in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), it can still be difficult to openly discuss their experiences with their doctor. A questionnaire especially tailored for women with MS called the Sexual Dysfunction Management and Expectations Assessment in Multiple sclerosis – Female (SEA-MS-F) may…
March 17, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD NervGen Cleared to Enroll 2nd MAD Group in NVG-291 Trial NervGen Pharma has been cleared to enroll a second group of healthy volunteers into the multiple ascending dose portion of its Phase 1 clinical trial of NVG-291, a therapeutic candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial’s Safety Review Committee approved the second group after seeing promising safety data…
February 22, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD More Skin Cancer Reported to FDA From Patients on Certain Oral DMTs Multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments belonging to the class of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators — such as Mayzent (siponimod) and Gilenya (fingolimod) — may be associated with a greater likelihood of skin cancer, results from a real-world study suggest. The association was the greatest for a form of…
February 18, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Australia Funds Research to Block Inflammatory T-cells From Brain A researcher at the University of Adelaide, in Australia, has received an AU$390,000 grant (about $280,000) to investigate how inflammatory T-cells reach the blood and brain of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The 3-year fellowship grant was awarded to Iain Comerford, PhD, for his project, titled “Stopping T cells…
February 17, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD UPenn Neurologist Wins Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research A neurology professor at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has received the 2021 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work in understanding how the immune system causes multiple sclerosis (MS). The international $100,000 prize, administered by the National MS Society, was awarded to Amit…
January 13, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Atara, Imeka Team Up to Bring Advanced Imaging to ATA188 Trial Atara Biotherapeutics has partnered with Imeka to use its proprietary biomarker imaging technology in the ongoing EMBOLD Phase 2 clinical trial, which is investigating ATA188 for the treatment of progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The imaging technology will be used to determine if Atara’s ATA188…
January 4, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Minorities, Others With Depression, Asked to Join Support Group Study Adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and depression or anxiety, especially those of minority groups, are being asked to join a clinical trial assessing the benefits of eSupport Health’s online support group program, the National MS Society announced in a press release. The CONNECT study is particularly focused on Black and…
January 3, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ascending Dosing Will Start in Trial of NVG-291 in Healthy Volunteers NervGen Pharma has received approval to begin testing multiple ascending doses of NVG-291, its lead therapeutic candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurologic conditions, in a Phase 1 trial with healthy volunteers. This multiple ascending dose (MAD) part, in which participants will receive increasing doses of NVG-291…
December 24, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Eye-tracking Technology Now Available in Telehealth Platform XRHealth, a virtual reality clinic that provides treatments in patients’ homes, has integrated Tobii‘s eye-tracking technology into its platform, which will let clinicians treat patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions. “We are excited to partner with Tobii — the leader in eye tracking —…
December 17, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Pregnancy Poses Challenges to MS Management, Review Study Shows Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before conception have a greater risk of relapses and disability progression during pregnancy than those given moderate-efficacy or no DMTs, according to a systematic review of studies. Exclusive breastfeeding for at least two to four months, however,…
December 9, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD FDA Approves Lyvispah, Granular Form of Baclofen, to Treat Spasticity The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lyvispah, a dissolvable granular formulation of baclofen, to treat spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The strawberry-flavored formulation, developed by Saol Therapeutics, is particularly suitable to ease flexor spasticity, the involuntary bending of the knees and hips toward the…
December 6, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Lucid-MS Restores Motor Function in Mouse Model, Company Says Lucid-MS, a new chemical molecule being developed by FSD Pharma for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), has shown the ability to restore motor function in an animal model of the disease, the company announced. After about 50 days of treatment, animals receiving Lucid-MS showed a marked decrease…
December 2, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD $100K Grant Awarded to Study How Patients Are Adhering to Oral DMTs A researcher at the University of Houston has received a $100,000 grant to investigate adherence to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and correlations between adherence patterns and disease outcomes over time. The one-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was awarded…
December 1, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Deal Brings AI-powered MRI to Care of Patients With Brain Disorders A new collaboration between Arterys and Combinostics seeks to bring comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) imaging solutions to the diagnosis and care of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. Under the partnership, Arterys will include Combinostics’ AI-powered cNeuro on its medical imaging cloud AI platform…
