December 19, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS also less common among men in China, but more disabling Fewer men than women are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in China ā as elsewhere ā but more male patients have faster MS disability progressionĀ and higher death rates, a study found. Over the next 25 years, the burden of MS is expected to persist in China, the researchers…
December 18, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Ibudilast plus interferon-beta to get European patent for progressive MS MediciNova announced the approval of a European patent covering the use of ibudilast (MN-166) in combination with interferon-beta medications to treat progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) ā in patients previously using an interferon-beta.
December 18, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD US neurologists favorably view BTK inhibitors as potential MS therapies More than one-third of neurologists in the U.S. believe Brutonās tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors could be of pivotal significance as a future treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to findings of a recent Spherix Global Insightsā survey. āThrough Spherixās quarterly RealTime Dynamix market tracker, neurologists…
December 15, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NK cells may hold key to link between viral infections, MS Natural killer (NK) cells, a type of immune cell, are critical for preventing an immune response against an infecting virus from triggering multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. āOur study demonstrates that the main protective factors against MS are distinct cytotoxic [cell-killing] NK cell responses,ā the researchers wrote…
December 15, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Ginger eases digestive symptoms in RRMS patients: Trial data Taking a ginger supplement eased constipation, nausea, bloating, and abdominal pain in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who took part in a small clinical trial in Iran. The findings add to previous trial data that indicated the supplement was associated with less disability and improved quality of…
December 14, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Vitamin B12 transport system can carry Gilenya into the brain: Study The molecular process that brings vitamin B12 into the brain can also transport Gilenya (fingolimod), an approved treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The finding “supports creating brain-targeted B12 formulations” for MS, said Jerold Chun, MD, PhD, co-author of the study at Sanford Burnham…
December 14, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Immune responses to ancient viral protein divide active, stable RRMS Immune responses against an ancient viral protein called pHERV-W that’s encoded in the human genome are higher in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with active disease compared with those who are clinically stable, according to recent research. The findings offer further support for a link between multiple sclerosis…
December 13, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Novel compound ZCAN262 restores lost myelin in MS mouse models A novel compound that can lessen toxic overactivation of nerve cells was found to significantly reduce disease activity and restore lost myelin in two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. Researchers say the compound, ZCAN262, may be a potential new treatment for MS should future…
December 13, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Clinical trial of Scone device for overactive bladder still enrolling Enrollment is nearly complete in a clinical trial of the SconeĀ neuromodulation device in treating neurogenic, or overactive, bladder due to multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, or spinal cord injury, SpineX, its developer, announced. Currently, 95 adult patients (more than 80% of planned total), ages 18 to…
December 12, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vanda acquires rights to Ponvory for MS in US, Canada for $100M Vanda Pharmaceuticals has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Ponvory (ponesimod), an oral therapy approvedĀ for relapsingĀ types of MS, in a new deal with Actelion Pharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the agreement, Vanda paid $100 million to Actelion (now part ofĀ Janssen), the therapyās original developer. While…
December 12, 2023 News by Mary Chapman EU funds research consortium seeking causes of MS, treatments The European Union (EU) is providing 7.1 million euros (about $7.6 million) over five years to a global interdisciplinary consortium that seeks to identify the causes of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā with a particular focus on viruses ā and find new treatments for the disease. The “BEHIND MS”…
December 11, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD FDA puts partial hold on Phase 3 clinical trials of fenebrutinib in MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a partial hold on Genentechās ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials testing fenebrutinib for the treatment of relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision was based on two cases of patients who experienced elevations in their…
December 11, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Blood levels of MIF protein may predict brain atrophy with PPMS Higher blood levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a molecule involved in inflammation, may predict a faster rate of brain shrinkage, or atrophy, in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). That’s according to a new analysis of data from the SPRINT-MS Phase 2 trial (NCT01982942) that…
December 8, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mediterranean diet linked to better mental health in older MS patients Elderly adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who adhere more to a Mediterranean diet tend to have less severe disability and fewer mental health, sleep, and cognitive problems, according to a new study. “This study has provided evidence that adopting [a Mediterranean diet] at higher levels was associated with lower…
December 8, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD 5 conditions MS patients may have years before diagnosis ID’d: Study People withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to experience depression, sexual dysfunction, constipation, inflammation of the bladder, and urinary tract infection in the five years leading up to their diagnosis than those without the disease, a study found. These findings parallel growing evidence that there’s a prodromal phase, in…
