October 5, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Google Maps Timeline may help in monitoring walking ability in MS Assessing a person’s daily walking patterns using the Google Maps Timeline tool may help doctors remotely monitor fatigue, walking ability, and disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The digital tool is built in the smartphone application Google Maps and records daily walking distance and…
October 5, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Sexual dysfunction in MS occurs at similar rates in all age groups Problems with sexual dysfunction are a concern for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients of all ages, but the issues tend to have distinct causes as people age, a new study highlights. The study,Ā “Age-Related Differences in the Severity of Sexual Dysfunction Symptoms and Psychological Distress in Individuals with…
October 4, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS patients in UK less likely to be on treatment, new study shows People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United Kingdom are less likely to be on disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) compared with MS patients in other countries in Europe, a new study reports. “We know that getting early treatment with disease-modifying MS therapies can improve long term health and wellbeing.
October 4, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Partnership seeks to drive diversity, inclusion in MS clinical trials The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis and the Arab Board for Clinical Research have partnered with the Association of Diversity in Clinical Trials (AOD) to drive diversity and inclusion in clinical trials, including in those of multiple sclerosis (MS). The intent of the collaboration is to build…
October 3, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Heligenics IDs new interferon beta variants that might help in MS Heligenics has discovered a number of variations in the interferon beta 1 (IFNB1) gene that may markedly improve the effectiveness of medications containing the interferon beta protein ā a protein widely used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The discovery was made using the biotechnology company’s…
October 3, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Remote therapy program found to ease depression for MS patients A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program delivered virtually ā using self-paced remote modules ā significantly eased depressive symptoms and improved life quality in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression, according to new research. A Phase 3 trial testing the remote program had aimed to determine if an internet-delivered platform…
October 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Viral protein blocks myelin repair, activates inflammation in models The expression of a viral protein known as W-Env leads to the inflammatory activation of brain cells and impairs myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. “Our study shows that the presence of W-Env in the brains of MS patients appears to generate a…
October 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Most disability worsening on Ocrevus not tied to relapses: Study Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), most of the disability worsening they experience is not associated with any relapse activity, according to an analysis of real-world data. “We present real-world data from our multiple sclerosis center underlining that in a typical population of relapsing MS…
September 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Stem cell therapy found safe, effective in RRMS study Nearly three-quarters of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) showed no signs of disease activity five years after receiving a stem cell transplant, according to a recent Swedish study. Moreover, about half of patients with at least minimal disability saw improvements after the transplant and about one-third remained stable.
September 29, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Tiziana seeks sites to conduct Phase 2a trial of nasal foralumab Tiziana Life Sciences has started to recruit clinical sites for a Phase 2a clinical trial that will investigate its foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The announcement follows a meeting with the principal investigators of the trial at Brigham and Womenās…
September 28, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Tyruko, first Tysabri biosimilar, approved in Europe for RMMS The European Commission has approved Tyruko (natalizumab), the first biosimilar of Tysabri, for the treatment of adults with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The approval makes Tyruko available in the European Union for the same indication as its reference medicine. It also marks the first approval…
September 28, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Lemtrada controlled RRMS disease activity more than a decade Over more than a decade of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), relapse rates were low and about half of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) remained free of confirmed disability worsening, according to final results from the open-label TOPAZ clinical trial. “To our knowledge, this report represents the longest…
September 27, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Brain volume loss helps in judging DMT efficacy in RRMS: Review The rate of brain atrophy, or volume loss, may help in determining whether disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are slowing disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a review of data from 12 published studies found. The analysis, āBrain Atrophy as an Outcome of Disease-Modifying Therapy for…
September 27, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Neurologists share treatment preferences for older adults with MS For older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have highly active disease, most neurologists recommend starting treatment with a high-efficacy therapy, according to a survey study. Neurologists also generally agreed that patients with MS should continue on treatment into the latter decades of life, and that older MS patients…
September 26, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS symptoms can fluctuate with Ocrevus, but ‘wearing off’ not likely People with multiple sclerosis (MS) under treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) commonly experience fluctuations in the severity of their symptoms ā but these changes aren’t related to the timing of Ocrevus infusions, a study reports. Although many patients on Ocrevus report a ‘wearing off’ effect between infusions, findings suggest…
