March 8, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: Switch to Briumvi well tolerated in relapsing MS People with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated with an infusion CD20 inhibitor such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) can safely transition to the more recent Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), which is given in shorter infusion times. That’s according to data from the ENHANCE Phase 3b clinical trial…
March 7, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: MRI Paramagnetic rim lesions tied to cognitive decline The presence of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, may help identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are more likely to have cognitive decline over time. Thatās according to four-year data presented by Hannah Schwartz,…
March 7, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: An antihistamine may speed MS disease progression The antihistamine clemastine accelerated disease progression by more than five times in some adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) who received it in a Phase 1/2 trial, new data show. Joanna Kocot, PhD, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), showed that this effect is least partly…
March 6, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: 2 treatments to aid remyelination near clinical trials Convelo Therapeutics is developing two experimental oral treatments to promote myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS) and both have shown promise in preclinical models. The company is in the final stages of safety studies in large animals. Once those studies are done, it plans to start studies that…
March 6, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: Tolebrutinib fails to eliminate iron rim lesions in Phase 2 trial Nearly one year of treatment with tolebrutinib, an oral small molecule being developed by Sanofi, failed to eliminate iron rim lesions in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a small Phase 2 clinical trial. Researchers are continuing to examine study results to determine…
March 5, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Evobrutinib fails to show superiority to Aubagio in Phase 3 trials The experimental BTK inhibitor evobrutinib was no better than Aubagio (teriflunomide) at preventing relapses, reducing brain lesions, or slowing disability progression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from two Phase 3 trials. Both medications had generally similar safety profiles, although increases…
March 5, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Progressive MS patients show gains in NG-01 OLE Repeated treatment with the mesenchymal stem cell therapy NG-01 led to gains in mobility and cognition, along with patient-reported quality of life, for most people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in an extension study. Markers of nerve damage were also reduced, indicating significant nerve-protecting effects. Dimitrios Karussis, MD,…
March 4, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Vidofludimus calcium lowers NfL levels in progressive MS Treatment with Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) lowered the levels of a nerve damage marker in people with all subtypes of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), including those without recent inflammatory activity. That’s according to an interim analysis of data from a Phase 2 study,…
March 4, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Most patients relapse-free after 6 years on Zeposia About two-thirds of people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) remained completely free from relapses over six years of treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) in the DAYBREAK clinical trial. Most also saw no sustained disability progression during that period and the mean number of new or enlarging lesions…
March 1, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Molecule made by gut bacteria seen to ease MS in mice Supplements of indole 3-lactate (ILA), a molecule made by gut bacteria, significantly reduced disease severity and promoted myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new findings presented by Larissa Jank, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University, at the Americas Committee for Treatment…
February 25, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novartis’ Ofatumumab for Relapsing MS Up for Possible Approval by FDA and EMA Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will review Novartis‘ applications seeking regulatory approval of ofatumumab, anĀ investigational B-cell therapy for the treatment of relapsing forms ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) in adults. Novartis’ applications for ofatumumab ā which has the…
January 31, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Harvard Scientist Awarded National MS Society’s Barancik Prize for Work in MS Harvard professor and scientist Francisco Quintana, PhD, has been awarded the 2019 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work in understanding what causes multiple sclerosis (MS), and how to stop its development. Quintana has developed innovative research programs that use cutting-edge technology to help…
June 20, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: What Are ACTRIMS and ECTRIMS? Editor’s note: āNeed to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by a frequent reference made in our forums as well as in our columns and articles.
