News

Zeposia (ozanimod), a newly approved oral capsule treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now commercially available in the United States, its manufacturer, Bristol Myers Squibb, announced. “We are pleased to now bring Zeposia, an important new once daily treatment option, to [relapsing]…

Symptoms including sleep disorders and pain may precede by as many as five years the onset of the more well-known symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. Understanding these first symptoms could aid in an early diagnosis, allowing treatment to begin at initial stages of disease. The…

A clinical trial testing Midamor (amiloride), Prozac (fluoxetine), and riluzole in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) failed to find a treatment benefit for any of the…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved adding new safety data on pregnancy and breastfeeding to the U.S. label for Rebif (interferon beta-1a), a disease-modifying treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The label update draws on findings from a large population-based study, together with…

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved a shorter infusion time for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), an approved treatment for people with relapsing or primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval follows a positive recommendation from EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP),…

Atara Biotherapeutics‘ cell-based therapy ATA188 is safe and well-tolerated in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and induces a sustained reduction in disability in a dose-dependent manner, findings from the first part of a Phase 1 clinical trial show. ATA188 had an…

Ofatumumab (OMB157) elicits a strong and fast reduction in the levels of circulating immune cells in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), effectively helping to stop disease activity, according to new data from the Phase 2 APLIOS trial. The medication was also found to be more…

Diagnostic guidelines for multiple sclerosis (MS) should be amended to first rule out the presence of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a neurological inflammatory disease that also affects the brain and spinal cord, a study recommends. The study, “Can a Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis Be…

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many ways to participate in World MS Day 2020 on May 30, set aside to raise awareness about the neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 2.3 million people globally. Organized by the MS International Federation (MSIF), the event brings together the global…

The European Commission (EC) has approved Zeposia (ozanimod) for the treatment of adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have active disease based on clinical or imaging features. The EC decision follows a positive opinion issued in March by the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP).

Higher blood levels of the neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein at diagnosis are predictive of worse disability over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a large population study from Sweden suggests. The study, “Plasma neurofilament light levels are associated with the risk of disability in…

Exposure to air pollutants, particularly to fine particle pollutants (2.5 micrometers or less in diameter), seems to increase a person’s risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study from northern Italy suggests. It found that people living in urban, more polluted areas have a 16% higher relative risk  of developing this…

Note: This story was updated May 27, 2020, to note a change in the protocol of the EVOLUTION trials, which are now comparing evobrutinib with Aubagio, rather than Avonex, along with updated NCT numbers. The investigational oral medication evobrutinib leads to a sustained reduction in relapse rates…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is opening its resources to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) during COVID-19, including a webinar series on the pandemic and easier access to its support programs, the association…

For a comprehensive support app developed for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, RxMx and Roche have won the Patient Engagement Innovation Award from Medtech Breakthrough. The fourth annual awards program recognized top health and medical technology products and companies. Healthcare company RxMx and pharmaceutical company Roche collaborated to produce…

Human glial progenitor cells — forerunners of nerve cells that protect and support neurons — transplanted into adult mice in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS) were seen to restore myelin production and motor function in the animals. This study and others it builds on “establish an operational…

People in the United Kingdom (U.K.) with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an increased risk of vascular disease affecting the heart and brain that is not accounted for by traditional disease risk factors, a large, population-based study reports.  The study, “Evaluating the Risk of Macrovascular Events and…

Movements that are an act of “learning” motor tasks after lesions appear in the protective myelin sheath of neurons seem to induce both new and existing oligodendrocytes — the cells that make up myelin — to repair those lesions, a study in mice shows. Precisely timed rehabilitation programs and exercise may…

Biogen has released new data on several of its therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), including Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), and Tysabri (natalizumab). The data — six presentations — originally were to be presented at the 2020 annual conference of the American…

Glatopa, a generic form of Copaxone, is as effective as the brand-name medication in terms of disease outcomes and has similar healthcare-related costs in real-world use in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), a new U.S. study suggests. Data also suggest a trend toward lower relapse rates with Glatopa…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases have a significantly higher aluminum content in their brains than those with no known neurological impairment and no identifiable neurodegenerative disease, a recent study found. The research further supports a role of aluminum in the development of these brain conditions,…

In the brains of people with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), memory immune cells reside in the brain tissue rather than entering through the bloodstream, a new study suggests. The study, “Tissue-resident memory T cells invade the brain parenchyma in multiple sclerosis white matter lesions,” was published…

Targeting the MOSPD2 protein may prevent immune cells known as monocytes from entering the central nervous system (CNS), which may significantly ease brain inflammation and myelin damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in mice suggests. VBL Therapeutics, the company leading the study, has developed…

Healthcare providers should encourage everyone with multiple sclerosis (MS) to engage in regular exercise and keep physically active, new guidelines based on an expert panel convened by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society recommend. They also suggest different types of exercise applicable to people at varying levels of disability.

Supporting evidence that infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) could be one of the root causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study found all of its 901 early disease patients carry antibodies against this virus, meaning that all are or have been exposed to it. The study, “…

Four weeks of mindfulness meditation helped to improve thinking skills and a sense of emotional balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to a greater extent than cognitive training given to a separate patient group, a pilot clinical trial reports.  These results were detailed in two studies,“…

People with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) have faster and disease-modifying therapy (DMT)-resistant retinal atrophy (thinning), compared to those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a study shows. Data also highlighted that the thickness of deeper layers of the retina could be used as potential biomarkers of neurodegeneration in…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough device designation to Helius Medical Technologies’ portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) for the treatment of walking impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The device, which is meant to be used…

A patient registry of multiple sclerosis (MS) among veterans of the U.S. military has been created to allow for better clinical management of these people and to inform future research. The registry is described in the study “…

Neuroscientist Ian D. Duncan has been awarded the 2020 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for work that advanced understanding of how myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve cells, can be repaired in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). “Professor Duncan has made a series of critical research advances…