News

People over 60 with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have stable disease may discontinue their disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) without an added risk of relapses or worsening disability, according to a small study. At that age, only the presence of lesions with active inflammation and an Expanded Disability…

Measuring levels of the protein GFAP in blood can help to predict disability progression that occurs without relapses — so-called silent progression — in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. These findings may have “clinical implications for patient management and development of novel drugs,” the…

FSD Pharma will soon launch a first-in-human trial testing Lucid-21-302, known as Lucid-MS — its novel chemical treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) — in healthy volunteers. Health Canada has cleared the company to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of the investigational therapy, FSD Pharma announced in a…

Treatment with berberine, a compound found in many plants, eased disease severity and showed anti-inflammatory effects in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. “These results confirmed that treatment with berberine efficiently improved the disease in the animal model of MS,” the researchers wrote, noting…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is a safe and effective treatment for patients under 18 with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a small study from Turkey suggests. Over about 2.5 years of the treatment, these pediatric patients experienced no relapses or MRI activity, and their disability level also improved, indicating…

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is driven by antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the liquid around the brain and spinal cord — but this is not the case in the more common relapsing forms of MS — a new study done in mice suggests. Researchers say this result…

Nearly half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience swallowing difficulties, which is notably higher than rates seen in the general population, according to a recent review study and meta-analysis. Because swallowing problems, or dysphagia, can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening, complications, it is important for patients to be routinely…

Using Mayzent (siponimod) and vitamin D3 as a combination therapy was found to improve motor function and promote remyelination — restoring the damaged myelin sheath around nerve fibers —  in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). “Our results demonstrate for the first time the potential synergistic effects…

To support the wellness journeys of Canadians living with multiple sclerosis (MS), digital healthcare company Sesh is partnering with MS Canada to provide free, unlimited access to its online mental health platform. The partnership allows patients to participate in virtual therapist-led support groups, and kickstarts research efforts…

PB006, a biosimilar to Biogen’s approved treatment Tysabri (natalizumab), showed similar safety and efficacy as the original medication in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. “The Antelope trial reported equivalence between [PB006 and Tysabri] treatment across efficacy, safety, and secondary…

FibroBiologics has launched an online crowdfunding campaign to support the development of potential therapies in the company’s pipeline and advance its clinical programs in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. The campaign was begun in collaboration with StartEngine, an equity crowdfunding platform that facilitates investments in startup companies.

Supplementation with coconut oil and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea extract, in combination with a Mediterranean-style diet, was associated with improvements in balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Those were the findings of a small pilot study in Spain, which also found that all participants,…

Aubagio (teriflunomide) can significantly reduce plasma neurofilament light chain (pNfL) levels, a biomarker of nerve cell damage, in children and adolescents with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). That’s according to a new analysis of data from TERIKIDS (NCT02201108), the Phase 3 trial that supported expanding Aubagio’s indication in…

Researchers were able to image the cerebellum — a small, compact region of the brain that plays key roles in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases — with greater clarity than ever before. Their imaging approach, which used MRI scanners equipped with powerful magnets, may help learn how…

Two alternative treatments for the cognitive challenges people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can face in daily life — cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) — were found to helpful in a clinical trial. Patients randomized to either treatment approach in the REMIND-MS study had fewer…

Rewind Therapeutics has received new investments to support the development of its therapeutic candidates designed to promote remyelination in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Currently, the company is focused on advancing its lead candidate toward the clinic as it continues to build a pipeline of additional…

A team of scientists at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School are looking to establish best practices for managing multiple sclerosis (MS) in older adults, citing a relative lack of of research on the disease in people older than 50. Led by Leorah Freeman, MD, PhD,…

Researchers have developed a set of criteria to diagnose optic neuritis (ON) — inflammation in the nerve fibers sending signals to and from the eye — and identify whether it is caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions. The criteria, developed by an international group of specialists,…

Lapix Therapeutics has met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine how to advance its investigational treatment candidate LPX-TI641 into clinical trials for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The pre-investigational new drug (pre-IND) meeting is usually the first formal one companies seeking to…

The signaling protein fractalkine was found to promote the repair of myelin — the protecting coating around nerve fibers — that is damaged by the mistaken immune attack that leads to multiple sclerosis (MS), a mouse study demonstrated. In an animal model of the disease, the molecule…

TG Therapeutics’ Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), a CD20 inhibitor recently approved for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now commercially available in the U.S., the company announced. The treatment was approved in the U.S. late last year, with indications that include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS),…

Patient dosing has begun in a Phase 2 trial testing Denali Therapeutics‘ investigational oral RIPK1 inhibitor SAR443820 in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The clinical trial (NCT05630547) seeks to enroll about 168 patients, age 18–60, with either relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), active and nonactive secondary progressive…

Teenagers with poor sleep quality or insufficient sleep — those who sleep less than seven hours a night — are 40% to 50% more likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life than those who get adequate rest, according to a Swedish population-based study. Differences in sleep timing…

The use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) by pregnant women with multiple sclerosis (MS) significantly increased over the last decade or so, and fewer of them are stopping treatment before giving birth, a single-center study in Italy reported. While most patients (95.1%) discontinued a DMT while pregnant between 2005…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) seems to be equally effective at stabilizing disease activity in Black and white patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a U.S. study found. Disability levels and MRI disease markers remained generally unchanged over the two-year study in both groups, despite Black patients having more severe disability…

In evaluating potential treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) over the past two decades, England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) made differing assumptions about whether and how the therapies’ effects will diminish over time. Such assumptions have a significant impact in estimating a therapy’s cost-effectiveness — a…

Roche has teamed up with researchers in Australia to study the immune and biological mechanisms leading to better outcomes for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are or have been pregnant. The four-year project, led by Vilija Jokubaitis, PhD, a neuroscientist and group leader at Monash University, is expected…

The tiny sacs of cellular content that are released by oligodendrocytes — the myelin-producing cells of the brain and spinal cord — may be good biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a new study has found. The research showed that levels of myelin basic…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society‘s (NMSS) Partners in MS Care program has designated the multiple sclerosis center at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center as a Center for Comprehensive MS Care. With the designation, New Jersey now has two Comprehensive MS Care centers serving multiple sclerosis…

Smoking tobacco products is associated with a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a recent systematic review. Across the evaluated studies, current smoking was linked to a 1.3–2.3 times higher prevalence of depression, and about a 1.2 times higher rate of anxiety.