The CD20 inhibitor Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) rapidly depletes immune B-cells in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), as expected, but ongoing treatment also leads to changes in immune T-cells, a new study reports. After about six months of treatment, patients experience T-cell changes such as an increase in regulatory…
High doses of vitamin D provide clinically modest but statistically significant benefits for adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a meta-analysis of published clinical trials. The study found patients who took the supplement saw reductions in disability scores, relapses, and new lesion formation. Those who took vitamin D for…
Researchers have identified a genetic biomarker that predicts whether people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) will respond to glatiramer acetate (sold as Copaxone, among others) therapy. A study based on an analysis of more than 3,000 MS patients showed that those who carry a form of…
Fumarate-based therapies like Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) are equally effective among Black, Hispanic, Asian, and white adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S., the largest real-world study of its kind shows. “The findings of this study suggest that fumarate medicines…
A common virus that causes cold sores, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), may contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). In mice lacking a protein that helps control HSV-1, infection led to the degradation of the…
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is safe and well tolerated, and leads to improvements in disability and a reduction in lesion burden in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of published studies. MSC treatments also reduced levels of biomarkers associated with nerve damage and inflammation,…
Treatment with neural stem cells, which have the ability to differentiate into neurons and other supportive cells of the nervous system, was safe and significantly boosted myelin repair in spinal cord lesions in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. The stem cells were able to…
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden said they have identified 18 new potential protein drug targets to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) using an integrative analytical approach. A drug target is a molecule, typically a protein, within the body that’s often involved in disease processes. Some of the newly…
Older men with multiple sclerosis (MS) who use medicines that reduce the levels of androgens, or male sex hormones, experience sustained or increased disease activity instead of the expected decreases that typically happen with advancing age, a small study suggests. According to the team, such disease activity was “particularly”…
A ketogenic diet — a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet — rich in long-chain, saturated fatty acids like those in butter and fatty red meat didn’t reduce optic nerve damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Instead, feeding mice this type of diet before the…
Gum disease caused by the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is associated with worse multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease, a study shows. Infection with Pg directly or indirectly boosted pro-inflammatory pathways in immune cells in the spleen, where they’re produced, thereby aggravating MS. These effects…
An experimental medicine, 2-D08, boosts motor function in mice and primate models of multiple sclerosis (MS) by repairing the myelin sheath, the protective coating on nerve fibers that’s damaged in people with the neurodegenerative condition, a study showed. 2-D08 also outperformed the approved therapy dalfampridine, sold as Ampyra…
Clemastine fumarate, an antihistamine, boosted disease progression by more than five times in adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 1/2 trial. “Likely nobody in the MS field, us included, knew about this potential [clemastine] toxicity until we collected the data presented here,” the…
The thyroid hormone thyroxine, or FT4, may play an indirect role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), which seems to be mediated by certain immune cells, a study suggests. “Future investigations should explore how these immune cells modulate MS onset and progression in the context of thyroid…
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has awarded the Cleveland Clinic $6.7 million to identify optimal treatment strategies for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The funds will support the extension study of the multicenter DELIVER-MS (NCT03535298) clinical trial. The study is comparing two MS treatment approaches…
The risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) is significantly higher in people who carry a variant of the HLA gene called HLA-E*01:01 and have a history of infectious mononucleosis (mono), the manifestation of an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, according to a study based on U.K. Biobank data. The higher…
One year of Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment improves working ability among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to new data from TITAN, an observational study by researchers in France that assessed the impact of the infusion therapy. Use of the approved therapy resulted in improvements across several parameters:…
A single 600 mg dose of Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) — instead of the approved 150 mg initial dose plus a 450 mg dose two weeks later — was well tolerated by adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from the ENHANCE Phase…
From 2019 to 2023, people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in France on treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) adopted more at-home dosing and longer periods between doses, according to a review by researchers of the French national hospital database. An increasing use of the therapy during…
Sacral neuromodulation (SNM), in which an implanted device delivers mild electrical pulses to the nerves that control the bladder, led to sustained improvements in urinary function in half of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who underwent surgery to have the device put into place, according to a review of…
A group of manufactured chemicals called hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls, or OH-PCBs, which persist in the environment despite a ban on production, are associated with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. In turn, another family of compounds highly resistant to environmental breakdown, called…
A noninvasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) doesn’t seem to ease fatigue in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) when given at home with computer-based cognitive training, according to one of the largest studies of its kind. While the home-based intervention was deemed feasible, combining daily…
The Floodlight MS app, a digital health application used to track dexterity, walking function, and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), has been deemed cost-effective in a new analysis. Modeling simulations showed MS patients who use the app experience fewer relapses and slower disability progression, which would improve…
Nearly all adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) said they are highly satisfied with the Sensoready autoinjector pen to self-administer Kesimpta (ofatumumab), according to a recent U.S. survey. High satisfaction was mainly driven by the reasonable administration time and ease of use, the researchers said. The…
Severe obesity during childhood and adolescence more than triples the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), and losing weight through early lifestyle changes did not decrease the likelihood of MS, according to a nationwide study in Sweden. Although the overall risk remained low, with 0.13% of people…
Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) face a significantly higher risk of mental illness during and after pregnancy than those without the disease, according to a new study that analyzed data from more than 890,000 women in Canada. Mental health issues, mostly anxiety and depression, affected 42% of women…
Men with multiple sclerosis (MS) who started on high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) experienced significantly fewer relapses than those who started with moderate-efficacy DMTs, according to real-world claims analysis involving more than 10,000 U.S. patients. “No significant difference in relapse was found among females,” researchers wrote. “This observation highlights…
Exercise effectively reduces fatigue and improves muscular fitness in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), though the optimal exercise type and dose differ for each outcome, according to a meta-analysis of published studies involving more than 3,500 patients. Mind-body exercise, which combines physical movement, mental focus, and controlled breathing, was…
About four in five adults with stable multiple sclerosis (MS) for at least five years remained free of disease activity after stopping first-line treatment with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT), according to a study based on data from the DOT-MS clinical trial. Still, disease activity reemerged in roughly 20%…
Hospitalization for severe COVID-19 is significantly associated with a twofold higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study involving nearly the entire population of Sweden. No increased risk of MS was found among those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, or received…
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