News

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), Genentech’s humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, continues to show clear evidence that it helps to slow disease progression and enable better function — including in the hands and limbs — of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), latest data reveals. The first FDA-approved therapy — in March…

The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis and a Regeneron unit are teaming up to sequence the coding portion of genes in DNA samples of multiple sclerosis and other patients in the project’s repository. The cure project is a non-profit organization whose goal is to accelerate research to improve MS diagnosis and…

Inhibiting an enzyme responsible for turning genes on and off can reverse damage to the myelin sheath that protects nerve cells, improving limb function, a multiple sclerosis-related study in mice shows. The research, which involved mice with sciatic nerve damage rather than MS, was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients in Canada in the earlier stages of this disease can now be treated with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), following Health Canada‘s decision to approve its use with restrictions. Roche/Genentech’s Ocrevus can be prescribed to adults with early-stage PPMS and characteristic signs of…

Use of medicinal cannabis may pose risks as it may trigger psychiatric problems, but also because it lacks standardized chemical composition, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. With the legalization of cannabis in some states for medicinal and recreational proposes, additional pressure…

The idea that a vitamin D deficiency contributes to the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) has been challenged in a recent study that examined subtle differences in a protein involved in vitamin D metabolism in people from different ethnic backgrounds. The study, “Vitamin D-Binding Protein…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new dose of Sandoz’s multiple sclerosis therapy Glatopa (glatiramer acetate injection) that is twice as large as the currently authorized one. Regulators’ approval of the 40 mg/mL applies to people with relapsing forms of MS. A mg/mL designation refers to the concentration of…

Pregnant women with multiple sclerosis (MS) exposed to Tysabri (natalizumab) in the first trimester had higher rates of miscarriage and major birth defects in their babies, than women left untreated or treated with interferon beta, a study shows. Although higher, these rates were similar to those in the general…

A stem cell treatment improved the neurological symptoms of three-fourths of the multiple sclerosis patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial, New York researchers reported. The results prompted the team at the Tisch MS Research Center of New York to start a Phase 2 trial to further assess the therapy’s…

An increase in multiple sclerosis cases in the Middle East and North Africa has prompted Bayer to introduce to the region an injector that patients can use to treat themselves. Researchers have suggested that increases in the region’s cases stem from many people adopting Western lifestyles, including smoking and using sun…

Deep-brain stimulation, a non-invasive way of targeting neurons in the cortex, can significantly ease symptoms of fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, research drawn from a clinical trial suggests. These results, published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, are in an article titled “Safety and preliminary efficacy of deep…

Australian researchers have identified the master regulator of the immune response signaling pathway that is out of sync in multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. The lynchpin in the process is the xIAP protein, the team said. Their discovery that it triggers the NOD2 pathway’s faulty inflammation signaling could lead to…

The stigma of multiple sclerosis can increase patients’ risk of depression, but a socially supportive environment, a sense of belonging and a sense of independence can help ease the problem, a study Penn State University study reports. Researchers have…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who experience a relapse after two courses of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) treatment showed improvements in relapse rate and disability after a third Lemtrada course, according to results of the CARE-MS II trial extension. The poster reporting the findings, titled “Efficacy of Alemtuzumab Retreatment in Patients Who Experienced Disease Activity after…

A combination of an anti-viral therapy and the anti-depressive mirtazapine can stop the worsening of an infection linked to the multiple sclerosis therapy Tysabri (natalizumab), a case study suggests. The infection, John Cunninghan polyomavirus, can cause a potentially fatal brain infection known as  progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML. Both…

Celgene’s Ozanimod reduces relapsing multiple sclerosis patients’ relapses, brain lesions, and brain volume loss, a Phase 3 clinical trial shows. The company presented the results of the SUNBEAM trial at the ACTRIMS Forum 2018 convention in San Diego, Feb. 1-3. The presentation was titled “Ozanimod Demonstrates Efficacy and Safety…

Ampyra (dalfampridine), approved to treat walking difficulties in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, also helps with cognition and movement in the upper and lower extremities, according to a recent scientific presentation. These findings were reported at the 3rd Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2018 in…

MedDay Pharma’s MD1003 leads to long-lasting improvements in progressive multiple sclerosis patients’ disability, a Phase 3 clinical trial follow-up study shows. Researchers presented the results at the third Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Forum in San Diego, Feb. 1-3. The poster presentation was titled “…

Clene Nanomedicine says its pre-clinical studies demonstrate the remyelination effects of CNM-Au8, supporting its potential to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating disorders. Clene presented its data in a session, “Nanocrystalline Gold As a Novel Remyelination Therapeutic for Multiple Sclerosis,” that took place at the third annual Americas…

