News

Voluntary running triggers a molecule called VGF, a nerve growth factor, that was seen to induce a brain repair mechanism in animals, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa in Canada report. The findings have important implications for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions caused by damage to…

The MS Society in the United Kingdom is funding a new project at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, to examine if  heparin, a drug widely used for stroke patients, can repair neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a progressive, debilitating, immune-mediated, neurodegenerative disorder in which…

Neurologists in the U.S. expect — or, at least, highly anticipate — that Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), being developed by Roche as a treatment for both relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), will be approved by year’s end, and a sizable number plan on quickly prescribing it, according to a recent update by  Spherix…

I made a trip to the dentist today. What does that have to do with multiple sclerosis, you ask? Stay with me. We’ll get there. But first, let me tell you about a weekend conference that my local chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society held recently. One of…

The experimental therapy laquinimod was seen to prevent the start of harmful immune responses and to disrupt the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. This finding may be especially promising, as the treatment is being developed for people with both relapsing MS and its rarer progressive…

Stress urinary incontinence affects predominantly young adult mothers with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), particularly those with pelvic organ prolapse, according to a recent study. Exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles are suggested to reduce the risk of incontinence. The study, “Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women With Multiple Sclerosis,”…

Singer-songwriter Lori Jenaire is supporting the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) #25for25 fundraising campaign with the release of her Top Five Billboard Hot Singles Sales debut “As You Are,” featuring Patrice Rushen. The song is a remake of the 1978 Pharoah Sanders’ R&B soul classic, which in its original version featured Phyllis…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing Adapta Medical’s PerfIC Cath, an intermittent and easy-to-use urinary catheter that was designed for patients with limited dexterity by a doctor who is also a quadriplegic. Urinary tract symptoms can trouble people with multiple sclerosis (MS). In fact, according to the National MS Society,…

I have to be honest. This is a complex subject for me. As a child I was taught to pray and to believe in what I prayed for. I truly believed that there was nothing that God and I couldn’t get through together. This conviction accompanied me into adulthood.

GeneFo, an MS patient community that provides support, advice, and clinical trial matching, recently co-hosted an online conference with Trent Austin, MD, who reviewed the most updated research and clinical evidence of natural substances – including  medicinal mushrooms, vitamins, biotin and cannabinoids – to inform the public about the potential…

Therapies aimed at regenerating the myelin sheath can work to restore proper brain activity and may be a viable way of treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the University of California San Francisco. In the study, “Accelerated Remyelination During Inflammatory Demyelination Prevents Axonal Loss And Improves Functional Recovery,” published…

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) recently installed a state-of-the-art SafeGait 360 Balance and Mobility Trainer on its Austin, Texas campus. The device is a ceiling-mounted body-weight support and fall protection system that tracks patient movements 2,500 times per second. The trainer was designed in collaboration with…

Abide Therapeutics announced that Celgene has opted to obtain the rights, outside of the United States, to ABX-1431, Abide’s endocannabinoid system modulator being developed to treat neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), by reproducing within the body the physical benefits (minus the psychotropic effects) of cannabis. ABX-1431 is an…

An indirect comparison of results from randomized clinical trials in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients suggests that Tysabri (natalizumab) is more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) at reducing disease activity. The study, “The Efficacy of Natalizumab versus Fingolimod for Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review, Indirect…

PathMaker Neurosystems is the winner of the Universal Biotech Innovation Prize 2016 for its innovative, non-invasive neurotherapy technologies to treat conditions linked to neural pathway disruption, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The selection was announced at Innovation Days, an international event honoring the best in the life sciences and held in Paris on Oct. 3–4. Launched in 2009 by a…

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Trust is expressing its disappointment at the recent committee decision of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to not recommend Zinbryta (daclizumab) be made available as a therapy to MS patients using the public health system in England and Wales. NICE’s preliminary recommendation was based on a review of…

A virus known to cause respiratory infections in people — the human coronavirus (HCoV) — may also be the source of neurological diseases that strike patients, seemingly out of the blue, a new study reported. Results obtained in the study, “Human Coronavirus OC43 Associated with Fatal Encephalitis,” support the idea that diseases…

A researcher at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s School of Nursing and Midwifery found that the practice of mindfulness helps people with long-term medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, to manage their diagnosis. The study, “Starting where I am: a grounded theory exploration of mindfulness as a facilitator…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the health authority for England and Wales, has decided not to recommend Zinbryta (daclizumab) be made available to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients through the country’s health service. The decision came in a first stage of the drug’s review process, and NICE is welcoming…

In a large prospective study with validated measures of physical activity, researchers found no evidence that exercise reduced a woman’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Although physical activity is known to have numerous health benefits, it seems unlikely to protect a person against the likelihood of developing MS, the study concludes. The study, published…

Actelion announced that it will investigate the therapeutic potential of a new, oral combination therapy with ponesimod and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) as a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The Phase 3 clinical study, being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aims to find…

A study published in the BMC Neurology journal emphasized that clear and regular communication between physicians and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is essential for patient satisfaction with a given treatment, which could result in therapy persistence. Uwe Zettl and colleagues conducted the study, “Comparative evaluation of patients’…

In multiple sclerosis (MS), scientists have long believed that the body’s own immune system attacked myelin sheaths, the “insulating tape” that surrounds neurons, causing the disease. But researchers at Tel Aviv University are challenging that view, in a study reporting that MS may in fact be triggered by an instability inherent in the myelin membranes. The…

Exposure to heavy metals and being female are associated with a higher incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study conducted by Maria Cristina Monti and colleagues from two Italian universities. The study, “Is Geo-Environmental Exposure a Risk Factor for Multiple Sclerosis? A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in South-Western Sardinia,” was…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has launched an initiative, called Make MS Medications Accessible, calling for change in the pricing of multiple sclerosis (MS) medications in the U.S., which the group said need to be more affordable, and ways of acquiring them more simple and transparent. The initiative asks leaders of all…

A new study shows that an enzyme called hyaluronidase may be effective in reducing muscle spasticity resulting from neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The results were published in a study titled “Human Recombinant Hyaluronidase Injections For Upper Limb Muscle Stiffness in Individuals With Cerebral Injury: A Case Series,”…

In its effort to end progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the International Progressive MS Alliance (PMSA) has awarded a $6.1 million grant to fund a research project led by Dr. Douglas Arnold with the Montreal Neurological Institute Hospital (MNI) at McGill University. The multiyear grant is one of three…

Antioxidant-filled nanoparticles injected under the skin may become a future multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment that comes with a perk or a drawback, depending on how a patient sees it.  The injection leaves a temporary dark spot on the skin, resembling a tattoo. The tattoo might be a small issue considering…

How the multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) works on a molecular level has finally been uncovered, using a new method that can map a drug’s protein targets. The insights gained may open up new avenues for the development of more specific drugs, based on the same mechanisms, but with fewer side effects. The study,…

Active Biotech acknowledged in an update on laquinimod, the oral small molecule being developed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease (HD), that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rescinded the special protocol assessment given to a Phase 3 study of the treatment in…