News

The experimental therapy ublituximab works better than the approved treatment Aubagio (teriflunomide) at easing disability independently of relapses, and at reducing overall disease activity, in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to exploratory analyses of pooled data from the identical ULTIMATE I…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), an anti-CD20 therapy developed by Genentech, seems to be superior to rituximab at lowering relapse rates among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from two large MS registries. Overall, the findings suggest that rituximab cannot be considered just as good as —…

In the years after a diagnosis of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) — a first episode of neurological symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) — the odds of maintaining employment progressively decrease, according to a recent study. The risk of decreasing or losing employment was particularly high among individuals…

Early use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) may lead to overall lower levels of disability, according to a new analysis. But staying on treatment does not appear to significantly slow disability progression over time. People with SPMS who used DMTs early…

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) is superior to Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tysabri (natalizumab) at preventing relapses and reducing disability in people with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In turn, aHSCT appears to be as effective as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in RRMS patients and also was…

Recently diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with two forms of chronic active brain lesions — slowly expanding lesions (SELs) and paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — on their MRI scans experience greater disability progression than those with SELs only, a small study suggests. Also, the slowly expanding lesions are…

Treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) significantly reduces the risk of experiencing the first multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in adults with radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), according to data from a Phase 4 clinical trial. RIS is a condition in which patients have MS-like lesions on MRI scans, but…

Exposure to high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) is associated with an increased risk of cervical abnormalities in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), recent data suggest. The findings are consistent with previous reports showing these treatments may raise the risk of certain cancers, likely as a consequence of their immune-modulating…

Genetic variants in genes mostly active in the brain and spinal cord — the central nervous system — are associated with the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), and linked to a faster accrual of disability and greater signs of brain tissue damage, a new study found. Importantly, researchers estimated…

Disability progression in the absence of relapses is less common in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) than among people with adult-onset disease, according to data covering more than 5,000 patients with relapsing forms of MS. Nevertheless, this form of progression — called progression independent of relapse activity,…

The investigational immunotherapy ATA188 continues to ease disability and prevent brain tissue shrinkage in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, according to the data, now reaching up to four years, on patients in an ongoing clinical trial. People who achieved confirmed disability improvement also showed potential signs of remyelination, or…

Tap speed — or how quickly one types on a smartphone keyboard — may be a useful tool for monitoring multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and detecting the transition to a progressive form of the disease, according to new research data. Results demonstrated that slower tapping speeds were linked to…

Long-term treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) continues to be safe and lower the rate of relapses in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) more than Avonex (interferon beta-1a) does. That’s according to up to six years of data from the ongoing PARADIGMS Phase 3 trial (NCT01892722), wherein…

An infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) consistently preceded elevations in neurofilament light chain (NfL), an early biomarker of nerve cell damage, in people who went on to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. An increase in NfL levels, which is thought to occur before the clinical…

Remyelination, or regeneration of the myelin sheath that’s progressively damaged and lost in multiple sclerosis (MS), may be less effective for those who develop MS later in life, new research suggests. People with late-onset MS (LOMS) whose disease appears after age 50 have significantly fewer oligodendrocytes – the…

Treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) before or during pregnancy does not seem to increase the risk of major pregnancy or infant complications, with 79% of the pregnancies leading to live births, according to data from more than 2,000 women with multiple sclerosis (MS). The results were shared at the 38th…

Fertility treatments do not significantly increase the risk of relapse in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), even among those who undergo treatment protocols associated with greater levels of hormone exposure, according to a recent U.S.-based analysis. Older age, a longer MS duration, and the use of MS disease-modifying…

Nearly 80% of people with early-stage relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) show no evidence of disease activity after two years of treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), according to updated data from the ENSEMBLE Phase 3b trial. More than 88% of the patients were negative for MRI activity, meaning they…

An intravenous (into-the-vein) formulation of ofatumumab — a disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) sold under the brand name Kesimpta — resulted in a 63% reduction in relapse rates among MS patients, with about 60% remaining relapse-free over the first year of treatment, a recent study in…

Note: This story was updated Oct. 31, 2022, to correct that in the six months after treatment discontinuation, relapses were reported in 18.8% of RMMS patients and 3.5% of those with SPMS. When multiple sclerosis (MS) patients stop their disease-modifying treatment, the risk of relapses and disease activity on…

Trethera has been awarded a $1.6 million grant to further develop TRE-515 as a potential treatment for optic neuritis — inflammation of the nerves that transmit data from the eyes to the brain — which also is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). TRE-515 is a first-in-class…

Measuring disability progression every time it occurs, rather than just tracking whether it occurs, could improve the statistical power of clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly for progressive forms of the disease. That’s according to scientists at Roche and several academic institutions who published their findings in…

Multiple Sclerosis News Today is providing comprehensive coverage of the 38th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), taking place Oct. 26-28 in Amsterdam, as well as virtually. Each year, MS News Today brings the multiple sclerosis (MS) community highlights of the ECTRIMS…

Four weeks of treatment with nabiximols — an oral spray containing compounds found in the cannabis plant — significantly reduced spasticity and generally improved arm and hand function in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with moderate-to-severe spasticity, according to a small pilot study in Italy. Notably, after nabiximols, patients showed…

A golfing fundraiser held by Sordoni Construction pulled in $40,000 to support comprehensive wellness programs for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at the Linda E. Cardinale Multiple Sclerosis Center in New Jersey. The funds were raised in September during the 2022 Sordoni Construction Golf Classic. Some 128 golfers, as…

People with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are nearly four times more likely to have serious infections — those leading to hospitalization — than those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a large study in Germany. This higher infection risk was found despite the fact that, during…

For National Physical Therapy Month, Helius Medical Technologies is spotlighting physical therapists who make possible the success of the company’s portable neuromodulation stimulator (PONS) device to treat gait problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Helius will broaden access to its free online PoNS training program by enabling…

The levels of two cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, CHI3L1 and CXCL13, were significantly elevated in people with relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) relative to control groups without this disease, and are most likely to predict how relapsing MS will progress, a study reported. Higher levels of these biomarkers were also…

A protein called spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is critical for microglia, the brain’s immune cells, to clear the toxic debris that accumulates in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders, a mouse model study shows. “We have discovered a master controller of the cell type and processes that are…

A research team at Marquette University has received a $3.34 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test whether high-intensity exercise on a “shaky” treadmill — one that moves unexpectedly — can help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) retain a sense of balance and walk faster. The…