News

December 6, 2019December 6, 2019

FDA Approves Three Generic Versions of Novartis’ Gilenya for Treating Relapsing MS

News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved three generic versions of Gilenya (fingolimod) for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). A generic is ... Read more

December 6, 2019December 6, 2019

Signaling Protein of Intestines May Trigger Nervous System Inflammation in MS, Study Says

News

A signaling protein (Smad7) that usually blocks the activity of a molecule called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) appears to be overactive in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to ... Read more

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019

3D Nerve Cell Models of PPMS, Parkinson’s Ready for Liftoff to Space Station for Long-term Study in Microgravity

News

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and Aspen Neuroscience will send three-dimensional brain cell models of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and Parkinson’s disease to the International Space ... Read more

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019

$1M Gift to MS Society of Canada to Support New Tools for Better Therapy Decisions

News

TD Bank Group has donated $1 million to the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada to support research projects aiming to use artificial intelligence to create tools enabling better use of ... Read more

December 4, 2019December 4, 2019

National MS Society Establishes Partnership with Jon Strum’s ‘RealTalk MS’ Podcast

News

When Jon Strum began his “RealTalk MS” podcast two years ago, he did not imagine he soon would have thousands of regular listeners in more than 60 countries. Now, ... Read more

December 4, 2019December 4, 2019

CMSC Joins NeurologyLive Program for Specialists Caring for Those with MS, Like Diseases

News

NeurologyLive, a platform for healthcare specialists, has added The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) to its Strategic Alliance Partnership program that works to share insights and experiences to ... Read more

December 3, 2019December 3, 2019

microRNA Found in Gut Microbiome May Unlock Future Therapeutic Approach for MS

News

A small RNA molecule found in high levels in the gut of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could be used to develop a new therapy for MS in the ... Read more

December 3, 2019December 3, 2019

Online MS ‘Toolkit’ Created by University Psychologist to Help in Managing Pain and Fatigue

News

Researchers at the University of Michigan developed an online tool to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) manage some of the more life-affecting symptoms of their disease. Called My MSToolkit, the ... Read more

December 2, 2019December 2, 2019

MS Risk Linked to Herpes Virus 6A and Not More Common 6B, Study Suggests

News

Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A), but not a widespread variant of the virus called HHV-6B, could be one of the root causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. Compared to ... Read more

December 2, 2019December 2, 2019

Mount Sinai Taking Part in Phase 2 Trial of NurOwn Cell Therapy in Progressive MS

News, SPMS

Mount Sinai Medical Center has joined with BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to explore the safety and efficacy of NurOwn as a potential treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in an ongoing ... Read more

November 27, 2019December 3, 2019

Profit and Competitors’ Prices Major Drivers of MS Therapy Costs in US, Pharma Execs Say

News

Prices for new multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies in the United States are decided most by competitors’ prices, and continual increases in the cost of existing treatments by concerns for company ... Read more

November 27, 2019November 27, 2019

MS Specialist to Lead Trial of Temelimab in Progressing Disease Without Relapses

News

GeNeuro is collaborating with clinical researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Academic Specialist Center (ASC) in Stockholm to open a new clinical trial of temelimab in people whose multiple sclerosis ... Read more

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019

Problems Processing Sensory Information Linked to MS Severity, Difficulties in Daily Life, Study Finds

News

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) — both with and without cognitive impairments — have trouble processing sensory information, which is linked to greater disease severity and difficulties in daily ... Read more

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019

GI Symptoms with Vumerity Fewer and Milder Than Tecfidera, Phase 3 Trial Shows

News

Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) carries fewer and less severe gastrointestinal side effects compared to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), new data from a Phase 3 trial directly comparing the GI tolerability of these two relapsing-remitting ... Read more

November 25, 2019November 25, 2019

Gut Microbiome Changes Evident in Newly Diagnosed MS Patients, Study Says

News

A DNA analysis to identify changes in the gut microbiome in people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — who have yet to begin using disease-modifying therapies — showed that all, regardless ... Read more

November 25, 2019November 25, 2019

Protein That Helps Cells Break Down Sugar Also Promotes Inflammation, Study Suggests

News

A protein involved in cell metabolism, called PKM2, was found to be central to switching ‘on’ immune cells that play critical roles in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as ... Read more

November 22, 2019November 22, 2019

Black and Hispanic RRMS Patients Show High Levels of Immune Cells Linked to Antibodies, US Study Reports

News

African-Americans and Hispanics with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have higher blood levels of plasmablasts, a type of inflammatory immune cell that produces antibodies, than do Caucasians with this disease, a study ... Read more

November 22, 2019November 22, 2019

Ocrevus Top Choice of US Neurologists for Active SPMS, But Mayzent and Mavenclad Gaining Interest, Report Says

News, SPMS

Genentech‘s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continues to be the most prescribed medication to reduce inflammatory disease in people with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) among U.S. neurologists, even though Novartis’ Mayzent (siponimod) and EMD Serono’s Mavenclad (cladribine) were ... Read more

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019

Immunoadsorption May Be Superior to Plasma Exchange in Treating Steroid-resistant Relapses in MS

News

A blood-cleansing process known as immunoadsorption appears to be superior to plasma exchange in treating relapses that don’t respond to conventional steroid therapy in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) ... Read more

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019

WCN 2019 Discussions Point to Failures of Regulators to Make MS Therapies Available

News

There is a sizable gap between advancements in treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and their regulatory approval, which is a circumstance that necessitates increased  advocacy on a global scale. This ... Read more

