News

Oryzon Genomics will give updates on its leading investigational product ORY-2001, a brain-targeting epigenetic therapy now in a Phase 2 clinical trial recruiting multiple sclerosis patients, at a series of scientific conferences. According to a press release, these include two conferences in the United States, the 2018 BIO…

A survey of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients that looked at their sense of social identity based on their family relations — meant to help explain mood disorders like depression and anxiety seen in this population — found a clear link between the strength of family bonds and mood, a U.K. study…

PathMaker Neurosystems, which specializes in non-invasive devices to treat chronic neuromotor disorders, won the 2018 French-American Business (FAB) Award in the startup/small company category. PathMaker, based in Boston, is developed and testing MyoRegulator, a potential treatment for muscle spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy and other chronic conditions.

Two groups working to collect and promote patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in research and treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) announced they will jointly explore ways to “standardize and harmonize” these measures so as to make them more effective. The effort brings the iConquerMS People-Powered Research Network, managed by the nonprofit Accelerated Cure Project…

A chemical compound called indazole chloride promotes repair of myelin, the protective layer of nerve fibers, through “beneficial” inflammation in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. The preclinical research, “Increase in chemokine CXCL1 by ERβ ligand treatment is a key mediator in…

The temperament of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) can have a significant impact on their health-related quality of life, a study suggests. The study, “Health-related quality of life in multiple sclerosis: temperament outweighs EDSS,” was published in the journal BMC Psychiatry. MS patients’s quality of life…

Girls given the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) vaccination, commercialized as Gardasil, showed no increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new Canadian study. The time since vaccination and the number of vaccine doses given also did not correlate with diagnoses of such disorders, supporting…

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is partnering with Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and its newly opened Autoimmunity Institute — based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — to study the costs of autoimmune disease to patients in the U.S., including that of just getting a correct diagnosis. AARDA, a non-profit that…

Age at disease onset, number of early relapses, and the extent of brain damage at baseline can help identify those who are at high risk of progression from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis into the secondary progressive phase of the disease, a new study shows. The study with that finding, “…

In general, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are able to make and sustain healthy lifestyle changes associated with a better quality of life, a study shows. The study, “Health outcomes and adherence to a healthy lifestyle after a multimodal intervention in people with multiple sclerosis: Three year follow-up,”…

A North Carolina couple living with multiple sclerosis have raised more than $20,000 so far this year to support Discovery MS, a nonprofit research initiative that is part of Duke University’s School of Medicine. Specifically, the money will support program efforts  to improve MS diagnosis and prognosis, gain a clearer understanding…

Learning impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) are detected differently by the two most commonly used neuropsychological tests, a new study by the Kessler Foundation shows. The research, titled “Comparing the Open Trial – Selective Reminding Test results with the California Learning Verbal Test II in multiple…

Lesser time spent exercising and using large muscles can result in serious alterations in the metabolism of brain stem cells and their ability to generate new nerve cells, a study suggests. These findings can help to explain why patients with neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy,…

A non-invasive procedure using magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain may be more effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other patients if the rate of stimulation is slowed, a new study suggests, finding that neurons “tire” with overstimulation and may fail to respond. The research, “Less might be…

Treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) is associated with treatment satisfaction, which, in turn, is linked to a better quality-of-life in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study has found. Gilenya, an oral disease-modifying treatment (DMT) for RRMS developed by Novartis, has been available in France since 2011. Studies have…

A formulation of ofatumumab (brand name Arzerra) to be injected under the skin (subcutaneous) was found to be safe and effective in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), even when given at lower doses…

A review of data concerning the multiple sclerosis (MS) medicine Zinbryta (daclizumab) confirmed its association with the risk of developing severe and potentially fatal immune reactions in the brain, liver and other organs, according to the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA)’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC). Zinbryta was authorized…

Sativex, a cannabis-based anti-spasticity medicine commercialized as oromucosal spray by GW Pharmaceuticals, improves the driving ability of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers. The findings were published in the journal Brain and Behavior, in a study titled “The influence of THC:CBD oromucosal spray…

The Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp  has launched mmj.org, an initiative to advance the scientific community’s understanding of medical marijuana and its derivatives through the creation of a comprehensive national patient registry. The Thomas Jefferson University center registry aims to enroll  100,000 medical marijuana patients…

Fat-derived stem cells are a safe and feasible treatment strategy for patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, results from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial show. Findings were published in the study, “Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSC) for the treatment of secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis: A triple blinded,…

Metabolites produced by microbes in the gut can ease inflammation in the central nervous system by limiting the damage done by microglia, an immune cell of the brain, an early study reports. Its scientists suggest this gut-brain axis may open new avenues to treatment. “These findings provide a clear understanding of how…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is inviting all mud-lovers to Saturday’s kickoff of MuckFest MS in Boston, Massachusetts, which raises money and awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS). The event includes a 5K “mud run” with “outrageous obstacles and a whole lot of mud” that definitely will make you sore “from…

Rituximab is generally safe and effective in treating multiple sclerosis — with comparable effectiveness to Tysabri (natalizumab) in people with relapsing-remitting forms of the disease, a Swiss study reports. But patients using this therapy can develop recurrent infections, its researchers noted, and doctors should be vigilant. The observational study, “…

A Johns Hopkins University-initiated clinical trial is starting to enroll an estimated 900 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients to assess the benefits of switching therapies to prevent or reduce disability. The TREAT-MS study (NCT03500328) will evaluate whether RRMS patients with disease activity while on a traditional first-line disease-modifying therapy…

Infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus triggers expression of a factor called TOX in immune cells strengthening their migration into the brain and promoting damaging effects, including inflammation and tissue destruction. These findings represent a new piece of the puzzle about the mechanism underlying autoimmune diseases  like multiple sclerosis (MS).

A case study reported the successful management of a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient who developed a rare condition in the brain — progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) — due to treatment with Novartis Pharmaceutical’s Gilenya (fingolimod). The study, titled “Fingolimod-associated PML with mild IRIS in MS: A…

After an agreement to lower their prices, four treatments for relapsing multiple sclerosis — Biogen’s Avonex and Merck KGaA‘s Rebif (both interferon beta-1a), Novartis’ Extavia (interferon beta 1b), and Teva’s Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) — were recommended as cost-effective and long-term therapy options within the National Health Service…

Gilenya (fingolimod) has become the first disease-modifying therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat children and adolescents with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This expanded approval allows Gilenya, previously indicated for adults patients 18 or older, to be used to treat pediatric relapsing MS…

Julie Roberts, a country music singer and multiple sclerosis (MS) patient advocate, will perform at the upcoming Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)’s annual meeting, the association announced Roberts, diagnosed with MS while making her second recording in 2005, will also attend CMSC sessions to learn more about…

B-cell alterations in peripheral blood may predict the conversion of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study suggests. Conducted in Turkey, the study, “Peripheral blood memory B cell frequency predicts conversion from clinically isolated syndrome to multiple sclerosis,” was published in…