News

Although a Phase 2b trial of the remyelination drug candidate opicinumab (also known as anti-LINGO-1 and BIIB033) failed to meet its primary goal of improving disability in relapsing and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers believe the drug did cause “fairly strong” improvements. The trial evaluated four doses of the…

Members of Parliament are helping the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada commemorate May as MS Awareness Month. The lawmakers will be meeting with society representatives and other members of the MS community in the capital of Ottawa, May 1-3. MS Awareness Month is a run-up to World MS Day on May…

The 31st Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) will take place May 24-27 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Typically hosting more than 2,000 attendees and 70 exhibitors, this event is the premier North American educational conference for international clinicians and scientists…

A significant percentage of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients struggle with improper diagnoses and ineffective treatments, a national survey of more than 5,300 patients found. The fifth annual survey, “MS in America 2017,” was conducted by Health Union between Jan. 25 and March 1, 2017. It was released through the…

Pamela Arterbridge noticed something was wrong back in 2013 when she woke up one morning, and her legs and feet were tingling. Two years later, Lorraine Lee knew she had a problem when her right leg became extremely fatigued after every workout. Neither realized their eventual diagnosis would be multiple…

Siponimod slows the progression of multiple sclerosis patients’ disability, a Phase 3 clinical trial indicates. The therapy reduced the risk of disability progression in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) by 21 percent over three months, researchers said. At six months, the reduction was 26 percent, they said. Researchers…

Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) may be more effective in preventing relapses in multiple sclerosis patients than the newly approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), according to a study presented April 28 at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2017 Annual Meeting in Boston. The study, supported by Sanofi Genzyme and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, compared…

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be developing the disease for up to five years before the first clinical diagnosis is made, a study has found. The study, “Health-care use before a first demyelinating event suggestive of a multiple sclerosis prodrome: a matched cohort study,” was published…

Within the first two months of treatment, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) reduced relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients by more than half compared to those on Rebif, and almost completely prevented new brain lesions, according to data underscoring the drug’s rapid effects. Researchers from San Francisco-based Genentech and its Swiss parent…

Sanofi Genzyme will present new results on follow-up studies of its products Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio (teriflunomide), both of which have been approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The new data will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting taking…

Greek researchers have developed a new bioinformatics tool to identify potential therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases. Using this approach, they identified and confirmed the therapeutic potential of two small molecules to target a protein called TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) that is active in  multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. Their…

Real-world data of treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Tysabri (natalizumab) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients suggest that treatment at early disease stages improves outcomes and prevents disability development. The studies, presented by Biogen at the American Academy of Neurology 2017 Annual Meeting in Boston, might challenge the…

A real-world study of Gilenya (fingolimod) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) confirms benefits of the treatment seen in clinical trials. The Novartis-sponsored study also demonstrated that measures of brain shrinkage can be used in a clinical setting to evaluate disease progression. The data, presented at the American Academy of…

An investigational treatment called ATA188 that wipes out B-cells targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has shown promise as a multiple sclerosis treatment, a Phase 1 clinical trial involving a small patient group indicates. The trial, conducted in Australia, covered six people with primary or secondary progressive MS. B-cells are a…

A  multidisciplinary team at the University of California at San Diego has come up with a computerized glove used as a sensor to measure spasticity, or stiffness, in the limbs of patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke. The system is more accurate than physicians’ assessments of spasticity…

Many decisions to stop taking the multiple sclerosis treatment Tysabri (natalizumab) appear to be based largely on subjective factors such as patients’ or physicians’ view of the risk, rather than objective assessments of the risk, a study indicates. Tysabri is an approved immunotherapy for active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Despite its benefits, there…

A combination of mutations in two genes makes members of a Canadian family a 7-in-10 chance of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) — a radical increase from the 1-in-1,000 risk among the general population, according to a study that illustrates the huge impact certain genes can have on disease development. Interestingly, the…

The latest results on Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Tysabri (natalizumab) use in a clinical practice setting suggest that early treatment can improve outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This and other recent data on Tecfidera and Tysabri for the treatment of MS will be presented by Biogen at the…

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries will discuss two of its multiple sclerosis therapies, one that reduces relapses and one that appears to protect nerve structure, at a premier neurology conference in Boston this month. It will also give presentations at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology on therapies…

New data on the recently approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting 2017, which will take place April 22-28 in Boston. The meeting is the first scientific conference focusing on neurology since the U.S.

While many multiple sclerosis patients celebrated the recent approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), others argued that the drug is largely a rebranded version of rituximab. Rituximab — sold as Rituxan for indications like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and rheumatoid arthritis — is used off-label to treat relapsing MS. In online forums and social media,…

Sanofi Genzyme will discuss three of its multiple sclerosis therapies at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Boston, April 22-28. The presentations will cover two approved treatments for relapsing MS – Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio (teriflunomide) – and one that has been in a Phase 1 clinical…

A 60-year longitudinal multiple sclerosis (MS) study in a Norwegian cohort analyzing life expectancy, survival and mortality concluded that MS patients live shorter lives and have higher mortality than the general population. The report, “Survival and cause of death in multiple sclerosis: a 60-year longitudinal population study,”…

The Blair Chiropractic Technique may ease multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, studies indicate. The technique involves adjusting the spinal column’s upper cervical vertebrae. These bones can misalign, interfering with the neck-area connection between the brainstem and neural canal. Manipulating this area can alleviate MS symptoms in many patients, chiropractic studies have…

Genentech, Novartis and Sanofi Genzyme are sponsoring this year’s Walk MS, an annual event to raise funds for multiple sclerosis (MS) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Genentech, a division of Roche, returns as an MS Walk sponsor for the second year and will promote the “MS Voice”…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who used the RebiSmart (Merck Serono) device to inject themselves with interferon beta-1a (INF β-1a) did an excellent job of sticking to their treatment timetable without skipping treatments, according to a study. They also had a lower annual disease relapse rate and more relapse-free periods,…

  The United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) last month recommended Zinbryta (daclizumab) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in England and Wales. On April 10, Scotland received Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) approval for the National Health Service (NHS) to prescribe Zinbryta as a treatment for RRMS. Zinbryta is…

A physical scaffold that allows lab-grown brain cells to grow in a three-dimensional manner is giving scientists a whole new way of studying the regeneration of myelin, nerve coatings whose damage is at the heart of multiple sclerosis. The scaffold is allowing researchers to test large numbers of compounds for…

A ruling by the  U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware invalidated four of five patents held by Acorda Therapeutics that pertained to Ampyra (dalfampridine), a treatment for walking difficulties in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, raising the possibility of generic forms of the drug coming onto the market in a…

Texas firefighter Wayne Donovan is among the estimated 250,000 to 350,000 Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS). He enrolled in a clinical trial testing Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved as the first therapy for both relapsing and primary progressive forms of MS. Donovan was diagnosed in 2011 at…