News

Treatment with the experimental nasal spray therapy foralumab reduced microglial activity in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to new data from an expanded access program. Microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, are believed to contribute to the chronic inflammatory processes that drive gradual disease progression…

This March, organizations and advocates are marking Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month with fundraisers, educational events, and other activities to spotlight the disease and its impact on an estimated 1.8 million people worldwide. The annual campaign reaches beyond the general public to include researchers, lawmakers, industry leaders, policymakers, and…

Having parents who have ever smoked cigarettes, or who smoked in the three months before pregnancy, is associated with a significantly increased likelihood of childhood-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study in Italy. The findings suggest that early-life exposure to cigarette smoke, including around the time of…

Two of the most effective treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) — Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Tysabri (natalizumab) — are essentially matched in their ability to control the disease, a new nationwide study from Denmark suggests. Researchers found no significant difference between the two therapies in preventing relapses, slowing…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a nearly fivefold increased risk of developing dementia compared with those without the disease, according to a real-world study in Taiwan. Treatment with disease-modifying therapies significantly reduced the risk for neurodegenerative dementias, or dementias associated with the loss of brain cells, the…

Myelin-making cells in some areas of the brain were more resistant to injury in a mouse model of myelin damage than the same cells in other brain regions. Researchers created detailed, brain-wide maps showing exactly where myelin-making cells, known as oligodendrocytes, are located in the brain. Using these maps, they…

The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis (ACP) has launched a new community-led initiative designed to ensure that people from underrepresented multiple sclerosis (MS) communities help set priorities for future MS research. sp The initiative, called Prioritized Research Agenda Development and Advancement (PRADA), creates a…

In real-world clinical practice, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) showed sustained effectiveness in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), with most patients remaining free from long-term worsening of disability over four years, according to a new study. Relapse rates and MRI disease activity were also low during follow-up. At…

Merck and Mayo Clinic have launched a research collaboration to use artificial intelligence (AI) and large-scale clinical data to accelerate drug discovery and development, with an initial focus on diseases with high unmet needs, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The partnership will combine Mayo’s extensive clinical and genomic…

Continued treatment with TG Therapeutics’ Briumvi (ublituximab) provides sustained clinical benefits for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly if started earlier. That’s according to data from the ULTIMATE I (NCT03277261) and ULTIMATE II (NCT03277248) Phase 3 clinical trials and their ongoing open-label…

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is teaming up with Nektar Therapeutics to study the potential of NKTR-0165, an experimental antibody that activates the tumor necrosis factor receptor type 2 (TNFR2), to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). UCSF neurologist Stephen L. Hauser,…

Breastfeeding for longer during infancy may delay the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) and slow its progression for people who later develop the disease, according to a study from Turkey. Researchers found that adults with MS who had been breastfed for more than six months had less severe disease…

Canary Speech and Intermountain Ventures are collaborating to test whether subtle changes in a person’s voice can help identify multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially paving the way for noninvasive tools to diagnose the disease faster. The research will rely on Canary’s vocal biomarker technology and be led by Timothy…

Immunic Therapeutics has closed a private placement that could provide up to $400 million to support the company’s Phase 3 clinical program of vidofludimus calcium in multiple sclerosis (MS) and help fund its transition into a commercial-stage company as it prepares for potential regulatory approval of the…

MS Canada is hosting its annual MS Read-a-Thon, a fundraiser encouraging children to turn their reading goals into donations to support people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This year’s event aims to raise CA$65,000 (nearly $48,000) to support MS research and community programs. So far, 565 people have registered, and…

Following specific diets may help reduce inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but more research is needed, according to a new review paper. Researchers analyzed data from 13 randomized clinical trials and found some evidence that certain diets, including modified Mediterranean-style and Paleolithic diets, were linked to…

A type of immune cell that has received little attention in multiple sclerosis (MS) research may play a key role in driving the disease. A study found that some people with MS had abnormally high levels of virus-fighting CD8 T-cells in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

A clinical trial testing TG Therapeutics‘ CD20 inhibitor Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) in children with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) will begin enrolling participants within the next few months, the developer announced, also unveiling details of the study’s design. The upcoming Phase 2/3 trial (NCT07220252) will run…

Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium can target key mechanisms underlying disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), including acute and chronic inflammation, as well as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation, according to new trial data. The Phase 2 CALLIPER trial (NCT05054140) investigated vidofludimus calcium against a…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who engage in more physical activity tend to have less severe physical and cognitive disability, a study demonstrated. While past exercise levels showed no correlation with later disease onset or slower disability accumulation, current exercise habits were significantly associated with physical disability in MS…

Bazedoxifene, a medication that alters the activity of the sex hormone estrogen, was safe and well-tolerated but did not promote myelin repair in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a Phase 2 clinical trial. The findings come from the ReWRAP study (NCT04002934) and were presented last week at…

A Canadian study is challenging the growing belief that previous infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is necessary for multiple sclerosis (MS) to develop. The findings suggest the virus may not precede every MS case. Using public health insurance claims data, the researchers found a small group of…

Better adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet may help prevent disability worsening in people with early multiple sclerosis (MS), in part by slowing biological aging, according to data from a new study. The findings suggest that diet, biological age, and disability are closely connected and that lifestyle changes could…

The investigational BTK inhibitor tolebrutinib did not lower the risk of confirmed disability progression compared with placebo in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), failing to meet the main goal and several key secondary goals of the Phase 3 PERSEUS trial. It did, however, show signs of…

The complement system — part of the immune system that helps defend against infections — may play a key role in age-related disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to findings from a mouse study. In fact, blocking a complement protein called C3 reduced disease severity in older mice…

The investigational BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib was as effective as the approved therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) at reducing the risk of disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), meeting the main goal of a Phase 3 trial. According to fenebrutinib’s developer, Genentech, the therapy is the…

Researchers have developed a mouse model designed to reflect the disability worsening that occurs in the absence of relapses for many people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The model shows key features of this form of disease worsening, known as progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA), including immune cell clusters…

A three-year study of GA Depot, a monthly injection for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), found that most patients experienced no disability progression, with some even showing slight improvements in mobility. These interim results from a Phase 2a clinical trial will be presented tomorrow by developer Mapi Pharma…

Researchers and clinicians are gathering in San Diego and online for the 11th annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, a three-day meeting focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) research and care. ACTRIMS 2026, being held Feb. 5-7 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego…

A new study suggests that how certain immune cells respond to Mavenclad (cladribine) may help explain why the treatment works well for some people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but less so for others. The researchers found that regulatory T-cells, or Tregs — immune cells…