News

The ability to assess risk may decline as multiple sclerosis disease status progresses over time, as determined by a recent study from University of Alberta in Canada. Principal investigator Esther Fujiwara, PhD, and lead author of the study, Ashley Radomski, used the game of dice task (GDT) to challenge patients…

A new study led by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center recently revealed that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience cognitive deficits due to a decreased connectivity between functional networks in the brain. The…

Recent attention to the role of mitochondria in the etiology of multiple sclerosis (what causes the disease) suggests that mitochondrial defects and mitochondrial structural and functional changes may contribute to the disease. Researchers studying mitochondria in multiple sclerosis believe abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics impact cellular pathways such as inflammation and…

Clinical investigators worldwide are beginning to recruit 1,200 patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis for a study assessing the effectiveness of two different doses of RPC1063 (Receptos, Inc.), an experimental oral therapy, and Avonex® (interferon beta-1a, Biogen Inc.) in order to reduce relapse rate in patients. This study, called the Sunbeam Study, is being funded by…

A recent report by Marie Curie fellows organization suggests that those suffering from neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis are missing out on care that could make a major difference in the quality of their lives. When it comes to palliative care, the report contends that there is a limited understanding about the need…

New Zealanders Neil Barnett and Russell Watts, who are both living with Multiple Sclerosis, will join the crew sailing the 67-foot sloop Oceans of Hope on the Darwin, Australia to Singapore leg of its round-the-world voyage to change popular perceptions regarding MS. Mssrs. Barnett and Watts were welcomed aboard the yacht…

Alexander Gow, Ph.D., a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has just been awarded a research grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to fund his exploration of a novel model of MS pathology. Gow is a holder of the Charles H. Gershenson Distinguished Fellow Professor…

Roche recently announced encouraging results on its investigational medicine ocrelizumab as a therapy for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, which includes either RRMS or SPMS with relapses. Ocrelizumab was evaluated in two pivotal studies (OPERA I and OPERA II), where it was compared to interferon (IFN) beta-1a (Rebif®), the standard-of-care…

“MS” is a documentary film released last year that tells the story of three patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) and how they deal with the chronic debilitating disease. The director of the film recently announced that the short documentary has been made available on YouTube in…

MS Views and News (MSVN) is a non-profit organization that works at collecting, presenting and distributing information about multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as improving knowledge and education among patients and other members of the MS community. During July, MS Views and News will host four events featuring medical…

A new study recently published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry revealed that long-term fingolimod therapy (marketed as Gilenya by Novartis) can maintain a low disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study was conducted by an international team of researchers and…

Genzyme Canada has announced that Health Canada has approved its 14 mg dose of AUBAGIO as an expedited exception benefit product through the federal health regulator’s Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program for eligible First Nations people and Inuit as a first-line oral tablet therapy for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

A nanometric sensor — an extremely small probe originally designed to test samples for the presence of herbicides, heavy metals, and pollutants — was experimentally shown to also detect molecules commonly associated with multiple sclerosis. Physicist Fábio de Lima Leite, a professor at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar),…

Researchers at Immco Diagnostics and the State University of New York in Buffalo recently reported in the journal PLoS One that the frequency of specific auto reactive antibodies does not differ between patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and people without the disease — a finding…

The Association of British Neurologists (ABN) recently published new guidelines for how Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis should be monitored and prescribed in the United Kingdom, emphasizing the “right treatment at the right time.” There are currently ten DMTs available on the National Health System (NHS) and eleven in…

MedDay, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapies for nervous system disorders, recently announced encouraging data on its pivotal Phase III clinical trial (MS-SPI) assessing the safety and efficacy of the company’s investigational therapy MD1003 for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The data was presented at The…

The Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC) recently recommended that LEMTRADA (alemtuzumab) be included in provincial and other public drug plans for the management of adult patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The recommendation was made through Canada’s Common Drug Review (CDR) and announced in a press release by the company that…

In women of childbearing age, low vitamin D levels are a common issue often resulting from low intake of vitamin D (in food) and/or inadequate sunlight exposure, although other less frequent causes exist, including genetic disorders and pregnancy. The most identified consequence of vitamin D deficiency in women is sub-optimal bone…

Researchers at United Arab Emirates University in Abu Dhabi have recently published in the journal BMC Neuroscience new insights into the involvement of mitochondria and energy metabolism in the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS) in rats. The study is entitled “Bioenergetics of the spinal…

Biogen, a global biotechnology company with over 30 years of clinical excellence in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research, has recently announced the launch of Reimagine MySelf, a blog dedicated to helping women navigate their daily lives while also dealing with the complications that come with a diagnosis of relapsing MS…

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, LMU clinicians have clarified the lifespan of antibody-producing cells and have also identified a novel biomarker that could be used to monitor autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis and lupus erythematous. The humoral immune response is mediated by cells…

An international team led by researchers at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland revealed that a short period of 8 to 12 weeks is the optimal timing to be considered when patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are switched from natalizumab to fingolimod therapy. The study was recently published…

In an effort to access firsthand patient data as a means of improving healthcare and drug safety, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a unique partnership with  PatientsLikeMe, an online network of 350,000 patients who have reported on their own personal experiences in living with over 2,500 different diseases. The…

MS Views and News (MSVN), a non-profit organization that works to improve education, advocacy and service to empower and enhance the quality of life of patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS), has announced it will offer a series of educational events on different topics throughout the month of July in…

MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring and developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with unmet medical needs, recently announced that the ongoing clinical trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (progressive MS) has finished the randomization of 255 patients, exceeding the…

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapies for chronic disorders of the central nervous system, recently announced the beginning of a Phase 2 study that will assess the efficacy of amantadine HCl (ADS-5102) in patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) who suffer from walking impairments. “We are…

With 26 states plus the District of Columbia now allowing medical marijuana use, according to a recent North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) survey, many people with multiple sclerosis are considering the herb as a therapeutic option. NARCOMS is a research program that allows people with Multiple Sclerosis…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has updated its smartphone app My MS Manager with several new features. My MS Manager, a first-of-its kind mobile phone app supporting both Apple’s iPhone (iOS 7.0 or later) and Android mobile devices (also works with iPads, iPod touch, and Android…

RedHill Biopharma Ltd. enrolled the final patient for its Phase IIa, proof-of-concept study testing RHB-104 in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who test positive for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). RedHill is evaluating RHB-104 as an add-on therapy to interferon beta-1a for a treatment…

In a recent review published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, German researchers explored the complexity of interwoven pathways of osteopenia, and how it relates to diseases such as MS. Osteopenia is a bone condition characterized by a decreased density of bone, which leads to bone…