News

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can indeed have a poorer-than-usual sense of smell, with problems possibly starting at early diseases stages, a small Turkish study reports. This work supports previous research noting olfactory problems in MS patients. It also argues that longer disease duration and more relapses are associated…

AbobotulinumtoxinA, marketed as Dysport Therapeutic by Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Canada, was approved by Health Canada for the treatment of lower limb focal spasticity in adults. Focal spasticity is a medical disorder characterized by an abnormal increase in muscular stiffness in one or more muscles, and usually is the result…

A researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Nursing will help to lead a national effort into how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the cognitive skills of children. Yolanda Harris is the UAB principal investigator in a study assessing how MS impacts the way children make decisions. Titled “…

Since Genentech‘s Ocrevus was approved a year ago, the treatment rate of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) has increased significantly. However, a closer look at the data shows that other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are equally responsible for this increase. The findings were reported by Spherix Global Insights in their new study…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will award $433,800 to 10 high-risk pilot studies that will quickly evaluate new strategies and interventions and enhance knowledge about multiple sclerosis (MS). According to a press release, the award winners will address different aspects of the disease, including potential treatments for fatigue and loneliness, to improve patients' walking abilities, and a strategy to change gut bacteria effects in MS. The year-long Pilot Research Grant program is a way to support early-stage research projects to quickly test their effectiveness. The MS Society also said that additional projects will be awarded this year. Results of a recent survey of approximately 300 pilot grant recipients revealed the program successfully promotes new ideas and brings new researchers to the MS field. About 90 percent of the respondents agreed that the financial support was very important for their research project. In 85 percent of cases, the grant supported new ideas, and in 56 percent it allowed support for additional grants. These pilot grants allow researchers to obtain preliminary data so they can decide to apply for additional funding, if the project looks  promising, or to put the idea to rest.

MMJ Bio Science has become the first company to obtain a Canadian license to produce medical cannabis, with the initial authorization covering products for multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease. The Health Canada license allows the company to extract cannabinoids from plants that it grows to produce therapies that will be tested in U.S.

Genetically modified human umbilical cord blood cells can help nerve cells recover the myelin layer necessary for normal functioning, researchers found in a preclinical study. This finding may support the development of cell-based therapeutic approaches to help patients with spinal cord injuries or demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

High levels of a protein called calnexin in the brain may disrupt the blood-brain barrier of patients with multiple sclerosis, a Canadian study suggests. The finding could lead to new treatment strategies to prevent brain damage in MS. The research, “Calnexin is necessary for T cell…

People who live in areas with medium to high levels of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation from sunlight during their childhood and early adolescence, or in the years preceding the age of onset of multiple sclerosis (MS), have a lower risk of developing the disease, according to researchers. The study’s findings…

American TV personality Montel Williams, who uses medical cannabis to manage his multiple sclerosis symptoms, will speak at the 5th annual Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition in New York City, May 30 to June 2. A prominent medical cannabis advocate, Williams will discuss its legalization and acceptance, a movement that has…

Merck KGaA’s evobrutinib led to significant reductions in relapsing multiple sclerosis patients’ brain and spinal cord lesions, compared with a placebo, a Phase 2b clinical trial showed. Researchers measured the number of lesions at weeks 12, 16, 20 and 24. Evobrutinib, also known as M2951, is an oral inhibitor of…

An exploratory Phase 1/2 clinical trial in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirms the safety profile of Raxone (idebenone) at a dose of 2,250 mg daily over two years. But no difference in effectiveness was found between the Raxone-treated group and…