September 26, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 vaccines safe, do not worsen MS symptoms: Study Certain COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to worsen the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and may provide protection for at least six months after a booster dose, according to a study in Spain. The study specifically examined mRNA vaccines, or those that use a piece of RNA to teach…
September 25, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Data: Lucid-MS seen to be safe, well tolerated in healthy volunteers FSD Pharmaās Lucid-21-302 ā an oral treatment candidate known as Lucid-MS, for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā was found safe and well tolerated across multiple doses in healthy volunteers, according to interim data from a Phase 1 clinical trial. The newly released data are from the…
September 25, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Specific genes allow immune T-cells to infiltrate the brain, study finds Researchers have identified nearly two dozen genes that help to control the movement of immune cells into the brain and spinal cord during multiple sclerosis (MS). Findings may form the basis for the further development of MS treatments that aim to reduce disease activity by blocking the infiltration…
September 22, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Fatigue not eased with DMTs in people with MS: Study Using disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) doesn’t reduce fatigue levels in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Norway suggests. Anxiety and depression were both associated with fatigue, suggesting “there are other underlying causes of fatigue than focal inflammation, on which DMTs have an effect,” the study’s researchers wrote…
September 22, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Menopause linked with lower MS relapse rate, increased disability Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly lower relapse rates after entering menopause, but disability levels increase significantly in that period, according to a pooled analysis of studies. The findings are consistent with a decrease in immune activity with age and loss of estrogen, leading to fewer disease-related relapses,…
September 21, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Rehabilitation in progressive MS found to help cognitive function Two non-pharmacological rehabilitation approaches ā one using a computer program designed to improve working memory and the other involving standardized cognitive-behavioral group sessions ā both improved the cognitive function of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reported. While varying medications often are used as…
September 21, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD FDA clears first clinical study of investigational therapy LPX-TI641 Lapix Therapeutics is launching a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate LPX-TI641, its investigational treatment for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy individuals. The first-in-human trial (NCT05853835) is expected to begin dosing later this year. It follows the recent clearance of an investigational new…
September 20, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD First of its kind algorithm may help predict treatment adherence in MS Swoop, a consumer health data company, is launching a first of its kind algorithm that’s designed to predict treatment adherence in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions. The aim of the new algorithm ā which is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) strategies…
September 20, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Patient enrollment is complete in Phase 1 trial of ANK-700 for RRMS Anokion has finished enrolling patients in the second part of its Phase 1 clinical trial investigating ANK-700 for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Safety data so far from the MoveS-it trial (NCT04602390) has shown the treatment is safe and well tolerated and biomarker analyses suggest it can induce…
September 19, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Taking sugar molecule supplements may help ease inflammation in MS Taking supplements of the sugar molecule N-acetylglucosamine, known as GlcNAc, was found to decrease markers of inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial. Moreover, nearly a third of trial participants reported less severe disability following a month of daily GlcNAc supplements. However, because this…
September 19, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Imcyse completes enrollment in Phase 1 trial testing IMCY-0141 for RRMS Imcyse has completed patient enrollment and initial dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating IMCY-0141, its next-generation immunotherapy, in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The study, the first portion of a Phase 1/2 trial called IMCY-MS-001 (NCT05417269), is an open-label trial evaluating three doses of IMCY-0141…
September 18, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS patients with Shields Health Solutions have $10 copay for care People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. who have access to a Shields Health Solutions care model pay an average $10 out of pocket each month for their MS treatments, according to the company ā which noted that this amount is considerably less than the national average…
September 18, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD US study tracks distance Medicare patients travel to see neurologist Nearly 1 in 5 people on Medicare ā a U.S. federal insurance program for people ages 65 and older ā travel at least 50 miles (about 80 km) each way to see a neurologist, according to a recent report. However, long distance travel was even more common for people living…
September 15, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Benefits of long-term Tysabri seen in RRMS patients in Japan: Study Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly reduced the development of brain lesions on MRI scans in Japanese people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a new study. The therapy also eased or stabilized disability levels in most patients after five years of treatment, and significantly reduced the annual rate of…
September 15, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Kessler Foundation researchers to explore improving cognition in MS Researchers at the Kessler Foundation have received $725,499 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to study how to improve learning and memory in multiple sclerosis (MS). The team will use the funding to evaluate the benefits of a cognitive intervention called COMBINE, which involves cognitive training and…