October 16, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ECTRIMS 2023: Obesity tied to disability progression, declines Obese people with multiple sclerosis (MS) had faster disability accumulation, greater cognitive declines, and worse quality of life in the 15 years after diagnosis relative to patients with normal weight, according to an analysis of Swedish data. While it’s been known that obesity was a risk factor for developing…
October 16, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: More disease activity when treatment stopped A clinical trial that was testing if treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) could be discontinued in people with stable disease was terminated early after several patients who stopped treatment saw new disease activity. The findings support the continued use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) even by those who haven’t…
October 13, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Personalized dosing of Tysabri shows good efficacy A personalized dosing schedule for Tysabri (natalizumab) that aims to maintain blood levels of the drug above a certain threshold seems to be just as effective for controlling disease activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as the approved every-four-week dosing schedule. That’s according to interim data from an…
October 13, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ECTRIMS 2023: Early high-efficacy DMTs may help slow MS disability People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who had an early start on high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) experience slower disability progression compared with those on escalation treatment, according to recent research. The study, which followed patients for up to 10 years, supports starting high-risk RRMS patients on highly effective…
October 13, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Treating SPMS with OCH shows promise in small study Five of six people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) treated with an experimental oral therapy called OCH saw no disease activity over six months in a small clinical trial. That’s compared with 0% of the SPMS patients given a placebo, according to new data presented by Tomoko Okamoto,…
October 12, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Under-the-skin Ocrevus found to be powerful in MS A new under-the-skin formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) ā administered in 10 minutes ā is at least as effective as the approved intravenous, or into-the-vein, formulation among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new clinical trial data. Most people given either the new subcutaneous formulation or the intravenous…
October 12, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vidofludimus calcium reduced NfL levels in progressive MS patients Vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838), an investigational oral therapy being developed byĀ Immunic Therapeutics for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS), has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in people with progressive forms of the disease, interim clinical trial data show. The experimental therapy was associated with reductions in neurofilament light chain (NfL)…
October 12, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: EBV may trigger attack on brain protein ANO2 Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may prime the immune system to accidentally attack a brain protein called ANO2, new research shows. The findings may explain how EBV infection can lead to developing multiple sclerosis (MS), at least in some patients. Daniel Jons, PhD, a scientist at the…
October 11, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Greater income, education before diagnosis linked to less severe MS Socioeconomic factors, specifically income and education levels, and marital status, were identified as risk factors for multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) severity in a new study in Sweden. In fact, the study found that earning a higher income and having more years of education before being diagnosed with MS are associated with…
October 11, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Vidofludimus calcium lowers RRMS nerve damage Six months of treatment with the experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) led to significant reductions in a marker of nerve damage among people withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a new analysis of data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Previous data indicated the therapy significantly reduced…
October 10, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Switching DMTs in MS found to impact relapse risk in real world People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who switch between more than two disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have a higher risk of relapses compared with those who never switch, regardless of how well these patients adhere to their prescribed medications, according to real-world study in Canada. These findings are consistent with…
October 10, 2023 News by Mary Chapman MS Bike raises more than $4M for MS Canada MS Bike‘s cycling fundraiser events have raised at least $4.3 million over the last four months to support MS Canada and people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a country with one of the highest rates of the progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The organization predicts up to $4.6 million…
October 9, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD PML caused by Tysabri results in lasting neurological symptoms People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who develop progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)Ā as a side effect of Tysabri (natalizumab) often see their neurological symptoms worsen severely during the infection and their disability gradually accumulate over time. That’s according to a study in Austria, which also showed that most disability progression…
October 9, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Mental health can trouble MS patients 5 years before diagnosis Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are nearly twice as common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the five years preceding disease onset than they are in the general public, a study reports. These findings add to growing evidence that people with MS often go through a…
October 6, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Progression without relapses drives most disability worsening in MS Most disability worsening events happen independent of relapse activity across all types of multiple sclerosis (MS), including clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a new study reports. The findings challenge the idea that relapses are the main driver of disability worsening in early relapsing…
October 6, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD How well MS patients adhere to treatment tied to certain factors People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experience a greater number of more severe flare-ups, also known as relapses, are more likely to take their medications regularly, but less likely to keep taking them over time, a review study has found. Other factors associated with better treatment adherence and persistence…
October 5, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Google Maps Timeline may help in monitoring walking ability in MS Assessing a person’s daily walking patterns using the Google Maps Timeline tool may help doctors remotely monitor fatigue, walking ability, and disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The digital tool is built in the smartphone application Google Maps and records daily walking distance and…
October 5, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Sexual dysfunction in MS occurs at similar rates in all age groups Problems with sexual dysfunction are a concern for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients of all ages, but the issues tend to have distinct causes as people age, a new study highlights. The study,Ā “Age-Related Differences in the Severity of Sexual Dysfunction Symptoms and Psychological Distress in Individuals with…
October 4, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS patients in UK less likely to be on treatment, new study shows People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United Kingdom are less likely to be on disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) compared with MS patients in other countries in Europe, a new study reports. “We know that getting early treatment with disease-modifying MS therapies can improve long term health and wellbeing.