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019

MMJ Enters Agreement to Produce Cannabis-based Capsules for Clinical Trials in MS and Huntington’s

News

MMJ International Holdings announced that it has entered into an agreement for the production of its proprietary cannabis-based gel capsule — a product mix of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) ... Read more

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019

Pregnancy Does Not Change Long-term Course of MS, New Data Suggest

News

Pregnancy does not lead to long-term changes in the disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. This work, which emphasizes the importance of careful data analysis, supports studies disputing ... Read more

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019

Blocking Molecule Prevents B-cells from Entering Brain and Promoting MS Progression, Study Reports

News

Stopping the migration of immune B-cells through the blood-brain barrier by blocking ALCAM, a molecule linked to the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), lessened disease severity in an MS ... Read more

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019

NMSS Awards $495K to Study Biomarkers in Phase 2 Trial of NurOwn in Progressive MS

News

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics received a $495,330 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society  to support biomarker studies in its ongoing clinical trial testing the cell therapy NurOwn in patients with ... Read more

November 18, 2019November 18, 2019

Novel MRI Marker Better at Predicting MS Progression, Study Reports

News

A large retrospective study suggests that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker — called “brain atrophied T2 lesion volume” — could help predict the timing of multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. ... Read more

November 18, 2019November 18, 2019

Mayzent Approved in Australia as First Treatment for Secondary Progressive MS

News, SPMS

Novartis’s Mayzent (siponimod) has been approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), making it the first therapy to be approved for ... Read more

November 15, 2019November 17, 2019

CHMP Favors Mayzent as Oral Treatment Specifically for Active SPMS Patients in EU

Alexa, News, SPMS

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued an opinion supporting Mayzent (siponimod) as an oral treatment specifically for adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in the European ... Read more

November 15, 2019November 15, 2019

Weill Neurohub Unites 3 Academic Centers with DOE Scientists to Advance Tools, Treatments for MS and Other Ills

News

Three academic research institutions launched the Weill Neurohub initiative, an effort to speed the discovery and development of therapies for neurological diseases that include multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and ... Read more

November 15, 2019November 15, 2019

Depression, Fatigue Influence Health-related Quality of Life More Than Physical Impairment of MS, Study Reveals

News

Depression and fatigue have a more powerful influence on the overall health-related quality of life, compared to physical impairment, among patients with multiple sclerosis, a new study shows. The ... Read more

November 14, 2019November 14, 2019

Vumerity’s $88,000 List Price Not What ‘We Had Hoped,’ National MS Society Says

News

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has criticized Biogen for the $88,000 yearly list price it placed on Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), the newly approved oral disease-modifying treatment (DMT) for relapsing multiple sclerosis. That ... Read more

November 14, 2019November 14, 2019

7T MRI Reveals New Insights into Some RRMS Features

News

With the help of 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), investigators discovered that leptomeningeal enhancement — a radiographic finding indicative of brain inflammation — is more common than previously ... Read more

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019

Single Dose of CD45-ADC Resets the Immune System, Delays the Onset of MS in Mice

News

A single dose of CD45-ADC, an investigational targeted therapy being developed to treat different types of autoimmune diseases, is enough to reset the normal function of the body’s immune ... Read more

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019

Sativex, Cannabis Extract for MS Spasticity, Now Available to Select Patients in England

News

The cannabis sativa plant extract Sativex is a cost-effective therapy for spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be offered to patients in England needing it on at least a ... Read more

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019

Long-term IFN-Beta Treatment Normalizes Immune Balance in RRMS, Study Shows

News

Long-term treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) corrects the defective immune balance characteristic of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study has found. The study also identified more than 200 genes ... Read more

November 12, 2019November 17, 2019

Acthar Gel Quite Effective at Resolving Relapses as Alternative to Corticosteroids, Study Reports

News

Acthar Gel is more effective for treating flares in multiple sclerosis than other alternatives, including intravenous immunoglobulin or plasmapheresis, a claims-based study from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals reports. The study “Treatment Effectiveness for Resolution of ... Read more

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019

Early Damage on Brain Scans and Greater 5-Year Disability Help Predict 30-Year Outcomes in MS, Study Finds

News, SPMS

A 30-year study of outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reports that radiological findings in the first year of disease onset, and the amount of disability evident at five ... Read more

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019

Low Neurite Density in Spinal Cord Linked to Greater Physical Disability in RRMS Patients

News

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have poorer neurite density — a measure that relates to the amount of nerve cell projections, including axons and dendrites involved in nerve-to-nerve ... Read more

November 8, 2019November 8, 2019

‘Soothie Cushion’ Designed to Regulate Body Temperature in Travelers With MS, Other Disabilities

News

Newly launched, the Soothie Cushion is designed to provide seating comfort and help regulate the body temperature of travelers with disabilities, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and myasthenia gravis, says its ... Read more

November 8, 2019November 12, 2019

2 Potassium Channels Key to Fast Transmission of Impulses Along Myelin-rich Nerve Fibers, Study Shows

News

Two potassium ion channels located at gaps between segments of myelin are required for high frequency and high-speed conduction of electrical impulses along myelin-rich nerves, a study shows. Loss of ... Read more

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019

Generic Version of Gilenya, pms-Fingolimod, Now Available for RRMS Patients in Canada

News

Pharmascience recently launched pms-Fingolimod, a generic version of Novartis’ Gilenya (fingolimod), to treat adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in Canada. The new generic is now available in that country, and has demonstrated efficacy ... Read more