News

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued an opinion supporting Mayzent (siponimod) as an oral treatment specifically for adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the European Union. Opinions released by CHMP, an arm of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), carry weight and are…

Three academic research institutions launched the Weill Neurohub initiative, an effort to speed the discovery and development of therapies for neurological diseases that include multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and for psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. The initiative unites three West Coast…

Depression and fatigue have a more powerful influence on the overall health-related quality of life, compared to physical impairment, among patients with multiple sclerosis, a new study shows. The study, “Contributing factors to health‐related quality of life in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Brain and…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has criticized Biogen for the $88,000 yearly list price it placed on Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), the newly approved oral disease-modifying treatment (DMT) for relapsing multiple sclerosis. That criticism extends to repeated price increases with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), Biogen’s similar oral DMT for…

With the help of 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), investigators discovered that leptomeningeal enhancement — a radiographic finding indicative of brain inflammation — is more common than previously thought in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and is tied to lesions in specific regions of the brain.

A single dose of CD45-ADC, an investigational targeted therapy being developed to treat different types of autoimmune diseases, is enough to reset the normal function of the body’s immune system in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and to delay onset of the disease. Those findings…

The cannabis sativa plant extract Sativex is a cost-effective therapy for spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be offered to patients in England needing it on at least a monthlong trial basis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said in issuing a final…

Long-term treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) corrects the defective immune balance characteristic of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study has found. The study also identified more than 200 genes with significantly different activity between complete and partial responders to IFN-beta treatment, which could be used to identify which…

Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) is more effective for treating flares in multiple sclerosis (MS) than other alternatives, including intravenous immunoglobulin or plasmapheresis, a claims-based study from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals reports. The study “Treatment Effectiveness for Resolution of Multiple Sclerosis…

A 30-year study of outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reports that radiological findings in the first year of disease onset, and the amount of disability evident at five years, helps to predict both the likelihood of a person advancing to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and long-term survival. The study,…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have poorer neurite density — a measure that relates to the amount of nerve cell projections, including axons and dendrites involved in nerve-to-nerve communication — in the brain and spinal cord than do those without this disease, a study shows. This measure, especially…

Newly launched, the Soothie Cushion is designed to provide seating comfort and help regulate the body temperature of travelers with disabilities, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and myasthenia gravis, says its official retailer, Special Needs Group/Special Needs at Sea (SNG). The product is said to offer enduring comfort…

Two potassium ion channels located at gaps between segments of myelin are required for high frequency and high-speed conduction of electrical impulses along myelin-rich nerves, a study shows. Loss of the workings of these potassium channels in what are called the nodes of Ranvier slowed nerve conduction, and impaired the sensory response of a rat. These findings suggest that similar problems with these channels may exist in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study “TREK-1 and TRAAK Are Principal K+ Channels at the Nodes of Ranvier for Rapid Action Potential Conduction on Mammalian Myelinated Afferent Nerves” was published in the journal Neuron. Myelin, the fat-rich substance that wraps around nerve fibers (axons), works to insulate and increase the velocity of the signals relayed by nerve cells. Gaps between segments of myelin, or nodes of Ranvier, also work to amplify these signals. Nerve impulses must travel and arrive at relay points extremely quickly for effective connection and communication between brain regions. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) showed for the first time that the nodes of Ranvier have potassium channels that allow the myelinated nerves to propagate nerve impulses at very high frequencies, and with high conduction speeds. This is key for fast transmission of sensations and rapid muscle control in mammals. The nodes of Ranvier were first discovered in 1878 by the French scientist Louis-Antoine Ranvier. Later research, dating from 1939, showed that they work as relay stations placed along myelinated nerves — about 1 millimeter apart — for proper conduction of nerve impulses at rates of 50 to 200 meters per second. Between these nodes, the nerve is wrapped in myelin. When the nerve fires, the electrical impulse travels along the nerve (called action potential) from one node to the other at a speed 100 times faster than that of impulses in nerves lacking myelin. Neuroscientists know that ions crossing the membrane of nerve cells are required to fire electrical impulses along nerves, but whether potassium ion channels were present in the nodes of Ranvier remained a matter of debate. No one had been able to use patch clamps — a technique that allows recording of whole-cell or single-ion channel currents flowing across membranes — to the nodes of the small intact nerves in mammals. UAB researchers led by Jianguo Gu, PhD, worked with a rat and identified two ion channels, called TREK-1 and TRAAK, as the main potassium channels in the nodes of Ranvier of the rat’s myelinated nerve. Most importantly, they showed these ion channels allow high-speed and high frequency conduction of nerve impulses along the myelinated afferent nerves — those carrying information from the sensory organs (like the eyes or skin) to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). TREK-1 and TRAAK channels were highly enriched — 3,000 times higher — at the nodes of Ranvier in afferent nerves than in the nerve cell’s body. When the scientists removed (knocked down) these channels, conduction speed in the rat's nerve dropped by 50 percent, and the rat's "aversion reaction" to its whisker being flicked was slower. "TREK-1 and TRAAK are clustered at nodes of Ranvier of myelinated afferent nerves," the researchers concluded, and "suppressing these channels retards nerve conduction and impairs sensory functions." Increasing evidence shows that dysfunction in the nodes of Ranvier are present in neurological diseases, including MS. Whether autoantibodies (antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues) target the TREK-1 and TRAAK to affect nerve conduction, leading to sensory and motor problems such as those seen in MS, remains to be investigated, Gu said in a UAB news release written by Jeff Hansen.

