News

Using artificial intelligence (AI) on imaging data collected from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, researchers were able to classify these people into three new disease subtypes, each distinct from the current groupings determined by symptoms. These new subtypes may allow doctors to better determine those patients more likely to have…

Measurements of the thickness of the eye’s retina — the layer of nerve cells lining the back of the eye — could be used to predict disability progression and relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a real-world study from Austria suggests. “Our study shows that both crossectional and…

The overall cost of disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. remained stable from 2018 to 2020, according to pharmacy and medical claims data from Prime Therapeutics’ insured members. This stabilization derived from a balance between a reduction in Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) use due…

A gene called Mertk has important roles in the repair of myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects neurons and that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were published in Cell Press, in the study “Multiple sclerosis risk gene Mertk is required for…

The European Commission (EC) has approved a new method to administer Tysabri (natalizumab) as a treatment for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This new delivery route involves a subcutaneous injection in which Tysabri is injected under the skin. Compared with the previously approved intravenous (into the bloodstream) formulation,…

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), Gilenya (fingolimod), and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) are losing ground to more recent therapies among U.S. multiple sclerosis (MS) patients switching treatment, according to the latest Spherix Global Insights’ report. The launch of MS generics, bioequivalents, and new brands in the U.S. market over the past year has increased…

People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) as children are more likely to attain lower education levels, earn less in the workplace, and be more reliant on disability benefits later in life, new research shows. These findings were published in JAMA Neurology, in the study, “Long-term Socioeconomic…

Treatment with the antioxidant N‐acetyl cysteine is well-tolerated, but failed to outperform a placebo at easing fatigue in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a small clinical trial found. More studies now are needed to determine if oxidative stress contributes to fatigue or clinical progression in MS patients, and…

Rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) appear to rise with measures of prosperity, occurring more frequently in developed countries, according to a recent study. The reasons for such disparities may be linked to better access to diagnostic facilities in developed countries, as well as increased exposure to factors, such as…

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has launched virtual support groups for people living with paralysis — either due to multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions — and their caregivers. Paralysis in some or all limbs occurs in MS and other neurological disorders, often exacerbating feelings of social isolation,…

Previous treatment with oral Gilenya (fingolimod) is associated with a suboptimal response to Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and an increased risk of secondary autoimmune disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a study reports. However, Lemtrada showed an efficacy in patients switching from various other disease…

The pandemic notwithstanding, MS Run the US has fielded 18 runners — including eight with multiple sclerosis (MS) — to traverse the United States to raise awareness and funds to support MS research and to aid those living with disability caused by the neurodegenerative disease. The organization’s Ultra…

Prolonging a cellular defense mechanism shown to restore myelin — the protective sheath around nerve cell fibers that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS) — may be key to treating the neurodegenerative disease, a study in MS mouse models suggests. That defense mechanism, called integrated stress response (ISR), helps…

Wise Therapeutics intends to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of an anxiety management therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), following the positive results of a clinical trial. In addition to conducting a proof-of-concept study in MS, Wise tested its digital technique — called attention bias…

For a first time, an immune-modulating antibody will be given via nasal administration to treat a person with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a request to use the antibody — a fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody called foralumab — under an…

Off-label treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly lessens disease activity and reduces the number of relapses per year in patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), real-world data from Portugal show. The treatment also was considered safe in this population, in agreement with earlier studies. These findings support the usefulness…

A machine learning-based method that examines walking abnormalities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could help identify patients who are at high risk of worsening symptoms, a study suggests. The study, “Predicting Multiple Sclerosis from Gait Dynamics Using an Instrumented Treadmill – A Machine Learning Approach,”…

Sanofi Genzyme has launched a website to help connect people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to one of the company’s four ongoing clinical trials testing its investigational therapy tolebrutinib. Interested men and women may qualify for a clinical trial if they are…

The European Commission has approved Novartis’ Kesimpta (ofatumumab) as the first self-administered, at-home B-cell-targeting therapy for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and active disease. Active disease in these forms, which include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS),…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of a medical device called Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator or PoNS as a short-term treatment for walking difficulties in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). PoNS, developed by Helius Medical Technologies, is a non-invasive medical device…

A branch of the European Medicines Agency has recommended that Ponvory (ponesimod) be approved to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults with active disease. This positive opinion from agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) covers clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary…

NurOwn cell therapy led to significant improvements in the physical abilities, vision, and cognition of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a Phase 2 clinical trial, top-line data show. In addition to these positive efficacy results, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, NurOwn’s developer, announced that its cell-based therapy showed…

Injecting rituximab — a cancer therapy sometimes used in multiple sclerosis — into the spinal canal of people with progressive forms of MS did not demonstrably lower inflammation or improve clinical conditions, according to the results of a small trial. “Contrary to the initial high expectations, no clear-cut effect on…

Abnormalities detected on MRI scans at the onset and within the first two years of disease may predict disability worsening in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), a nine-year study reports. Specifically, damage in the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerve plays a major role in predicting outcomes in these…

A Phase 1 clinical trial investigating ANK-700 as a means to restore immune tolerance to myelin in people multiple sclerosis (MS) has begun dosing participants. Currently recruiting at a single site in Tennessee, the trial (NCT04602390) is expected to enroll up to 40 patients with relapsing-remitting…

Doctors in the U.K. are planning a “mega-trial” to investigate several marketed therapies — at the same time — as potential treatments to halt the progression, or even reverse the disabilities, of multiple sclerosis (MS). The world-first Octopus trial, named for its various arms, will enable researchers to concurrently…

Health Canada has approved Kesimpta (ofatumumab) for the treatment of adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have active disease, as defined by clinical and imaging features. In contrast with other B-cell-targeting therapies used in MS, patients can self-administer a precise dose of Kesimpta at home using the Sensoready…

Pilates, done regularly, can significantly improve balance and posture in men with multiple sclerosis (MS), helping them to avoid falls and the injuries they can bring, a small randomized trial in Iran reports. The study, “Effect of Twelve weeks Pilates training on functional balance of male patients…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have more extensive mobility issues are more likely to have worse outcomes from COVID-19, a new study indicates. The study findings also indicate that COVID-19-associated outcomes are worse among MS patients who are Black, older, have heart-related diseases, and who were treated with…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is helping Pack Health, a patient engagement platform, to optimize and expand its digital health coaching program to assist people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Building on what it has learned through work with the NMSS, Pack Health aims to bring its patient-centered and…