One way the body may protect itself from nerve cell inflammation is to have cells in the blood-brain barrier increase their production of a protein that keeps immune cells from entering the brain, researchers in Germany and Canada report. The finding suggests that scientists could develop a multiple sclerosis therapy around the protein, known as EGFL7. It would work by preventing as many inflammation-generating immune cells from entering the brain. The underlying trigger for MS is immune cells crossing the blood-brain barrier to invade the central nervous system (CNS). The barrier is a selective membrane that shields the CNS from general blood circulation. Therapies that prevent immune cells from entering the brain can help control the disease, studies have shown. They include Tysabri (natalizumab, marketed by Biogen). But “as with other highly effective disease-modifying therapies which influence a broad range of peripheral immune cells, potential devastating adverse events limit the use of this therapy as a first-line agent,” the researchers wrote. The team at Mainz University Medical Center in Germany and the University of Montreal wondered if epidermal growth factor-like protein 7 (EGFL7) could prevent the brain inflammation in MS.  Although scientists had not previously linked it to MS, it was shown to regulate the migration of immune cells into breast cancer tumors. The CNS response to the chronic inflammation seen in MS patients and a mouse model of the disease was to increase EGFL7 in the blood-brain barrier, the researchers found. Researchers said the increase prevented pro-inflammatory immune cells from crossing into the CNS. Endothelial cells that line blood capillaries in the blood-brain barrier are the ones that secrete EGFL7. “We postulate that EGFL7 upregulation by BBB-ECs [brain blood barrier-endothelial cells] is induced as a compensatory mechanism to promote survival and recovery of BBB function in neuroinflammatory conditions,” the team wrote. Researchers then tested what happened in mice that lacked EGFL7. They found that the mice developed MS earlier and that their blood-brain barrier membrane was less efficient at keeping immune cells out. Treatment with EGFL7 improved the disease severity in the MS mice and tightened the blood-brain barrier, they said. “In light of our findings, smaller EGFL7 agonists, in development for other diseases, could therefore constitute an appealing therapeutic avenue for MS,” the team concluded.

Can Do MS has launched an MS Path 2 Care initiative that aims to help people affected by MS  be more active partners in their healthcare experience. A national non-profit organization based in Avon, Colorado, Can Do MS delivers health and wellness education programs focused on exercise, nutrition, symptom…

Novartis and Pear Therapeutics are joining forces to develop novel prescription digital therapeutics to treat patients with schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis (MS). Digital therapeutics are software applications designed to treat diseases and improve clinical outcomes for patients. Combining Novartis’ expertise in biomedical research and clinical development with Pear’s…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has developed a Multiple Sclerosis Healthcare Associate (MSHA) Certification Examination for all non-licensed, educated and trained medical personnel working in multiple sclerosis (MS). The MSHA Certification Examination provides formal recognition of a specialized body of knowledge felt to be necessary to provide optimal…

Eating fish once a week, or one to three times per month along with taking daily fish oil supplements, may help lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a preliminary study shows. These findings suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish like salmon, tuna and shrimp may…

Biogen and AbbVie have voluntarily withdrawn global marketing authorizations for their relapsing multiple sclerosis therapy Zinbryta (daclizumab) because of serious side effects that include brain inflammation. The Europe Medicine Agency, which oversees medications across the European Union, also released a statement recommending a “immediate suspension” of Zinbryta’s use by patients and…

Registered patients in Canada can now purchase CanniMed Topical Cream, a product with medical cannabis oil designed to provide fast-acting relief for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions associated with pain and inflammation. The product is the result of a collaboration between Canada-based CanniMed Therapeutics and Avaria…

Understanding multiple sclerosis (MS) progression will be the focus of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America’s (MSAA) campaign for MS Awareness Month 2018. March has been recognized as MS Awareness Month since 2003. Across the U.S., MSAA events aim to raise public awareness about the disease, and increase involvement in…

Cannabis Science has created a website called iCannabinoid that it hopes will become the premier online source of medical cannabis news and information. It is seeking feedback on the site so it can tweak it as need be. It hopes to hear from  patients, doctors, patient advocates, parents, researchers, government and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Celgene to add more information to its New Drug Application for ozanimod as a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Celgene said it plans to meet with FDA officials to make sure it understands exactly what new information the agency…

The Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) has awarded five young investigators for their research work on multiple sclerosis (MS). The awards were presented at the ACTRIMS Forum 2018, held Feb. 1-3 in San Diego,…

Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to approve Mavenclad (cladribine) as a treatment for adults with highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis. The Argentinian Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology's approval covered Merck’s cladribine tablet formulation. Merck expects to make the treatment available in the country in the next few months. Mavenclad has already been approved in Canada, Australia, Israel, and Europe. Merck is seeking approval in the United States and other countries. "Having a new MS treatment approved in Argentina is very motivating," Dr. Jorge Correale of the Institute for Neurological Research Dr. Raúl Carrea said in a press release. "Mavenclad allows the patient's immune system to go through a selective immune reconstitution, similar to a reset, and the treatment mechanism is simple because it does not require frequent administration or monitoring," said Correale, head of the institute's neuroimmunology and demyelinating diseases department. Mavenclad is designed to target the immune T- and B-cells that trigger relapsing MS without suppressing the entire immune system. With a maximum of 20 days' treatment over two years, the oral drug promotes long-term inhibition of harmful immune cells, reconstituting the immune system. MS is an autoimmune disease, or one in which the immune system attacks normal tissue as well as invadors. Argentine regulators based their approval on the results of five clinical trials. These were the Phase 3 CLARITY, CLARITY EXTENSION, and ORACLE-MS studies, the Phase 2 ONWARD study, and the long-term PREMIERE study. These trials involved more than 2,700 patients with relapsing MS, some of whom researchers followed for more than 10 years. The trials showed that Mavenclad can significantly reduce MS relapse rates, disability progression and brain atrophy. The treatment is recommended for patients who fail to respond adequately, or are unable to tolerate, other therapies. "We are pleased the Argentinian Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology has approved Mavenclad," said Rehan Verjee, the chief marketing and strategy officer of Merck's biopharma business. "Our goal is to ensure fast access to patients who may benefit from this innovative therapy, and we will be working with payers on obtaining reimbursement as a next step."