October 4, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Partnership seeks to drive diversity, inclusion in MS clinical trials The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis and the Arab Board for Clinical Research have partnered with the Association of Diversity in Clinical Trials (AOD) to drive diversity and inclusion in clinical trials, including in those of multiple sclerosis (MS). The intent of the collaboration is to build…
October 3, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Heligenics IDs new interferon beta variants that might help in MS Heligenics has discovered a number of variations in the interferon beta 1 (IFNB1) gene that may markedly improve the effectiveness of medications containing the interferon beta protein ā a protein widely used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The discovery was made using the biotechnology company’s…
October 3, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Remote therapy program found to ease depression for MS patients A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program delivered virtually ā using self-paced remote modules ā significantly eased depressive symptoms and improved life quality in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression, according to new research. A Phase 3 trial testing the remote program had aimed to determine if an internet-delivered platform…
October 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Viral protein blocks myelin repair, activates inflammation in models The expression of a viral protein known as W-Env leads to the inflammatory activation of brain cells and impairs myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. “Our study shows that the presence of W-Env in the brains of MS patients appears to generate a…
October 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Most disability worsening on Ocrevus not tied to relapses: Study Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), most of the disability worsening they experience is not associated with any relapse activity, according to an analysis of real-world data. “We present real-world data from our multiple sclerosis center underlining that in a typical population of relapsing MS…
September 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Stem cell therapy found safe, effective in RRMS study Nearly three-quarters of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) showed no signs of disease activity five years after receiving a stem cell transplant, according to a recent Swedish study. Moreover, about half of patients with at least minimal disability saw improvements after the transplant and about one-third remained stable.
September 29, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Tiziana seeks sites to conduct Phase 2a trial of nasal foralumab Tiziana Life Sciences has started to recruit clinical sites for a Phase 2a clinical trial that will investigate its foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The announcement follows a meeting with the principal investigators of the trial at Brigham and Womenās…
September 28, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Tyruko, first Tysabri biosimilar, approved in Europe for RMMS The European Commission has approved Tyruko (natalizumab), the first biosimilar of Tysabri, for the treatment of adults with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The approval makes Tyruko available in the European Union for the same indication as its reference medicine. It also marks the first approval…
September 28, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Lemtrada controlled RRMS disease activity more than a decade Over more than a decade of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), relapse rates were low and about half of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) remained free of confirmed disability worsening, according to final results from the open-label TOPAZ clinical trial. “To our knowledge, this report represents the longest…
September 27, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Brain volume loss helps in judging DMT efficacy in RRMS: Review The rate of brain atrophy, or volume loss, may help in determining whether disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are slowing disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a review of data from 12 published studies found. The analysis, āBrain Atrophy as an Outcome of Disease-Modifying Therapy for…
September 27, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Neurologists share treatment preferences for older adults with MS For older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have highly active disease, most neurologists recommend starting treatment with a high-efficacy therapy, according to a survey study. Neurologists also generally agreed that patients with MS should continue on treatment into the latter decades of life, and that older MS patients…