Pharmascience recently launched pms-Fingolimod, a generic version of Novartis’ Gilenya (fingolimod), to treat adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in Canada. The new generic is now available in that country, and has demonstrated efficacy and safety similar to Gilenya. Generic medicines are chemically identical to the original branded therapy, but carry a…

Siemens Healthineers has signed a license and supply agreement with Quanterix that helps it in developing blood tests for neurofilament light chain (NfL) to aid in early disease detection, evidence of progression, and measuring treatment response in people with neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Siemens Healthineers…

A specific mutation in the FOXP3 gene, one already linked to multiple sclerosis in the Iranian population, was now also seen to increase the risk of MS in Brazilian women, a study reports. This mutation is also associated with higher-than-normal levels of TGF-β1, an anti-inflammatory molecule, a finding that requires…

A new public-private initiative brings academic and industry researchers from 15 European countries together in a large-scale effort to understand differences and commonalities in seven immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, so to better predict a patient’s likely response to treatment and likely disease progression. The project, called 3TR…

Employed individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have lower work productivity, reduced health-related quality of life, and use more healthcare resources than individuals who do not have multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The study, “Burden of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis on workers in the US: a cross-sectional…

Seven months after starting a safety review of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), the Pharmacovigilance Risk…

Teva Canada announced that Teva-Fingolimod 0.5 mg capsules, a bioequivalent generic version of Novartis’ Gilenya (fingolimod), are now available in Canada and approved by the country’s national health system called Health Canada. Generic medicines are chemically identical to the original branded therapy, but carry a significantly lower cost. Canadian…

Mutations in genes related to the immune system’s first line of defense are associated with a greater likelihood of more severe forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) linked to faster vision loss, a team led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report. Combining high-resolution eye scans and genetic tests,…

A new study shows that 40% of patients in Italy and Germany who have  secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are not aware of their diagnosis, indicating a need for significant improvement in patient-physician communication.

Interferon therapy (brand names Avonex, Betaseron, and others) is more effective than glatiramer acetate (sold as Copaxone, Glatopa and other generics) for reducing relapses…

A joint analysis of 83 studies, involving 3,000 people, concluded that there is “scarce evidence” to say that the use of medicinal cannabinoids — chemical compounds in the cannabis plant — is able to improve mental health conditions. However, the use of pharmaceutical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may lead to…

The Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center at McLean Hospital, also known as the Brain Bank, has signed a new, potentially $12.8 million contract with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that allows it to continue to collect brain specimens from donors with a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), including clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive disease (SPMS). Vumerity (previously known as ALKS 8700) was developed by Alkermes…

A new Phase 3 clinical trial to explore the safety and efficacy of Mapi Pharma’s once-a-month injectable formulation of glatiramer acetate — named GA Depot — has started enrolling patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial (NCT04121221) is expected to enroll approximately 960 participants, 18 to 55…

Physical symptoms and poorer coping mechanisms are major risk factors for unemployment in younger and older people with multiple sclerosis (MS), while psychological problems have the greatest impact in middle-aged patients’ unemployment, a study suggests. These findings highlight that unemployment risk factors vary with age and call for interventions…

Exposure to UV-B light prevented multiple sclerosis (MS)-like symptoms in a mouse model regardless of the presence of vitamin D or the vitamin D receptor, a new study discovered.  The study, “UV light suppression of EAE (a mouse…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to have low levels in their blood serum of certain antibodies that can protect against infection, regardless of whether they are using a disease-targeted therapy or not, a study reports. These levels were not so low as to risk infection on their own,…