News

Atara Biotherapeutics’ investigational ATA190, a cell therapy that wipes out immune B-cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), led to neurological improvements and reduced symptoms in patients with primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a Phase 1 trial shows. The trial results were published in the Journal…

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics is planning to launch a Phase 2 clinical trial in the United States to evaluate the safety and activity of its lead cell therapy candidate, NurOwn, in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The company announced that has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a generic version of  Aubagio (teriflunomide) tablets at the 7 mg and 14 mg doses marketed by Sanofi, according to the generic’s manufacturer, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. The FDA’s decision to approve the company’s application for teriflunomide tablets at two…

Women with multiple sclerosis are being diagnosed at younger ages and in greater numbers than men, except for those with primary progressive disease (PPMS), where men 50 or older tend to predominate, a European review study that looked at trends over several decades reports. The study “Age‐dependent variation of female…

Hoping to expedite multiple sclerosis (MS) research and boost patient participation, the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis is teaming with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. As part of the collaboration, the MS Society will make use of ACP’s iConquerMS, a research initiative to increase the engagement…

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) issued a negative recommendation on the use of Fampyra (fampridine; marketed as Ampyra in the U.S.) in the National Health System (NHS), for the…

Lyfebulb announced that it has joined with Celgene in launching an innovation challenge for entrepreneurs with or impacted by multiple sclerosis (MS) to develop user-driven solutions that might make daily life a little easier for patients. The initiative, “Addressing Unmet Needs in MS: An Innovation Challenge,” will be…

Multiple sclerosis patients of working age who are unemployed or on a reduced work schedule are likely to show considerable cognitive impairment on tests, especially those measuring mental processing speeds, than patients who are more gainfully employed, a review study reports. This link held true even in patients with little…

The cells that produce myelin in the brain and spinal cord, called oligodendrocytes, may play an active role in the onset or progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study combining data from MS mouse models and the human brain. This discovery supports the…

Treating primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) can help to preserve strength and function in their hands and the arms, analysis of data from a Phase 3 trial found. The research, “Ocrelizumab reduces progression of upper extremity impairment in patients with primary progressive…

A Phase 3 clinical trial intending to confirm the potential of MD1003, a high-dose biotin, in treating progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is completely enrolled, MedDay Pharmaceuticals, the investigational therapy’s developer, announced. The randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study (NCT02936037), called SPI2, follows the previous Phase 3 trial (NCT02220933),…

Mentally rehearsing an ease of walking to rhythmic cues — especially musical and verbal — improves walking speed and distance, and lessens feelings of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. The study, “Effects and mechanisms of differently…

Nurses who specialize in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.K. are handling heavier caseloads than recommended or preferred, resulting in patients going without the necessary care and support they deserve, the MS Trust reports. Particularly, the 2018 report notes that newer treatments require more complex and careful monitoring. However, it…

The pro-inflammatory Th17 cells that characterize multiple sclerosis (MS) may also underlie symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), results of a mouse study show. The study, “Auto-Reactive Th17-Cells Trigger Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder Like Behavior in Mice With Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis,” was published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. “For the first time,…

Appropriate control of immune B-cell numbers and activation in the nervous system is key to preventing inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. These findings also showed that patients with higher levels of a specific B-cell-regulating cell type had less disease activity. The study, “…

To more widely recognize and help those caring for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic diseases, Merck KGaA (known in the U.S. and Canada as EMD Serono) is expanding its global Embracing Carers program to include Brazil and possibly China. “Caregivers are a hidden pillar within the…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses can be challenging for some patients, and better engagement is needed between patients and their healthcare providers, a study focused on patient experiences has found. The study, titled “Relapse prevalence, symptoms, and health care engagement: patient insights from the Multiple Sclerosis in America 2017 survey,”…

A non-traditional exercise program that incorporates movements used in ballet was found to improve motor control and balance in women with multiple sclerosis, leading its researchers to recommend dance movements be part of such interventions for MS patients. The study, “Targeted ballet program mitigates ataxia and improves…

Relapse rates in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) decline during pregnancy, as does the use of disease-modifying therapies, before both adjust to pre-pregnancy levels again, a large U.S. study based on real-world data shows. The study, “Relapses and disease-modifying drug treatment in pregnancy and live birth…

Blocking SARM1, a protein identified as a central mediator of nerve cell degeneration, works to prevent damage to axons — nerve cell fibers essential in cell-to-cell communication — and may be a way of treating neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), data from Disarm Therapeutics shows. Specially, genetically deleting…

The ability to track multiple sclerosis (MS) at any time, gain a more complete picture of each patient’s disease course and a better understanding of MS are among the possible benefits of the FLOODLIGHT app, according to Laura Julian, PhD, principal medical science director at Genentech. The company…

To increase the exchange of research information and goings-on with the patient community, the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has teamed with RealTalk MS, a weekly podcast for those affected by the disease. Specifically, ACP will share ongoing results of its research initiative, iConquerMS. In…

Diabetes, hypertension, and active smoking correlate with more brain shrinkage in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a new study shows. The study, “Assessing the burden of vascular risk factors on brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis: A case- control MRI study” was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Denali Therapeutics and Sanofi will collaborate to develop a compound called DNL747 that may treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. The companies will also jointly work on the development of a separate possible therapy, DNL758, for systemic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Both DNL747 and DNL758…

EMD Serono has launched MS On My Mind with a goal of making people more aware of the emotional toll that multiple sclerosis (MS) can have on patients and caregivers. Patients are invited under the initiative to go to the MSIsOnMyMind.com website and finish the sentence “MS is on my…

Researchers at Yale uncovered a way that high-salt diets may trigger inflammation and possibly contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Their study, “Activated β-catenin in Foxp3+ regulatory T cells links inflammatory environments to autoimmunity,” was recently published in the journal Nature…

A final and weighty opinion regarding whether Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be among treatments available at low or no cost to primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients in England and Wales — through the National Health Service (NHS) — has been put on hold, according to the Multiple Sclerosis Trust. The…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) binds to a specific amino acid in key enzymes to inhibit their activity, according to a study that sheds more light on this therapy’s little-known mechanism of action. This newly identified regulatory mechanism may lead to the discovery of new compounds…

Bacteria that reside in human gut may trigger autoimmune reactions by producing human-like proteins that mimic a naturally occurring and crucial cell protein. Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast in Ireland report that patients with autoimmune disorders — such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis — have…

Myelin loss might be prevented by astrocytes, a brain cell that regulates myelin’s thickness in coating nerve fibers to support the proper transmission of nerve signals, after astrocytes were seen to block an enzyme called thrombin in a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its…