April 24, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Foralumab found to ease fatigue in SPMS patients in access program Fully 70% of patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who received foralumab nasal spray in an expanded access program (EAP) experienced a lessening in fatigue levels after six months of treatment. That’s according to early findings from the EAP ā a program that enables patients with serious…
April 24, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Autoantibodies seen in blood years before MS diagnosis: Study Researchers have identified a distinct profile of self-reactive antibodies that appear in the blood years before the first clinical signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), which they believe could be used to help diagnose the neurodegenerative disease. The antibodies were found in about 10% of people who developed MS and…
April 23, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Itās year 10 for MSAAās upcoming Improving Lives Benefit for MS With this yearās fundraiser, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is marking its 10th annual Improving Lives Benefit ā an event that shines aĀ light on uplifting members of the multiple sclerosis (MS) community and outstanding corporate partners. The affair will take place on May 15 at…
April 23, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD AAN 2024: Subcutaneous Ocrevus led to nearly no relapses after year A subcutaneous (under-the-skin) formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) helped most adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) remain free of clinical relapses and new or worsening brain lesions, according to one-year data from the Phase 3 OCARINA II study. Given twice a year as a 10-minute injection, this formulation of Ocrevus…
April 22, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Viatris launches low-dose Copaxone generic formulation in Canada Viatris has launched a generic version of low-dose Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) in the Canadian market for the treatment of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who retain the ability to walk. Called Glatiramer Acetate Injection 20 mg/mL, the product was approved in Canada as a generic of…
April 22, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Briumvi found to ease disability in certain MS patients Two years of treatment with Briumvi (ublituximab) in clinical trials resulted in a confirmed reduction in disability for more than 1 in 10 people with early relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who had not received any prior treatment. That’s according to new data from the ULTIMATE Phase 3 trials,…
April 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Earlier Ocrevus lowers MS progression risk over 10 years Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continued to prevent disability progression among people with relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) over 10 years, according to clinical trial analyses. The most pronounced benefits were observed in patients who started on the therapy in the controlled part of the trials, compared with…
April 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Long-term data support early Kesimpta start in relapsing MS For people recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), first-line treatment with Kesimpta (ofatumumab) was associated with a lower risk of disability progression over starting it after about 2.5 years of using Aubagio (teriflunomide). Thatās according to six years of data spanning the ASCLEPIOS I (NCT02792218) and…
April 18, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Sustained myelin, nerve cell gains with long-term CNM-Au8 Long-term treatment with Clene Nanomedicine‘s experimental oral therapy CNM-Au8 led to signs of sustained improvements in nerve and myelin health for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over three years, according to new data from the VISIONARY-MS clinical trial. The findings continue to support Clene’s plans to…
April 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Ocrevus benefits Black, Hispanic patients same as whites Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) had similar benefits in Black and Hispanic multiple sclerosis (MS) patients as earlier clinical trials with white patients did, one-year data from the CHIMES clinical trial indicates. About half of the CHIMES participants achieved no evidence of disease activity, or NEDA, which is defined as the…
April 17, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Fertility treatment in MS doesn’t increase relapse risk Undergoing fertility treatment with assistive reproductive technologies does not increase the likelihood of having a relapse for women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are taking a disease-modifying therapy (DMT), according to a new analysis. “The results are reassurance for women with MS who plan to undergo assistive reproductive…
April 17, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD NfL blood levels predict CIS to MS conversion: Clinical trial data High blood levels of the nerve damage biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) significantly increased the risk of people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) converting to definite multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of clinical trial data. CIS patients with higher NfL levels also made the transition earlier…
April 16, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Patients deem AI-based ChatGPT more empathetic than neurologists When presented with medical information authored by neurologists or by ChatGPT, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) reported similar satisfaction with both, but said the artificial intelligence platform was more empathetic. That’s the result of the study, “ChatGPT vs. neurologists: a cross-sectional study investigating preference, satisfaction ratings…
April 16, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS patients may be at higher risk of stroke: Review study The risk of having a stroke, that is, a blockage in blood flow to the brain that can cause lasting damage, is about 2.5 times higher in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than the general population, a review of multiple studies finds. The researchers called for further studies to…
