April 30, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Committee favors approval of under-the-skin Ocrevus in Europe A committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is recommending the approval of a subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the European Union. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, known as CHMP, specifically recommended that this new formulation…
April 30, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Nektar to develop NKTR-0165 for MS, autoimmune diseases NKTR-0165, an antibody that targets the tumor necrosis factor receptor type 2 (TNFR2), will continue to be developed by Nektar Therapeutics as a candidate for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. The experimental therapy was developed under a 2021 collaboration between Nektar and Biolojic…
April 29, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Specialized PET scan shows chronic inflammation tied to MS progression A specialized imaging approach was able to detect signs of persistent inflammation in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) that arenāt readily captured by standard MRI scans. This so-called smoldering inflammation was also observed among those patients taking high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), where a higher degree…
April 29, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Lower vidofludimus calcium dose not as effective in RRMS trial A lower dose of the experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) was not as effective as higher doses at reducing lesions in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), extended data from the therapy’s Phase 2 EMPhASIS trial show. “We found that doses of 30 mg and 45 mg,…
April 26, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Employment, income drop steadily over 2 decades after onset of MS For people who develop multiple sclerosis (MS), the disease can exact a toll on their ability to work and on how much they earn in the private sector, according to a study by researchers in France, who said policies need to be enacted to replace lost income. āThe effects…
April 26, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Machine learning model predicts CIS to MS conversion risk: Study A new machine learning model is able to predict the risk of converting from clinically isolated syndrome, or a first event of multiple sclerosis (MS)-like symptoms, to clinically definite disease, a study found. “Our study developed a machine-learning model that not only provides a numerical estimate of the…
April 25, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Having MS may marginally increase likelihood of cervical cancer: Study Thereās no evidence to suggest that multiple sclerosis (MS) directly causes most cancers, but having the condition may marginally increase the likelihood of developing cervical cancer, according to a new study from China. That study found “no causal relationship between MS and 15 types of cancers except cervical cancer,”…
April 25, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS patients prefer Tysabri injection to intravenous infusion: Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are being treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) tend to prefer receiving the medication as a subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injection rather than an intravenous (into-the-vein) infusion, according to new data from an observational study. “Based on current data, there is a trend toward patientsā preference…
April 24, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Foralumab found to ease fatigue in SPMS patients in access program Fully 70% of patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who received foralumab nasal spray in an expanded access program (EAP) experienced a lessening in fatigue levels after six months of treatment. That’s according to early findings from the EAP ā a program that enables patients with serious…
April 24, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Autoantibodies seen in blood years before MS diagnosis: Study Researchers have identified a distinct profile of self-reactive antibodies that appear in the blood years before the first clinical signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), which they believe could be used to help diagnose the neurodegenerative disease. The antibodies were found in about 10% of people who developed MS and…
April 23, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Itās year 10 for MSAAās upcoming Improving Lives Benefit for MS With this yearās fundraiser, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is marking its 10th annual Improving Lives Benefit ā an event that shines aĀ light on uplifting members of the multiple sclerosis (MS) community and outstanding corporate partners. The affair will take place on May 15 at…
April 23, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD AAN 2024: Subcutaneous Ocrevus led to nearly no relapses after year A subcutaneous (under-the-skin) formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) helped most adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) remain free of clinical relapses and new or worsening brain lesions, according to one-year data from the Phase 3 OCARINA II study. Given twice a year as a 10-minute injection, this formulation of Ocrevus…
April 22, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Viatris launches low-dose Copaxone generic formulation in Canada Viatris has launched a generic version of low-dose Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) in the Canadian market for the treatment of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who retain the ability to walk. Called Glatiramer Acetate Injection 20 mg/mL, the product was approved in Canada as a generic of…
April 22, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Briumvi found to ease disability in certain MS patients Two years of treatment with Briumvi (ublituximab) in clinical trials resulted in a confirmed reduction in disability for more than 1 in 10 people with early relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who had not received any prior treatment. That’s according to new data from the ULTIMATE Phase 3 trials,…
April 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Earlier Ocrevus lowers MS progression risk over 10 years Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continued to prevent disability progression among people with relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) over 10 years, according to clinical trial analyses. The most pronounced benefits were observed in patients who started on the therapy in the controlled part of the trials, compared with…
