News

September 23, 2019September 23, 2019

EMD Serono Opening Phase 3 Trials of Oral Evobrutinib in Relapsing MS Patients

News

EMD Serono (Merck KGaA in Germany) is opening two pivotal and global Phase 3 clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral evobrutinib in people with relapsing multiple ... Read more

September 23, 2019September 23, 2019

Partnership Aims for FDA-approved App That Aids Mental Health in MS, Sanofi Announces

News

Sanofi is working with Happify Health to develop an app that addresses the mental health of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) through cognitive behavior therapy. The physical symptoms of MS, such ... Read more

September 20, 2019September 20, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Mayzent’s Benefits from a Patient Perspective a ‘Key Question,’ Says EXPAND’s Principal Investigator

News, SPMS

The most recent data continue to support Mayzent‘s (siponimod) benefits and provide more insights on how this therapy can make a difference for those with relapsing forms of multiple ... Read more

September 20, 2019September 20, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Ahead for Mavenclad: Fuller Understanding of What Makes It ‘Unique,’ Serono Exec Says in Interview

News

Real-world data continues to support the safety and effectiveness of Mavenclad (cladribine tablets) in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), and several studies underway will help scientists gain in-depth understanding of how Mavenclad works, ... Read more

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019

JK Rowling Donates £15.3M to UK Clinic Working in MS Research, Treatment Discovery

News

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, has donated £15.3 million — more than $19 million — to the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic to support research, ... Read more

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Ocrevus Living Up to ‘Game-changing’ Moniker, Genentech’s Hideki Garren Says in Interview

News

Two years after the approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the latest data continue to support the benefits of the so-called “game-changing” therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS), while new insights highlight ... Read more

September 19, 2019September 19, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Cell Immunotherapy ATA188 Showing Safety, Hints of Effectiveness in Progressive MS in Phase 1 Trial

News

People with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and past exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus are responding to a potential immunotherapy known as ATA188, tolerating the treatment well and with ... Read more

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Ozanimod’s ‘Key Advantages’ May Lead to New First-line MS Therapy: Interview with Neurologist Jeffrey Cohen

News

Celgene‘s oral ozanimod, if approved, could be a first-line oral treatment option for people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), and one with relatively minor side effects. Recent results from the Phase ... Read more

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 — Ponesimod Superior to Aubagio in Relapsing MS, OPTIMUM Trial Shows

News, SPMS

Actelion‘s ponesimod, an investigational oral treatment, is superior to Sanofi‘s Aubagio (teriflunomide) in lessening the frequency of relapses and easing fatigue symptoms in adults with active, relapsing multiple sclerosis ... Read more

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Data Shows Ublituximab’s Long-term Safety in Relapsing MS, TG Therapeutics Announced

News, SPMS

Ublituximab continues to be safe and well-tolerated by people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) after a median follow-up of 124.7 weeks — more than 2 years — ... Read more

September 18, 2019September 17, 2019

FTC Warns Companies Against Unsubstantiated Advertising of CBD Products for MS

News

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to three companies that sell cannabis-based products containing cannabidiol (CBD), cautioning them that making unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits ... Read more

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Acthar Gel Seen as Cost-effective Late-line Treatment Option for MS Relapses

News

Late-line use of H.P. Acthar Gel to treat relapses in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) is linked with lower costs than other therapies used after an initial poor response, including plasmapheresis ... Read more

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Tysabri During Pregnancy and After Delivery Seems Safe, Reduces Relapse Risk, Study Finds

News

Continuing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment up to week 28 of pregnancy, and restarting soon after birth, reduces the risk of relapses in women with multiple sclerosis and appears to be ... Read more

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 — Ofatumumab Superior to Aubagio in Lowering Relapse Rates and Lesions, Data Show

News, SPMS

Monthly under-the-skin injections of ofatumumab are superior to Aubagio (teriflunomide) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), leading to over 50% reduction in relapse rates, ... Read more

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Early Ocrevus Use Slows Disability in PPMS, Including Risk of Wheelchair Reliance

News, Ocrevus

Early and continuous treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) leads to a greater and more durable slowing of disability progression — seen for up to 6.5 years — in people with ... Read more

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Age Seen as Crucial in MS Outcomes, with 40 Marking Shift from Relapses to Progression

News

Age at disease onset is tightly linked to clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis patients, a Swiss study in those on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) reports. It found a risk of continuous relapses ... Read more

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Relapses Tied to Greater Medical and Personal Costs in Real-world Data

News

Relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with greater medical and non-medical costs, according to real-world data from two German observational studies. These findings support early treatment ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 — Glia Score May Differentiate Progressive MS from RRMS, Study Suggests

News

Patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher levels of protein markers of activated glial cells than those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) or patients with other neurological disorders, according ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Mayzent Reduces Risk of SPMS Patients Becoming Wheelchair Bound, Data Show

