March 11, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: A Cure for MS?, MS App, Robot for Balance, Botox for Spasticity All of the stories in this week’s column come from the recently held Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) forum, heldĀ Feb. 28 to March 2 inĀ Dallas, Texas. #ACTRIMS2019 ā Forum Leaders Discuss: āWill There Be a Cure for MS?ā A reporter for…
March 7, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – MSCopilot App Shows Promise as Self-Monitoring Tool MSCopilot, a software deviceĀ designed for the self-assessment of multiple sclerosis (MS), distinguishes between patients and healthy controls, and potentially could be usedĀ in clinical practice for the monitoring of MS disability progression and patients’ response to treatment. Matthieu Lamy, fromĀ Ad Scientiam, the…
March 7, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Forum Leaders Discuss: ‘Will There Be a Cure for MS?’ It is a question that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, loved ones, and the larger community have asked for some time: “Will there be a cure for multiple sclerosis?” MS News Today had the opportunity to ask that question of leaders at theĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in…
March 6, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Game-like Smartphone App Used to Test Neurological Disability in MS In the time necessary to perform a standard multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) functional exam, gamified tests on a smartphone app provide much richer and reliable measurements of several distinct neurological functions, according to new data. These findings suggest that creatively-constructed smartphone apps may one day recreate entire neurological exams.
March 6, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2019 – Women Lack Guidance About Pregnancy After MS Diagnosis, Survey Says Women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) say they lack guidance regarding family planning, pregnancy, and breastfeeding, according to a survey. Sixteen percent of those women also reported they didnāt become pregnant due to MS-related concerns. Casey E. Engel, Ā clinical researcher at Weill Cornell Medical CollegeĀ in New York, Ā presented the…
March 5, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Botox Earns High Marks from Patients, Physicians as Treatment for Spasticity, ASPIRE Follow-up Finds Patients with a range of diseases and disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS), report high satisfaction with botulinum toxin ā also known as BotoxĀ (onabotulinumtoxinA) ā as a treatment for spasticity, results from the ASPIRE clinical trial show. The data were presented last week byĀ Daniel S. Bandari,…
March 5, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Stem Cell Tourism Poses Threat of Complications for Patients, First US Neurologist Survey Says Academic neurologists are seeing many patients with neurological diseases interested in or receiving unapproved stem cell-based treatments, sometimes with negative health and/or financial consequences, according to a U.S. survey of neurologists. The data were reported byĀ Wijdan Rai, MD, from Ohio State University in aĀ poster titled āComplications of Stem Cell…
March 5, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2019 – TG Therapeutics’ Investigational Therapy Ublituximab Posts Positive Data in MS Phase 2 Clinical Trial Full results of a Phase 2 clinical trial testing TG Therapeuticsā lead candidate ublituximab (TG-1101) for relapsingĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) showed that treatment for 48 weeks resulted in a marked reduction of brain and spinal cord lesions, an almost complete depletion of relapse-associated immune B-cells, and significantly halted disability…
March 5, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Bacterial Epsilon Toxin Found in MS Patients Triggers MS Disease Features in Rodents The levels of epsilon toxin are increased in multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients, and its presence in laboratory rodents replicated some aspects of disease activity, according to data presented at the 4thĀ AnnualĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum. The researchers suggested that the epsilon…
March 4, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Cerebrospinal Fluid, Meninges Inflammation Profile Can Stratify MS Patients A method based on cerebrospinal fluid measurements and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can aid in stratifying patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the time of diagnosis, which may help identify a tailored therapeutic approach for each patient from early disease stages. The data was presented by Roberta Magliozzi, from…
March 4, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2019 – Evobrutinib Significantly Reduces Brain Lesions in Relapsing MS, Phase 2 Trial Shows Evobrutinib, Merck KGaAās oral candidate for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), is safe and can significantly reduce active brain lesions overĀ 24 weeks of treatment, results of ongoing Phase 2 study show. Xavier Montalban, PhD, MD, withĀ Vall d’Hebron University HospitalĀ in Barcelona, presented the results in the talk āPrimary…
March 4, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Two MRI Biomarkers Can Potentially Distinguish RIS from Other Disorders Two new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers ā called central vein sign and paramagnetic rim sign ā could be useful for differentiating true radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) patients from those with mimicking features, new research shows. The findings were presented at theĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple…
March 4, 2019 News by BioNews Staff #ACTRIMS2019 ā Jeffrey Cohen, MD, is New President of ACTRIMS Jeffrey Cohen, MD, director of the experimental therapeutics program at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and ResearchĀ at the Cleveland Clinic, is the newly named Ā president of ACTRIMS, the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. Cohen’s appointment concluded the 2019 ACTRIMS ForumĀ that ran…
March 4, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Asthma More Common in MS Patients Than Public at Large, Study Finds Asthma is significantly more common among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in the general population, a new study shows. The increased prevalence was especially evident in younger and elderly MS patients, regardless of race or sex. The study was presented at ACTRIMS 2019,Ā theĀ Americas…
March 1, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 ā Health-related Quality of Life in MS Patients Linked to Comorbidities There is a need for better diagnosis and treatment management of comorbidities ā simultaneously occurring disorders ā in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), as shown by the impact these additional health issues have on patientsā health-related quality of life, according to a new report. The data was presented by Lara…
March 1, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 ā Use of Ocrevus at Cleveland Clinic Backs Phase 3 Trial Data Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) was shown to be aĀ highly effective therapy for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in real-world clinical practice, according to Brandon Moss, MD, from theĀ Cleveland Clinic. The data was presented in a poster session Feb. 28, atĀ the Americas Committee…
March 1, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Leukocyte Telomere Length Shortening is Predictive of Disability Progression in MS, Study Shows As the protective molecular caps of our genetic information ā called telomeres ā become shorter in certain immune cells, the extent of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) disability progression increases, regardless of age, researchers at theĀ University of California, San FranciscoĀ (UCSF) reported. The findings were presented at the annual…
March 1, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – RRMS Conversion to SPMS Is Preceded by Spinal Cord Atrophy The rate of spinal cord tissue loss is a strong indicator of conversion fromĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to a finding presented at theĀ fourth annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2019. The forum…
February 28, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – No Evidence of Disease Activity Seen in POMS Adolescents Taking Rituximab, Small Study Shows Data supporting the off-label use of rituximab in adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) was presented atĀ the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2019. The session, titledĀ āNo Evidence of Disease Activity in the Majority of Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Rituximab,ā…
February 8, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Upcoming Forum Will Include Interactive, Case-based Discussion About MS Therapeutic Landscape TheĀ Physiciansā Education ResourceĀ will host an interactive, case-based discussion on the latest therapeutics in multiple sclerosis (MS). The free educational program, part of the 2019 Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) ForumĀ (Feb. 28 -March 2), aims to inform…