April 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Long-term data support early Kesimpta start in relapsing MS For people recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), first-line treatment with Kesimpta (ofatumumab) was associated with a lower risk of disability progression over starting it after about 2.5 years of using Aubagio (teriflunomide). Thatās according to six years of data spanning the ASCLEPIOS I (NCT02792218) and…
April 18, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Sustained myelin, nerve cell gains with long-term CNM-Au8 Long-term treatment with Clene Nanomedicine‘s experimental oral therapy CNM-Au8 led to signs of sustained improvements in nerve and myelin health for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over three years, according to new data from the VISIONARY-MS clinical trial. The findings continue to support Clene’s plans to…
April 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Ocrevus benefits Black, Hispanic patients same as whites Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) had similar benefits in Black and Hispanic multiple sclerosis (MS) patients as earlier clinical trials with white patients did, one-year data from the CHIMES clinical trial indicates. About half of the CHIMES participants achieved no evidence of disease activity, or NEDA, which is defined as the…
April 17, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Fertility treatment in MS doesn’t increase relapse risk Undergoing fertility treatment with assistive reproductive technologies does not increase the likelihood of having a relapse for women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are taking a disease-modifying therapy (DMT), according to a new analysis. “The results are reassurance for women with MS who plan to undergo assistive reproductive…
April 17, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD NfL blood levels predict CIS to MS conversion: Clinical trial data High blood levels of the nerve damage biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) significantly increased the risk of people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) converting to definite multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of clinical trial data. CIS patients with higher NfL levels also made the transition earlier…
April 16, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Patients deem AI-based ChatGPT more empathetic than neurologists When presented with medical information authored by neurologists or by ChatGPT, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) reported similar satisfaction with both, but said the artificial intelligence platform was more empathetic. That’s the result of the study, “ChatGPT vs. neurologists: a cross-sectional study investigating preference, satisfaction ratings…
April 16, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS patients may be at higher risk of stroke: Review study The risk of having a stroke, that is, a blockage in blood flow to the brain that can cause lasting damage, is about 2.5 times higher in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than the general population, a review of multiple studies finds. The researchers called for further studies to…
April 15, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD COVID-19 found to increase risk of hospitalization, death in MS: Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England had a seven times greater risk of hospitalization and a fourfold increased risk of death from COVID-19 in 2022 than did the general population, according to a study of almost 12 million people in the European nation. The elevated risk of both…
April 15, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Kessler scientists using $700K grant to study primary fatigue in MS A team of Kessler Foundation researchers has been granted more than $700,000 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for work that seeks to better understand the brain networks associated with primary fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The grant, totaling $722,602, was awarded to Glenn Wylie, PhD,…
April 12, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Neurologist Rhonda Voskuhl wins prize for work on MS sex differences A globally recognized neurologist and scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has won the 2024 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for her work to improve womenās care through a better understanding of the mechanisms behind sex differences in multiple sclerosis (MS). Rhonda Voskuhl,…
April 12, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Worse disease severity predicts erectile dysfunction in MS men Erectile dysfunction is more likely to occur among men with multiple sclerosis (MS) whose disease is more severe, according to a study, which noted that the ability to contract the cremaster muscle, which controls the position of the testicles, was linked with a decreased likelihood of erectile dysfunction in…
April 11, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Enrollment full in trial of Scone device for overactive bladder A clinical trial testing SpineX‘sĀ Scone neuromodulation device for treating a neurogenic, or overactive, bladder, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), has finished enrolling patients. Called CONTINENCE (NCT05301335), the study enrolled adults with overactive bladder due to MS, stroke, or spinal cord injury at…
April 11, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Stem cell transplant alters immune cells in MS mouse model: Study A stem cell transplant effectively reduced the abnormal immune response that drives multiple sclerosis (MS) progression by altering a specific group of immune cells called myeloid cells, a mouse study showed. Treatment with a compound that suppressed a receptor called CSF1R improved the transplantation efficiency of myeloid cells…
April 10, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New assay measures molecular immune response to EBV Scientists have created an assay that can measure immune cells’ inflammatory attack against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a known risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers found preliminary evidence that some MS treatments, but not others, may alter the immune system’s response to EBV. The scientists said the…
April 10, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Immune signatures may predict MS course, treatment response Researchers have identified three distinct immune signatures in the blood of people with early multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā that seem to be linked to specific disease trajectories and response to treatment, potentially offering a path to personalized care. āThese findings represent a pivotal shift towards precision medicine in MS,ā Heinz Wiendl,…