Building on work began in stroke studies and applying it to multiple sclerosis, researchers in France report that an antibody they developed kept the blood-brain barrier intact in cellular and mice MS models despite the presence of inflammation, preventing immune cells from entering the brain. The key to understanding the study…
Low-quality unauthorized generic versions of approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs can expose patients to danger, both through their toxic properties and a lack of efficacy that allows the disease to progress, researchers reported in the study, “Clinical implications for substandard, nonproprietary medicines in multiple sclerosis: focus on fingolimod,” published…
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany recently announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted for review the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) of the company’s investigational product Cladribine Tablets as a therapy for relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) in Europe. Cladribine is a synthetic antineoplastic agent able to suppress the immune system, causing relatively few…
The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has awarded Susan E. Bennett one of its highest honors, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bennett, a clinical professor of rehabilitation science at the University at Buffalo and pioneer in the field of MS rehabilitation, was honored for her achievements in advancing care…
MediciNova recently reported that half of the 255 patients enrolled in a Phase 2b clinical trial (SPRINT-MS) exploring MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) had completed the 96-week-long treatment. Interim data will be analyzed by the trial’s external Data Safety Monitoring Board later this year, with results…
MediciNova recently reported that half of the 255 patients enrolled in a Phase 2b clinical trial (SPRINT-MS) exploring MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) had completed the 96-week-long treatment. Interim data will be analyzed by the trial’s external Data Safety Monitoring Board later this year, with results…
Individual health insurance coverage largely determines a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient’s access to disease modifying drugs in the United States, mainly because of the rising costs of newer medications and near-annual changes in insurance policy coverage, usually making such coverage more restrictive, researchers report. These twin problems often leave MS patients relying on suboptimal therapies rather than those…
Endece was recently issued an additional U.S. patent for its lead investigational product, NDC-1308, being developed to induce remyelination in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and prevent disease progression. Currently in late preclinical development, NDC-1308 is designed to repair the myelin sheath of demyelinated axons (nerve fibers), a major cause…
Inflammation in a brain region called the hippocampus might explain why patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from depression far more often than patients with other chronic brain diseases. The findings, described in the report “Hippocampal Neuroinflammation, Functional Connectivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis,” published in the…
One of the world’s most commonly used medications — the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin — was found to affect the immune system in a way that can be explored to treat inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers have earlier noted that simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug, is beneficial for MS…
Opinions voiced by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients as to what they most want from, and like in, an MS treatment differ widely, although delaying progression and relapses — and minimizing serious side effects — clearly score high, according to new research from the University of British Columbia in Canada. The study, “Quantitative…
Caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are often burdened by fatigue and depression, even anger, all of which can unwittingly reduce the quality of care given — although they remain quite empathetic, according to a study. The research team at the University of Manitoba in Canada suggested that tending to the needs of people caring for…
Coherus BioSciences recently reported that its candidate therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), CHS-131, reduced the development rate of new brain lesions by nearly 50% in previously untreated relapsing-remitting MS patients. The Phase 2b trial (NCT02638038), randomizing patients to receive either CHS-131 or placebo in a double-blind manner, also showed the…
High blood pressure may be linked to greater overall disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), although the rate at which disability progresses might be slower than in patients without hypertension, a retrospective study concludes. The research, involving a large number of MS patients, helps to clarify a rather confusing range of views on how…
The president of Colorado State University (CSU), Tony Frank, will be accepting the Norman Cohn Hope Award on behalf of his university, recognizing its work in advancing research into multiple sclerosis and helping people with the disease. The ceremony will take place at the Annual MS Society Dinner of Champions, set for Sept.
The complement system, a part of our non-adaptable (innate) immune defenses, is activated in lesions inside the brain’s gray matter and may well contribute to the relentless progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers report. The findings offer new insights into mechanisms driving the development of this disease — particularly its primary progressive forms.
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher levels of a micro-RNA called miR-150 in their cerebrospinal fluid, a liquid surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord. The study, validating the finding in some 600 people, suggests that miR-150 might be a marker for MS, distinguishing the disease from other neurological conditions.
In the largest genetic study ever performed in a single country, scientists in Germany discovered four new risk genes for multiple sclerosis (MS). The genes, altered in MS patients, are involved in the control of how other genes are activated through mechanisms known as epigenetics. The discovery advances understanding of how…
An upcoming conference will explore new and emerging treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS), focusing on the intersection between laboratory findings and clinical care, and the search for discoveries that may lead to important innovations in treating this neurological disease. The daylong conference, open to academics, clinical researchers and industry leaders, is hosted by…
As we age, the risk that small blood vessels will start leaking into brain tissue increases, raising our risk of dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. New research reveals that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) also have these so-called cerebral microbleeds, and links them to increased physical and cognitive disability. When Robert Zivadinov, a professor of…
GeneFo, a social-medical community that connects patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and offers free in-house medical consulting, recently announced a partnership with MitoQ, a New Zealand-based company focused on mitochondrial health. MitoQ is a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant supplement that may help to alleviate common symptoms in MS. MS, a chronic disease of the central…
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced that it has received the largest gift ever given the organization by an individual — a $3 million, multiyear donation to establish and fund the Edward M. Dowd Personal Advocate Program, which aims to improve and expand personalized case management and care for people with…
Clinical pilates can improve cognitive skills and life quality in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, in addition to helping them physically. But the study, comparing clinical pilates with traditional exercise, also showed that other exercise forms offer important benefits, and more research is needed to determine if clinical pilates is a superior type of exercise for people with…
Flex Pharma, Inc., announced the start of a Phase 2 clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of FLX-787 in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who suffer from cramps, spasms, and/or spasticity as a result of the disease. The trial is being run in conjunction with Neuroscience Trials Australia. Flex Pharma’s FLX-787 is a single molecule,…
Adamas Pharmaceuticals recently reported positive results from its Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial evaluating ADS-5102 (amantadine HCl), an extended-release version of amantadine, in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with difficulties in walking. The trial (NCT02471222), a double-blind, placebo-controlled and two-arm parallel group study, evaluated ADS-5102 given once daily at 340 mg, at bedtime, for four…
Oligodendrocytes — brain cells that wrap themselves around neurons to produce myelin — are much more diverse than previously believed. Scientists in Sweden, using a new type of sequencing, have discovered more than a dozen different kinds, including an oligodendrocyte subtype involved in motor learning, a finding that might spur new research into protecting…
An immunologist at Victoria University of Wellington is leading a clinical trial that will use existing drugs in a new way to try to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a disease form that affects more than one-third of all multiple sclerosis patients but has no effective treatment options. Anne La Flamme, a professor…
Merck Biopharma announced it has entered into a partnership with a French subsidiary called HAPPYneuron, and now has an exclusive license to that company’s cognitive remediation training program for multiple sclerosis (MS). The program, a series of brain training games and exercises, will be made available to people needing it through Merck’s MSdialog platform. An e-Health…
Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) has been used to stop autoimmune processes in multiple sclerosis (MS), although the treatment is not effective for every person. Now, an improved version of the technique is showing astonishingly good results, with patients free of both the need for treatment and the risk of relapses for…
Genmab announced plans to soon begin a Phase 3 clinical trial program assessing the subcutaneous formulation of ofatumumab as a potential treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The company, working in collaboration with its partner Novartis, will begin enrolling patients in September in trials that will evaluate the efficacy and safety of ofatumumab compared…
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