News

Molecular diagnostics startup IQuity is introducing a pioneering blood test that speeds up multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis to just seven days. Previously, this process could take up to months or years. IQuity, based in Nashville, Tennessee, began working on its new IsolateMS blood test in January 2016, after receiving $2…

Australians living with multiple sclerosis (MS) don’t have adequate access to dental care, a new study reports. The study, “How do Australians living with MS experience oral health and accessing dental care? A focus group study,” appeared in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. MS is an autoimmune…

This year’s annual Walk MS event will bring cumulative fundraising for multiple sclerosis (MS) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) since 1988 to more than $1 billion, say organizers. “Walk MS is a joyous gathering with a wonderful ‘we’re in this together’ feeling,” NMSS President and CEO Cyndi Zagieboylo said…

As Republicans in Congress prepare to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and 10 other nonpartisan patient groups are urging lawmakers in Washington to keep health insurance affordable, accessible, adequate and understandable for all Americans. The 11 organizations will evaluate all proposed changes to the…

Riding and other activities with horses can help adults and children with the balance, gait, and psychomotor disorders that are hallmarks of multiple sclerosis, according to review of 16 studies. The review, “Therapeutic Effects of Horseback Riding Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” was published in the …

People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are more likely to feel exhausted and have limited leg function than those without progressive MS as they age, a preliminary study suggests. The findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 69th Annual Meeting, set for April 22-28 in Boston.

It is no coincidence that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are prone to airway infections, according to research showing that MS disease processes allow suppressive immune cells to travel to the lungs and block inflammatory responses against invading viruses. The study may offer guidance on how vaccines should be used to…

Australia’s Innate Immunotherapeutics confirmed that its Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the drug MIS416 in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) will wrap up by April 30, as scheduled, and data is expected to be release in the fall. MIS416 is a biologically derived new immune modulator that can…

A number of multiple sclerosis organizations have joined Biogen in the second year of the #MySupportHero initiative. The social media campaign is a way for people with multiple sclerosis (MS)  to thank those who give them the care,  encouragement, attention, and strength they need. The initiative runs through the end of March, which…

The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (or MS Focus)  is holding its first Mind & Mobility festival this month, an event that includes yoga and meditation, talks, information booths on health and support services, and adaptive sessions for those disabled by multiple sclerosis (MS). The series kicks off with a full day…

On a Monday in July, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) gave Kathy, who loves to hike in the woods, a cooling vest that reduces heat stress — a common issue for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). On a Wednesday in October, the nonprofit funded an MRI for Sarah,…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are three to six times more likely to develop epilepsy than the general population, a study says. Researchers believe the loss of myelin in certain neurons — a hallmark of MS — is what causes the seizures. The study was published in the journal…

Medicare spent more $650 million in 2013 and 2014 on one single medication — H.P. Acthar Gel —— that was prescribed by fewer than 1 percent of clinicians to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), with questionable results. That’s the conclusion of new research by Oregon Health and Science University (OSHU), which presented its…

Harold Weiner, MD, believes in using probiotics to help treat multiple sclerosis. He is such a believer that he did a presentation on the subject — “Probiotics in Multiple Sclerosis” — at the just-concluded Americas for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum in Orlando. The event…

March 28, at the latest, may be a historic date for the multiple sclerosis (MS) community — patients, families, caregivers, researchers, and physicians alike. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have its say about the marketing approval for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). The drug will be the first to offer benefit to…

Below is a transcript of the Multiple Sclerosis News Today interview with Dr. Peter Chin — principal medical director at Genentech — about the importance of the pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a Biologics Licensing Application (BLA) for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). An an indepth article on this interview, looking Ocrevus…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who smoke have a significantly worse quality of life than non-smoking MS patients, concludes a new study. Researchers presented the study, “Smokers with MS have greater decrements in quality of life and disability than non-smokers,” at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in…

In a U.S. nationwide case study, a team of researchers found evidence for a potential link between viral infections during childhood, vitamin D deficiency, and the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “Environmental risk factors associated with pediatric MS: The role of remote viral infections and vitamin D revisited,” was recently…

A 60-year follow-up study of nearly 1,400 Norwegian patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) analyzed their survival and risk of dying starting with the onset of the disease through its progression. The study, “A 60- year follow-up on survival and cause of death in multiple sclerosis in Western Norway,” was recently…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), an investigational monoclonal antibody, significantly decreases disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and is associated with a higher proportion of patients reaching no evidence of disease activity (NEDA), according to a new analysis. The study, “NEDA analysis by epoch in patients with relapsing multiple…

Ten years after completing treatment with Novantrone (mitoxantrone), a chemotherapy drug, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed evidence of markedly lower annualized relapse rates, but the therapy’s effects began to wane after five years, a study presented at ACTRIMS 2017 Forum reported. The study also assessed how Novantrone affects disease progression in primary and secondary progressive…

The absence of epigenetic factors in myelin-producing oligodendrocyte cells make sure that myelin production is switched off in the adult brain. Targeting these factors may be a way of triggering myelin regeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), and a step toward personalized medicine for this disease, Dr. Patrizia Casaccia said in a talk…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is thought to be caused by genetic factors, but environmental cues are increasingly recognized to have an impact on disease onset and development. One environmental factor suggested to play a role in MS is infectious agents, such as viruses. Now, different teams of scientists have explored the…

Sex hormones, and genes in the two sex chromosomes, impact the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in men and women differently, and lead to differences in the course of the disease between the sexes, according to two studies. Two speakers at the ACTRIMS 2017 Forum highlighted the role of sex…

New evidence strengthens the link between a diet high in salt and multiple sclerosis (MS) development, researchers show. The study, “Sodium Chloride Intake and MS,” was presented on Feb. 24 at the ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum being held in Orlando, Florida, by Dr. David Hafler with the Yale School of Medicine. The…

A detailed analysis of relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the three Phase 3 trials of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) showed that the treatment did not significantly increase their risk of infections — serious or otherwise. Certain infections, including common colds and influenza, were numerically more common among Ocrevus-treated patients,…

Short-chain dietary fatty acids, such as propionate, drive the production of regulatory immune T-cells in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), while long-chain acids promote T-cells that are involved in inflammatory processes. Since the beneficial fatty acids are safe and can be obtained as over-the-counter dietary supplements, researchers suggest they could…

Spending more time in the sunshine could make people with multiple sclerosis (MS) feel more energetic, though dietary vitamin D intake’s effect is mixed, depending on what type of MS a particular patient has. That’s the conclusion of a study — “Dietary intakes of vitamin D, sunshine exposure, EDSS and fatigue…

Two Phase 3 clinical trials investigating the long-term effects of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed the drug maintained improved outcomes, even in the absence of further treatment. Both studies were presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum, held…

Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) increased the proportion of patients with no evidence of progression (NEP) in the recently concluded ORATORIO Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). The evaluation of NEP — a combined measure of three disability assessments — was a secondary exploratory endpoint of…