September 22, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Fatigue not eased with DMTs in people with MS: Study Using disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) doesn’t reduce fatigue levels in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Norway suggests. Anxiety and depression were both associated with fatigue, suggesting “there are other underlying causes of fatigue than focal inflammation, on which DMTs have an effect,” the study’s researchers wrote…
September 22, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Menopause linked with lower MS relapse rate, increased disability Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly lower relapse rates after entering menopause, but disability levels increase significantly in that period, according to a pooled analysis of studies. The findings are consistent with a decrease in immune activity with age and loss of estrogen, leading to fewer disease-related relapses,…
September 21, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Rehabilitation in progressive MS found to help cognitive function Two non-pharmacological rehabilitation approaches ā one using a computer program designed to improve working memory and the other involving standardized cognitive-behavioral group sessions ā both improved the cognitive function of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reported. While varying medications often are used as…
September 21, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD FDA clears first clinical study of investigational therapy LPX-TI641 Lapix Therapeutics is launching a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate LPX-TI641, its investigational treatment for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy individuals. The first-in-human trial (NCT05853835) is expected to begin dosing later this year. It follows the recent clearance of an investigational new…
September 20, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD First of its kind algorithm may help predict treatment adherence in MS Swoop, a consumer health data company, is launching a first of its kind algorithm that’s designed to predict treatment adherence in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions. The aim of the new algorithm ā which is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) strategies…
September 20, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Patient enrollment is complete in Phase 1 trial of ANK-700 for RRMS Anokion has finished enrolling patients in the second part of its Phase 1 clinical trial investigating ANK-700 for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Safety data so far from the MoveS-it trial (NCT04602390) has shown the treatment is safe and well tolerated and biomarker analyses suggest it can induce…
September 19, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Taking sugar molecule supplements may help ease inflammation in MS Taking supplements of the sugar molecule N-acetylglucosamine, known as GlcNAc, was found to decrease markers of inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial. Moreover, nearly a third of trial participants reported less severe disability following a month of daily GlcNAc supplements. However, because this…
September 19, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Imcyse completes enrollment in Phase 1 trial testing IMCY-0141 for RRMS Imcyse has completed patient enrollment and initial dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating IMCY-0141, its next-generation immunotherapy, in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The study, the first portion of a Phase 1/2 trial called IMCY-MS-001 (NCT05417269), is an open-label trial evaluating three doses of IMCY-0141…
September 18, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS patients with Shields Health Solutions have $10 copay for care People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. who have access to a Shields Health Solutions care model pay an average $10 out of pocket each month for their MS treatments, according to the company ā which noted that this amount is considerably less than the national average…
September 18, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD US study tracks distance Medicare patients travel to see neurologist Nearly 1 in 5 people on Medicare ā a U.S. federal insurance program for people ages 65 and older ā travel at least 50 miles (about 80 km) each way to see a neurologist, according to a recent report. However, long distance travel was even more common for people living…
September 15, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Benefits of long-term Tysabri seen in RRMS patients in Japan: Study Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly reduced the development of brain lesions on MRI scans in Japanese people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a new study. The therapy also eased or stabilized disability levels in most patients after five years of treatment, and significantly reduced the annual rate of…
September 15, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Kessler Foundation researchers to explore improving cognition in MS Researchers at the Kessler Foundation have received $725,499 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to study how to improve learning and memory in multiple sclerosis (MS). The team will use the funding to evaluate the benefits of a cognitive intervention called COMBINE, which involves cognitive training and…
September 14, 2023 News by Mary Chapman Folia Health expands patient data collection in MS, other conditions Health technology platform Folia Health is expanding patient-reported data collection in multiple sclerosis (MS), Huntington’s disease (HD), and myasthenia gravis (MG), a move the company hopes will lead to collaborative observational research in the complex disorders, and help transform research and care. As part of this…
September 14, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ‘Inverse vaccine’ approach lowers disease in MS mouse model Note: This story was updated Sept. 15, 2023, to clarify ANK-700 was developed based on the preclinical work described in the study. An “inverse vaccine” that’s designed to teach the immune system not to attack a specific target, effectively reduced disease activity in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS),…
September 13, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Disability after RRMS diagnosis may predict transition to SPMS Greater self-reported physical disability within the first years of being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with a higher likelihood of transitioning to a progressive form of the disease. The finding comes from a recent analysis of patient-reported data from the U.K. MS Register. Scientists believe the…