News, SPMS

Mayzent (siponimod) reduces the risk of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) becoming dependent on a wheelchair, a new analysis of the EXPAND study shows. These findings further ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Nerve Cell Damage May Be Evident Years Before Symptoms Are

News

Damage to nerve cells appears to occur years before people with multiple sclerosis (MS) begin to show symptoms and is evident in a likely biomarker, new data suggest. Researchers ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Newer DMTs More Effective Than Older Injectables in Pediatric MS, Study Says

News

Using newer disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as an initial treatment for children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is associated with fewer relapses and brain ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Anti-epileptic May Help to Stop Disability Progression, Study Suggests

News

Oxcarbazepine, an anti-epileptic medicine, given in combination with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) may help to stop disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, results of Phase 2 trial suggest. ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 — Eliminating SARM1 Protects Neurons in Mouse Model of MS

News

Eliminating SARM1, an enzyme that plays a key role in nerve cell degeneration, protects neurons in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a condition that mimics the key pathological ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 — Human Herpesvirus 6A May Increase MS Risk, Study Suggests

News

Infection with the human herpesvirus (HHV)-6A may increase the likelihood of having multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new national study in Sweden. The research, “Serological response against HHV-6A ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 13, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplants Safe and Help Stop Progressive MS, Trial Data Show

News, SPMS

Transplanting mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is safe and can delay disease progression in people with active, progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from a single-center clinical trial conducted ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 13, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Younger MS Patients at Higher Risk for Cardiovascular Diseases, Large Swedish Study Finds

News

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases than the general population, according to a large Swedish nationwide study. This risk is higher for patients ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 13, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Longer DMT Use and Female Sex Seen to Protect Against SPMS Conversion

News, SPMS

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS), and people who stay in a relapsing stage or use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for longer periods are less likely to transition to secondary progressive ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 — Biogen Presents New Real-world Data Demonstrating Clinical Benefits of Tysabri, Plegridy, and Avonex

News

Biogen is presenting new data highlighting the potential clinical benefits of Tysabri (natalizumab), Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a), and Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for the treatment of specific groups of individuals with ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 — Promises and Warnings About Stem Cell Therapy

News

Stem cell therapy, or stem cell transplant, is an emerging yet controversial treatment approach for multiple sclerosis (MS). While some data uphold it as one of the most efficacious ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – No Retinal Thinning with Ocrevus in Relapsing MS Patients, Phase 3 Trials Show

News

Treating relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is not associated with retinal thinning — unlike treatment with Rebif (interferon beta-1a), according to two Phase 3 trials. The ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – 6 Years of Ocrevus Use Tied to Low Rates of Serious Infections

News, Ocrevus

Treatment for more than six years with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is linked to lower levels of blood antibodies among people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing MS, but rates of ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Plasma Exchange Ineffective for Treating Tysabri-associated PML, Study Shows

News

Use of plasma exchange (PLEX) is not effective for treating progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a dangerous brain infection that has been associated with using the multiple sclerosis (MS) medicine ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Remyelinating Therapy Liothyronine Well-tolerated by MS Patients, Phase 1b Trial Finds

News

Treatment with a potential remyelinating agent called liothyronine was safe and well-tolerated by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a Phase 1b trial. Preliminary results also suggested benefits in ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – 10-year Data Confirm Long-term Benefits of Biogen’s Tecfidera for RRMS

News

New 10-year data from the Phase 3 ENDORSE trial confirms the long-term benefits of Biogen’s Tecfidera for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of this disease. Real-world ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – MS Patients Should Be Informed about Pregnancy Risks and Family Planning, Experts Say

News

While pregnancy does not appear to affect the disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS), questions remain about the best time to stop or resume treatment before conception and after ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Real-world Data Supports Serum Neurofilament Light as Potential MS Biomarker

News

Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in the blood — a proposed biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS) — is linked with worse neurologic function at levels above a certain threshold, ... Read more

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019

SPMS Triggers and Treatments Among Focus of Expert Panel in Video Series by AJMC

Alexa, News, SPMS

Multiple sclerosis experts discuss disease causes and current treatment options in a new video series released by the multimedia and peer-reviewed science journal, The American Journal of Managed Care.  The free ... Read more

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019

NervGen Planning Clinical Trials of NVG-291, Peptide That Might Promote Myelin Repair

News

NervGen Pharma announced plans to open clinical trials evaluating the potential of its lead candidate NVG-291 to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury. NVG-291 is an investigational peptide ... Read more

September 9, 2019September 10, 2019

Inflammation Hijacks Myelin Repair Cells to Promote Immune Attacks, Study Shows

News

Brain inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) hijacks immature myelin repair cells, not only preventing myelin restoration but also promoting sustained inflammation and immune attacks against myelin, a preclinical study shows. The ... Read more

September 9, 2019September 11, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Mapi Pharma to Detail Latest Trial Data on GA Depot in Treating RRMS and PPMS

News

Mapi Pharma will present recent advances in its potential multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies, including GA Depot, at the 35th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) ... Read more