The walking speed of multiple sclerosis patients taking Adamas Pharmaceuticals’ ADS-5102 (amantadine) increased by 16.6 percent more those taking a placebo, a Phase 2 clinical trial reports. Another finding was that more of the treated patients increased their walking speed by 20 percent or more during the four-week trial. The study,…

A specially tailored program focused on balance and eye-movement exercises can help multiple sclerosis (MS) patients improve balance, dizziness, fatigue, and quality of life, according to a…

Changing from injectable disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) to Gilenya (fingolimod) can benefit people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), regardless of prior therapy regimens. The PREFERMS Phase 4 trial (NCT01623596) concluded that Gilenya, marketed by Novartis, reduces annualized relapse rates (ARR) and brain volume loss (BVL) in both…

Extending the dosing periods of Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment may help reduce the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients infected with the JC virus, a study suggests. The study, “Natalizumab Extended Interval Dosing Is Associated with a Reduction in Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy…

Difficulties with walking and balance are common among people with multiple sclerosis and strongly affect their quality of life — even when disease progression may not be evident on scans or other measures of MS advance, according to research presented at a meeting last fall and recently reviewed by the National…

Top-line results from a clinical trial evaluating the investigational oral therapy ibudilast for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) show that the therapy led to a significant reduction of brain atrophy in patients when compared to controls. Robert Naismith, MD, one of the study’s principal researchers from Washington University in St. Louis,…

Ocrevus improved vision among relapsing multiple sclerosis patients who participated in the Phase 3 clinical trials of the treatment, according to updated analyses recently presented at the ACTRIMS Forum 2018. While Ocrevus-treated patients improved their ability to read low-contrast letters over the course of the two trials, people who received Rebif (interferon beta-1a) did not. Laura J. Balcer, a neurologist at New York University Langone Medical Center, shared the data in a presentation titled, “Effect of Ocrelizumab on Visual Outcomes in Patients with Baseline Visual Impairment in the OPERA Studies in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis.” Balcer had earlier shared data on the visual outcomes of relapsing patients in the OPERA I and OPERA II Phase 3 clinical trials of Ocrevus at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, last year. The two studies — sponsored by Ocrevus developer Genentech, a member of the Roche group —  compared Ocrevus and Rebif in patients with relapsing MS. This time, her presentation focused only on patients who had visual impairment when they enrolled in the trials. Among a total of 1,656 participants, 375 of those treated with Ocrevus and 373 in the Rebif group had visual impairment. Researchers tested vision using a low-contrast letter acuity test. The test is similar to an ordinary vision test, with letters of different sizes on a chart. But the low-contrast test uses gray letters — instead of black — on a white background. Researchers included charts with two shades of gray to test different contrast levels. These tests can detect reduced visual function. At the beginning of the trials, both groups performed in a similar manner — correctly identifying about 35 letters on a chart with somewhat higher contrast. After 96 weeks, those receiving Ocrevus identified on average 3.4 more letters, while Rebif-treated patients worsened by 0.5 letters — a significant difference, Balcer said. Researchers tested vision every 12 weeks. At the end of the trials, they found that 39 percent more patients in the Ocrevus groups had a cumulative improvement of at least 10 letters, compared to those treated with Rebif. At this time, 26.4 percent of Ocrevus-treated patients improved 10 letters or more, compared to 19.8 percent in the Rebif group. The difference between the groups for at least seven letters was 54 percent, with Ocrevus-treated patients performing better. Researchers believe that a seven-letter change is the minimal clinically important difference for the test. Based on the results, researchers believe that the findings demonstrate Ocrevus’ ability to reverse visual impairment in relapsing MS. The ACTRIMS Forum 2018 is being held in San Diego, California, Feb. 1–3.

Britain’s Multiple Sclerosis Trust is asking patients to help them get the National Health Service to cover Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as a treatment for primary progressive multiple sclerosis, or PPMS. The key step is trying to persuade the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to recommend that the health service…

The Phase 2a trial of GA Depot (glatiramer acetate) for the treatment of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) has dosed the first patient, Mapi Pharma recently announced. In the U.S., Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection, marketed by Teva Pharmaceutical) is the standard therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which is…

A molecule triggered by the male hormone testosterone protects male mice from developing multiple sclerosis, Northwestern Medicine researchers report. Their discovery may help explain why MS affects more women than men. It could also lead to targeted therapies to protect women against the disease. The study, “…

When choosing between the single use autoinjector Rebif Rebidose or the reusable autoinjector Rebiject II, patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) found both easy to very easy to use, according to the results of a study. A higher number of the patients reported a preference for the single-use autoinjector…