November 19, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Society of Canada Urges Consistent Access to COVID-19 Boosters The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is urging that all provinces and territories in Canada offer COVID-19Â booster vaccines to at-risk populations, including people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. In letters sent earlier this month, in collaboration with 11 other health charities, the…
November 16, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cerebellar Lesions in RRMS Linked to Worsening Manual Dexterity The number of lesions affecting the cerebellum — a brain region responsible for coordinating voluntary movements and motor skills such as balance, coordination, and posture — predicts manual dexterity getting worse in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a retrospective analysis. The study, “Cerebellar pathology and…
November 12, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Phase 3 Trials of Tolebrutinib in MS Forms to Include Digital Measures Sanofi Genzyme has extended its collaboration with Koneksa to bring digital measures into its Phase 3 trials of tolebrutinib, an investigational therapy for relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Through this joint effort, Koneksa’s digital biomarkers were applied to clinical trials of Parkinson’s…
November 12, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ponvory Now Available in Scotland at Low or No Cost Through NHS The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has recommended that Ponvory (ponesimod) be offered through the National Health Service (NHS) Scotland to people with active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision means that the oral therapy will be available at low or no cost to patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS),…
November 4, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Numares to Develop Multi-biomarker Test of SPMS Transition Numares has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Oxford University Innovation to develop and commercialize a panel of biomarkers that identify disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the company aims to create a tool that detects early signs of conversion from relapsing remitting…
October 28, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD T20K Combo Shows Promise in MS Preclinical Studies New preclinical data continues to support the potential of Cyxone’s investigational plant-derived peptide T20K for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). In a collaboration with its academic partner, the Medical University of Vienna, Cyxone has shown that a combination of T20K plus an activator of the kappa…
October 12, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Medsenic Being Granted US Patent for Arscimed for RRMS The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will grant Medsenic a patent covering the use of Arscimed, its investigational formulation of arsenic trioxide, for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Once issued, the patent will protect Arscimed’s use for this indication until 2037. This will add to the already…
October 12, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Innodem, Novartis Team Up on Trial Testing Eye-tracking Technology Innodem Neurosciences is teaming up with Novartis Canada on a breakthrough clinical trial to evaluate if Innodem’s digital biomarker eye-tracking technology can monitor disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial will test Innodem’s “easy-to-use, affordable technology,” which works using visible light, with no special infrared…
October 11, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD NICE Opposes Ponvory Being Added to NHS for England and Wales The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will not recommend that Ponvory (ponesimod) be added to the National Health Service (NHS) of England and Wales for people with active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The provisional decision, made because Ponvory was not found to be…
October 1, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD CALLIPER Trial for Progressive MS Enrolls First Patient Immunic Therapeutics has enrolled the first patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing its oral therapy candidate IMU-838 for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial, CALLIPER (NCT05054140), is expected to run in parallel to the company’s two identically-designed Phase 3 trials, dubbed…
September 29, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD NervGen Brings Advanced Imaging to Planned NVG-291 Trials A partnership will allow NervGen to use Imeka‘s proprietary biomarker imaging technology to precisely measure changes in the brain and spinal cord in its upcoming clinical trials, including a study of NVG-291 in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) NervGen plans to initiate Phase 1b/2 trials into its lead candidate for neural…
September 28, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Alliance Calls for Accessible Products Design Down Under The Accessible Product Design Alliance has released a statement calling for changes in products and packaging design to assure equal accessibility among consumers, including those with disabling disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Composed of 11 nonprofit health consumer organizations in Australia and New Zealand — including MS…
September 16, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Roche, Temedica Launch Brisa App to Improve Lives of German Patients Temedica, a Munich-based digital health company, has joined efforts with Roche to launch a free mobile app that aims to improve care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in Germany. Available in German only, the Brisa app will make a record of individual disease progression in…