April 15, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD COVID-19 found to increase risk of hospitalization, death in MS: Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England had a seven times greater risk of hospitalization and a fourfold increased risk of death from COVID-19 in 2022 than did the general population, according to a study of almost 12 million people in the European nation. The elevated risk of both…
April 15, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Kessler scientists using $700K grant to study primary fatigue in MS A team of Kessler Foundation researchers has been granted more than $700,000 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for work that seeks to better understand the brain networks associated with primary fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The grant, totaling $722,602, was awarded to Glenn Wylie, PhD,…
April 12, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Neurologist Rhonda Voskuhl wins prize for work on MS sex differences A globally recognized neurologist and scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has won the 2024 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for her work to improve womenās care through a better understanding of the mechanisms behind sex differences in multiple sclerosis (MS). Rhonda Voskuhl,…
April 12, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Worse disease severity predicts erectile dysfunction in MS men Erectile dysfunction is more likely to occur among men with multiple sclerosis (MS) whose disease is more severe, according to a study, which noted that the ability to contract the cremaster muscle, which controls the position of the testicles, was linked with a decreased likelihood of erectile dysfunction in…
April 11, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Enrollment full in trial of Scone device for overactive bladder A clinical trial testing SpineX‘sĀ Scone neuromodulation device for treating a neurogenic, or overactive, bladder, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), has finished enrolling patients. Called CONTINENCE (NCT05301335), the study enrolled adults with overactive bladder due to MS, stroke, or spinal cord injury at…
April 11, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Stem cell transplant alters immune cells in MS mouse model: Study A stem cell transplant effectively reduced the abnormal immune response that drives multiple sclerosis (MS) progression by altering a specific group of immune cells called myeloid cells, a mouse study showed. Treatment with a compound that suppressed a receptor called CSF1R improved the transplantation efficiency of myeloid cells…
April 10, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New assay measures molecular immune response to EBV Scientists have created an assay that can measure immune cells’ inflammatory attack against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a known risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers found preliminary evidence that some MS treatments, but not others, may alter the immune system’s response to EBV. The scientists said the…
April 10, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Immune signatures may predict MS course, treatment response Researchers have identified three distinct immune signatures in the blood of people with early multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā that seem to be linked to specific disease trajectories and response to treatment, potentially offering a path to personalized care. āThese findings represent a pivotal shift towards precision medicine in MS,ā Heinz Wiendl,…
April 9, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Mavenclad now OK’d in UK to also treat active relapsing MS patients The prescribing label for Mavenclad (cladribine) in Great Britain has been extended to include the treatment of adults with active relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), as defined by clinical or imaging features. This decision made the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) the first to…
April 9, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mediterranean diet has benefits for older MS patients, study finds Older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) whose eating habits resemble a Mediterranean diet tend to have less disability and better quality of life, a study found. The findings suggest the Mediterranean diet is a “promising nutritional intervention to slow down disease progression of MS and to minimize disease-related symptoms…
April 8, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Obesity medications linked to reduced chance of MS in real world The use of obesity medications ā approved drugs for treating diabetes and promoting weight loss ā is associated with a reduced chance of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a study found. In particular, medicines that activate a receptor…
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 Margarida Maia, PhD Nykode’s ‘inverse vaccine’ found to prevent MS in mouse model An inverse vaccine developed by Nykode Therapeutics to boost immune system tolerance to a specific protein target was able to prevent the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. The vaccine, known as a Vaccibody, is designed to teach the immune system to…
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 4, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Improved fatty acid profiles tied to cognitive gains with two MS diets The Swank and Wahls diets, which are used by people with multiple sclerosis (MS), were associated with improvements in cognition and fatty acid blood profiles in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, according to new analyses from the WAVES trial. Changes in omega-3 fatty acids after about three months correlated…
April 4, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD KYV-101 helps 2 hard-to-treat progressive MS patients: Case study Kyverna Therapeutics‘ cell-based therapy KYV-101 had an acceptable safety profile and promising treatment effects when given to two people with hard-to-treat progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a case study. “We are very pleased about offering this potentially paradigm-shifting treatment opportunity to patients that have exhausted other medical…