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society gave its Impact Award to Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, for her research and patient care in multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the society, the award is intended for “a business or individual whose leadership helps ensure those with MS live their best lives.” Weinstock-Guttman…

Inhibiting an oxidative stress enzyme reduced nerve cell damage and promoted the formation of new nerve cells, a multiple sclerosis study in mice showed. It also helped regenerate cells that produce the nerve cell-protecting myelin sheath, researchers said. The team used a mouse model of the progressive form of MS in…

Reprogramming skin cells into brain stem cells, then transplanting them into the central nervous system may reduce inflammation and reverse the nerve cell damage in progressive multiple sclerosis, a mouse study shows. Scientists have dubbed macrophages the immune system's big eaters because they engulf abnormal cells like cancer in addition to invaders like viruses and bacteria. Special classes of macrophages live in a number of organs, including the brain and spinal cord, where they’re called microglia. Although they protect the body, microglia can participate in the development of progressive forms of MS by attacking the central nervous system, causing nerve cell damage. MS is an autoimmune disease, or one in which the immune system can attack healthy tissue besides invaders. Recent studies have suggested that neural stem cells, which have the capacity to differentiate into any type of nerve cell, can regulate immune response and inflammation in the central nervous system. At one point, researchers obtained neural stem cells from embryos. But this technique generated only a fraction of the cells needed for treatments. Meanwhile, doctors have tried to avoid collecting stem cells from someone with a different genetic profile than the patient because this increases the risk that the immune system will attack them once they're transplanted. University of Cambridge scientists decided to try reprogramming skin cells into neural stem cells. The idea behind the mouse study was that using skin cells from the same person who will receive the stem cells will reduce the chance that the immune system will attack the stem cells. In the mouse study, the team discovered a link between higher than normal levels of a small metabolite, called succinate, and chronic MS. The metabolite prompts macrophages and microglia to generate inflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. Transplanting neural stem cells and progenitors of these stem cells into the cerebrospinal fluid of mice improved the animals' chronic nerve cell inflammation. The stem cells reduced the animals' succinate levels and switched their macrophages and microglia from a pro- to an anti-inflammatory state. This led to a decrease in inflammation and less damage to the central nervous system. “Our mouse study suggests that using a patient’s reprogrammed cells could provide a route to personalized treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, including progressive forms of MS,” Stefano Pluchino, a principal researcher in Cambridge's Department of Clinical Neurosciences, said in a press release. “This is particularly promising as these cells should be more readily obtainable than conventional neural stem cells and would not carry the risk of an adverse immune response,” said Pluchino, the study's lead author. Luca Peruzzotti-Jametti, a Wellcome Trust research training fellow, said the discovery would not have been possible without a multidisciplinary collaboration. “We made this discovery by bringing together researchers from diverse fields, including regenerative medicine, cancer, mitochondrial biology, inflammation and stroke, and cellular reprogramming."

Comobidities are common in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S., with the most frequent being high cholesterol and blood pressure, followed by gastrointestinal disease, thyroid disease, and anxiety, a database analysis reports. But distinctions exist between the sexes, this claims analysis found. High cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as diabetes…

United Arab Emirates scientists have found active Epstein-Barr virus in many multiple sclerosis patients’ brain cells, supporting the notion that it plays a role in the disease. The team found it in two types of brain cells — astrocytes and microglia. The virus can be active or lie dormant in…

Oxygen sensor proteins can regulate immune B-cell activity, preventing inflammation in autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, a study reports. The research, titled “Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α is a critical transcription factor for IL-10-producing B cells in autoimmune disease,” was published in Nature Communications. An autoimmune disease is one in…