September 13, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD About 1 in 4 MS patients experience migraines: Review study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are about two times more likely to have migraines than healthy people while migraines affect around 24% of people with the neurodegenerative condition, a recent meta-analysis suggests. The mechanisms behind the higher risk in MS, ācontinue to elude us, and further investigation is warranted…
September 12, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD No greater risk of hospitalization found after vaccines in MS in study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive vaccines against influenza ā commonly known as flu shots ā as well as diphtheria, polio, pneumoccocus, and multiple other pathogens are not significantly more likely to be hospitalized due to a disease relapse, according to a new study in France. Similar…
September 12, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Octave to test its precision MS care program in real-world study Octave Bioscience plans to test its precision care program in an observational, real-world study with people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The program, called MS Precision Care Solution, uses blood biomarkers to monitor disease activity alongside MRI scans of the brain and spinal cord. An app tracks…
September 11, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New method may be better at measuring disability improvement A new statistical method could help to more accurately capture changes in disability severity for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and monitor the impact of MS treatments. “With the use of this new statistical methodology, it is possible to estimate the time to improvement as well as the…
September 11, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Innodem, Novartis agree to continue developing eye-tracking technology Innodem Neurosciences has signed a multi-year agreement with Novartis Canada to continue developing Innodem’s digital biomarker eye-tracking technology, a noninvasive method to monitor disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). The multimillion-dollar commercial agreement comes on the heels of promising data from an observational trial, sponsored by…
September 8, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study finds new molecular mechanism involved in myelin repair A protein called Daam2 helps to regulate the activity of cells in the brain that make myelin, the fatty covering around nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. By uncovering how that protein functions in the brain to boost myelin repair, researchers have discovered…
September 8, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Anti-inflammatory diet, synbiotics ease progressive MS symptoms An anti-inflammatory diet combined with synbiotic supplements eased fatigue, pain, sexual dysfunction, and bladder and bowel problems in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial. Synbiotics contain probiotics, healthy bacteria for the gut, and prebiotics, or plant fibers that feed probiotics and help…
September 7, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Bowel problems often unreported by MS patients to their doctors Bowel symptoms go largely unreported among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), mostly due to the unwillingness of patients to talk about their symptoms with their doctors, according to a recent study. However, a self-reported questionnaire called Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction (NBD) may help screen patients for bowel symptoms without the…
September 7, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD In MS, energy management, high-intensity exercise may have benefit An energy management education program combined with high-intensity exercise during a three-week inpatient rehabilitation program didn’t lead to quality of life gains for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue over usual care, but it did offer some benefit. In the months after the program, better cardiorespiratory fitness, gains in…
September 6, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Octave’s blood test accurately captures MS disease activity: Study A test that assesses the levels of 18 proteins in the blood and uses artificial intelligence algorithms can help to measure the level of new disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The test, developed byĀ …
September 6, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ocrevus now publicly funded for PPMS in New Zealand Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be funded in New Zealand for treating certain people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) about six years after being approved there. The decision from the Pharmaceutical Management Agency (Pharmac), which decides what medicines are funded in New Zealand and to what extent, makes Ocrevus…
September 5, 2023 News by Mary Chapman 15th annual A&W Burgers to Beat MS nets $1.6M for MS Canada Total Teen Burger purchases netted $1.6 million for MS Canada on A&W Canada’s 15th Annual Burgers to Beat MS Day. Proceeds from the Aug. 17 fundraiser, wherein A&W donated $2 from each burger sold, brings to more than $20 million the amount the initiative has brought…
September 5, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS Australia awards incubator grants to four research projects Four researchers working in multiple sclerosis (MS) were awarded incubator grants in MS Australiaās latest funding round, which theyāll use to kickstart projects designed to better understand the progressive neurodegenerative disease. Worth a total of AU$92,565, or roughly $60,000, this round of incubator grants provides seed funding…
September 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Is Aubagio still ethical to use as comparator in MS trials? Noting that Aubagio (teriflunomide) continues to have “a robust impact on disability progression” in multiple sclerosis (MS) despite being eclipsed by newer MS treatments in trials, an international team of researchers are now arguing that it is, in fact, still ethical to use the older therapy as a…
September 1, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Platform for MS care was finalist for Innovation by Design Awards Octave Bioscience was selected as a finalist in this yearās Innovation by Design Awards in recognition of the platform it created to improve the care of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Organized by the media brand Fast Company, the awards are touted as some of the most sought-after…