December 7, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Quality of life gains with Mavenclad sustained for 2 years: Phase 4 trial Treatment with Mavenclad (cladribine) over two years significantly improved physical and mental health aspects of quality of life in people with highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a final analysis of data from the Phase 4 CLARIFY-MS study. Mavenclad is an oral medicationĀ approved for people with…
December 7, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Phase 3 studies of BTK inhibitor evobrutinib fail to meet main goal The Phase 3 EVOLUTION clinical trials have failed to demonstrate that evobrutinib is more effective than the approved medication Aubagio (teriflunomide) at preventing disease flares in people with relapsing types of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings, which were shared by the drug’s developer Merck KGaA (known…
December 6, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Essential oils from pumpkins, green tea reduce brain damage in MS rats Treatment with essential oils derived from green tea or pumpkin reduced brain damage in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. The oils also helped to restore the abnormal levels of neurotransmitters ā chemical messengers that nerve cells use to communicate ā and reduce markers…
December 6, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD EBV-001 vaccine prevents EBV infection in lab-grown human cells EBV-001, a vaccine candidate being developed by EBViously to target the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), triggered the production of potent antibodies against the virus in mice, and blood samples from these animals prevented EBV infection in lab-grown human cells. That’s according to new data presented by the company, which is…
December 5, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Trial testing metformin, alpha-lipoic acid in progressive MS set to start A new clinical trial in Australia, called PLATYPUS, will simultaneously test two medications that have already been approved for other conditions in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, expected to launch in January, will use an adaptive design, meaning data will be analyzed as…
December 5, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD With younger age at PPMS onset, higher disease activity can be seen People with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) at younger ages are more likely to have higher disease activity, suggesting they may respond better to disease-modifying therapies, according to a review of published studies. “Our findings confirm that younger patients tend to have more inflammatory activity, and so younger…
December 4, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD 4 new SPMS patients dosed with nasal foralumab outside of trials Tiziana Life Sciences has dosed four new participants in an expanded access program investigating its foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), the company announced. A total of 10 SPMS patients are now being followed outside of clinical trials in foralumab’s expanded…
December 4, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Aerobic cycling eases fatigue and pain of MS, if intensity kept up Adhering to an aerobic exercise program of moderate to intense cycling for 12 weeks significantly eased pain and fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), allowing them to be more active in daily life, a small pilot clinical trial found. Results were similar for patients in the trial’s forced…
December 1, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD FDA clears BrainSpec’s tool to measure metabolites on brain scans The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared BrainSpec Core, a platform that performs non-invasive measurements of brain chemistry, for use in diagnosing some of the most common diseases that affect the brain, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Developed by BrainSpec, the platform uses magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)…
December 1, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Presence of damaged myelin may be more harmful than its loss: Study The presence of damaged myelin ā the fatty, protective substance surrounding nerve cells that’s lost in multiple sclerosis (MS) ā may be more harmful to nerve cells than its removal altogether, according to new preclinical research. In mouse models of myelin-associated disease, a failure of microglia ā the…
November 30, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Sedentary behaviors more common among MS patients: 11 studies People with multiple sclerosis (MS) engage in significantly more sedentary behaviors ā activities like watching TV or using a computer or smartphone versus those requiring physical movement, such as exercise ā than do individuals without the progressive disease, according to a pooled analysis of published studies. This effect was…
November 30, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem cell therapy well tolerated in SPMS clinical trial A novel therapy in which neural stem cells are injected into the brain was well tolerated by 15 people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in a pilot clinical trial. Participants’ disability levels and cognition, as well as markers of inflammation and nerve damage, all remained stable for up…
November 29, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stopping DMT use tied to greater long-term disability in MS database People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who discontinue a disease-modifying treatment are more likely to have greater long-term disability than patients who continue with such therapies or go untreated, a registry database study reports. Findings also suggest that patients who self-report better mobility early in their disease course also…
November 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MRI activity, low doses linked to disease recurrence after cladribine About three-quarters of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given an under-the-skin formulation of cladribine had no disease activity or didn’t receive any additional therapies 4.5 years after starting treatment, a study shows. Cladribine is the active ingredient in the oral therapy MavencladĀ and is typically given in two short treatment…
November 28, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Providers weigh treatment logistics in selecting DMTs for MS patients Certain clinical attributes of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), such as safety and the medication’s impact on risk of relapse and disability progression, are considered important by healthcare providers in selecting the appropriate treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new survey study. However, a study experiment also…