News

New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recommend that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) keep up with regular vaccinations, including annual flu shots, but be sure to first advise their doctor on medications they are using. The guidelines were published in the journal Neurology, in the report…

Higher levels of vitamin D in the blood may help to protect the myelin sheath, slowing damage to nerve cells in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a brain imaging study reports. The study, “Vitamin D and MRI measures in progressive multiple sclerosis,” was published in the…

The out-of-pocket costs for self-administered disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on Medicare increased more than sevenfold from 2006 to 2016, according to a new study. This was reported by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh in a…

Two new studies delve into the structure of SARM1, an enzyme that plays a key role in nerve cell degeneration, and are expected to aid the development of targeted therapies for neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and peripheral neuropathies. SARM1…

Treating at-risk relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients is most cost-effective with Mavenclad (cladribine) tablets when compared to Gilenya (fingolimod), Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) or Tysabri (natalizumab), according to a study in Dutch patients. The study, “Cost Effectiveness of Cladribine Tablets for the Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in…

The relationship between fatigue and patterns of physical activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not straightforward. New findings show that, among MS patients with similar fatigue levels, there are three different types — or “clusters” — of physical behavior. Clinicians should be aware of these behavioral…

  Detecting changes to the brain’s central vein using common magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans is a useful and accurate strategy to enhance diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. Analysis of more than 4,000 brain lesions, obtained from contrast-enhanced MRI scans collected from eight neuroimaging European…

The first in-human clinical trial of EHP-101, an investigational treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and systemic scleroderma (SSc), has been successfully completed, Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals (EHP) announced. EHP-101 demonstrated it was safe and well-tolerated in healthy volunteers, supporting further clinical development of EHP-101 in future Phase 2 clinical trials. The…

Treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) is associated with the death of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) more often than previously reported and appears to be most common during the first month, according to a European review. The study, “Adverse events with fatal outcome associated…

Persistent fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with damage in specific areas of the brain, regardless of depression symptoms, a study shows. The study, “Microstructural fronto-striatal and temporo-insular alterations are associated with fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis independent of white…

Treatment with rituximab — sold as Rituxan in the U.S. by Roche and Biogen, and as MabThera by Roche in Europe — reversed disease course in a “dramatic fashion,” leading to complete remission in a 12-year-old boy with aggressive relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a case report states. The report, “…

University at Buffalo School of Nursing researchers have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop interventions to help improve sleep among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The grant, known as a K12 grant, is a career development award given by the NIH…

The complexity in underlying mechanisms, a lack of representative research models, and inconsistent criteria defining therapeutic benefit are the main reasons why an effective therapy for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still lacking, researchers maintain in a review study. Nevertheless, as research continues to shed light on…

Females of certain species — like humans and mice — have a known ability to produce more of the gene Kdm6a than males because it’s located on the X chromosome, of which females have two. Kdm6a is also quite active in immune system T-cells, a study found, and silencing it in a mice model…

Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a molecule that mediates immune and inflammatory responses, likely promotes inflammation and tissue damage in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and should be considered a potential target for treating the disease, a study reports. The findings of the study, “IL-17A is associated with the breakdown of the…

Novartis‘ Gilenya (fingolimod), Sanofi Genzyme‘s Aubagio (teriflunomide), and Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are the top disease-modifying therapies to which patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have most frequently switched in…

When it comes to initial treatment selection for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), there is one question that has yet to be answered: Is it better to start with potentially safer moderately effective disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) or to hit the disease immediately with a high-efficacy DMT that may be…

Our brains — much like our joints — stiffen with age, causing brain stem cells called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) to lose their ability to proliferate and transform into oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce myelin, an essential component for nerve cell communication, a study found. But tricking OPCs into sensing a…

Imaging techniques that measure damage to the brain, in addition to those that detect lesions, may be useful in predicting likely disease progression in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a study found. The study, “Early imaging predictors of longer term multiple sclerosis risk and severity…

The National Health Service (NHS) England announced an initiative that aims to speed diagnoses and ensure better all-around care for people with progressive neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, and motor neuron disease (MND). Experts at NHS England, as part of the NHS RightCare…

“Diet is profound. Lifestyle is profound. All patients should be taught how profound these things are.”  — Terry Wahls, MS thriver and founder of the Wahls Protocol  Western medicine has long approached multiple sclerosis (MS) and autoimmune disorders through traditional methods. While there have been…

Medications for treating certain rare and chronic conditions,  including multiple sclerosis (MS), are now available from the specialty and home delivery pharmacy AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, the company announced. The newly included specialty medications are all limited distribution drugs (LDDs), which means the drug manufacturers have signed agreements giving very…

Brain lesions appearing as dark rimmed, “smoldering” spots on imaging scans, representing active inflammation, may be a hallmark of more aggressive and disabling forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report. Using a powerful MRI brain scanner and a 3D printer, the…

Testing for the types of fat (lipid) molecules present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be a very useful way to diagnose and monitor the disease, a study suggests. “MS patients present a different lipid profile at the time of diagnosis” than…

The 11th annual “Burgers to Beat MS” day is set for Aug. 22 in Canada, with $2 from each purchase of an A&W Teen Burger going to the MS Society of Canada to support people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Supporters may also round up their in-restaurant bill to the nearest…

MMJ International Holdings, a pharmaceutical company whose focus is plant-derived cannabis products for therapeutic purposes, has requested permission to ship tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) from Canada to the U.S. to be used in upcoming clinical trials for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease. MMJ-001…

Opioid addiction increases the risk for a number of physical and psychological problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study has found. The study, “Impact of opium dependency on clinical and neuropsychological indices of multiple sclerosis patients,” was published in the journal Neurological Sciences. Opioids,…

Smartphones could be used as an inexpensive and effective way to measure  tremors in mice, which may allow for more research on tremor medications, a new study reports. The study, “Accurate and affordable assessment of physiological and pathological tremor in rodents with the accelerometer of a smartphone,”…

A draft guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), a U.K. advisory board, and a review by England’s National Health Service (NHS) call for more research into medical cannabis for multiple sclerosis and other conditions. NICE also recommended against prescribing Sativex as a treatment for…

SyntheticMR‘s SyMRI NEURO, a software package that can segment and measure myelin volume in the brain, is now available for use by radiologists in the U.S. through an agreement with Siemens Healthineers and its syngo.via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visualization platform, a press release states. SyMRI NEURO’s integrated software package…