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 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 1, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Young Researchers in Multiple Sclerosis Earn Awards at ACTRIMS Forum 2018 The Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) hasĀ awarded five young investigators for their research work on multiple sclerosis (MS). The awards were presented at theĀ ACTRIMS Forum 2018, held Feb. 1-3 in San Diego,…
January 30, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2018 – Ublituximab Led to Major Drop in MS Brain and Spine Lesions, Trial Shows TG Therapeutics‘ ublituximab (TG-1101) led toĀ a remarkable reduction in multiple sclerosis patients’ brain and spine lesions, a Phase 2 clinical trial showed. In fact, none of the treated patients had new gadolinium-enhancing lesions ā or damaged nerve cell areas ā six months after treatment, researchers said.Ā Their analysis covered patients…
December 15, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cambridge Researcher Wins 2017 Barancik Prize for Pioneering Work on Myelin Repair A University of Cambridge researcher, Robin Franklin, has been awarded the 2017 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work on myelin repair and as a potential way of treatingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). Franklin is a senior scientist at the Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell…
October 17, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Genentech to Share Host of New Ocrevus Data at ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting GenentechĀ will present a host of new information on its multiple sclerosis treatmentĀ OcrevusĀ and lessons its scientists have learned about the disease at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, Oct. 25ā28. The presentations will offer new insights into the therapy's mechanisms, safety and effectivenessĀ in people with the primary progressive and relapsing forms of MS. They will also look at new ways to track MS, including additional biomarker possibilities. MS experts say the joint meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) is one of the largest global congregations of scientists working on the disease. The information Genentech plans to present will demonstrate "the commitment of our scientists and research partners to advance understanding of MS progression through ongoing analyses of the Ocrevus Phase 3 clinical trials,ā Dr. Sandra Horning, the company's chief medical officer and head of its Global Product Development arm, said in a press release. Genentech, which is part of the Roche group, said the 18 presentations will represent the largest body of evidence ever presented on Ocrevus. The discussions will reinforce the therapy's favorable benefit-risk profile, Genentech added. Two presentations will cover new ways that doctors can look for signsĀ of disease activity that can lead to disability. One yardstick is calledĀ progression independent of relapse activity, or PIRA. AnotherĀ is tracking slowly evolving lesions. Genentech researchers came up with the approaches when they analyzed a subgroup of patients in the OPERA I and OPERA II Phase 3 clincal trials, whose aim was to evaluate Ocrevus as a treatment for relapsing MS. The patients' disease progressed even though they had no relapses, researchers said. The team will also discuss how Ocrevus affected these patients' disease. Another presentation will cover long-term follow-up data from an extension of the ORATORIO Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT01194570), which dealt with Ocrevus' ability to treat primary progressive MS. It will Ā look at how well Ocrevus slowed the progression of patients' disability. Updated information on Ocrevusā safety āĀ based on open-label extension studies āĀ will be another component of the presentations. So far, researchers have detected no new safety issues. Genentech will also discuss a new way of using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify and track slowly evolving lesions. The company's scientists think that tracking the lesions may be a good way to measure chronic disease activity. This would contrast with tracking ordinary MS lesions, which are biomarkers of acute ā as opposed to chronic ā disease activity. In addition to "two new potential markers of underlying disease activity and their impact on disease progression, we hope to bring new tools to the MS community to better understand and manage the disease,ā Horning said. One tool, which Genentech has begun testing in clinical trials, is gathering patient information with sensors connected to a smartphone. Researchers are comparing the information obtained in the FLOODLIGHT study with what physicians record during patient visits. The research team believes the FLOODLIGHT method may beĀ be able to detect subtle changesĀ better. This could make it a better predictor of disease activity and long-term patient outcomes. In addition to the presentations, Genentech will sponsor two symposia at the meeting that will discuss how MS progresses, features of the chronic version of the disease, and the link between inflammation and the progression of MS. The U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationĀ approved Ocrevus in March 2017. Ā
October 4, 2017 News by Charles Moore #MSParis2017 – ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Congress on Latest Research, Treatments Starts Oct. 25 The 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting, the worldās largest annual international conference devoted to basic and clinical research in multiple sclerosis, will run from Oct. 25 to 28 in Paris ā the city of Jean-Martin Charcot, the “Father of Neurology,” who provided the first detailed description of multiple sclerosis (MS)…
September 7, 2017 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #MSParis2017 – Gilenya Reduces Relapses in Children and Adolescents with MS, Novartis Trial Shows Gilenya decreased relapses in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis in the phase 3 PARADIGMS trial, according to the therapy's developer, Novartis. The Swiss company will present the trial's results at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting, set for Oct. 25-28 in Paris. The study addressed the safety and efficacy of an oral, once-daily dose of Gilenya in 215 MS patients aged 10 to 17. Participants received 0.5 mg or 0.25 mg of Gilenya, according to their body weight, and results were compared with those of intramuscular Avonex (interferon beta-1a given once weekly). The trial ā conducted at 87 sites in 25 countries ā was designed in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group. Gilenya led to a "clinically meaningful decrease in the number of relapses" over a period of up to two years, compared to Avonex, according to the trial. The safety results of Gilenya matched those observed in previous trials, with adverse events more likely among the Avonex group. Importantly, the PARADIGMS trial is the first-ever randomized, controlled Phase 3 study of a disease-modifying therapy in pediatric MS. No treatment is currently available for children and adolescents with MS. Novartis will now complete a thorough evaluation of the results and later submit Gilenya for approval by regulatory agencies. It will also extend the study to a five-year period.
September 5, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – TG Therapeutics to Discuss Ublituximab’s Effectiveness at ECTRIMSāACTRIMS Meeting in Paris TG Therapeutics will discuss ublituximab's ability to deplete B-cells linked to multiple sclerosis and to reduce inflammatory brain lesions at the 7th Joint ECTRIMSāACTRIMS Meeting in Paris next month. The three presentations will cover preliminary results of a Phase 2 clinical trial of ublituximab's safety and effectiveness as a treatment for relapsing forms of MS, the company said in a press release. The conference will be Oct. 25-28. Dr. Amy E. Lovett-Racke of Ohio State University will discuss ublituximab's ability to decrease B-cells associated with MS after six months of treatment. Ublituximab is an antibody that targets B-cells carrying the CD20 protein on their cell surfaces. These cells are thought to play a role in MS development. Dr. Matilde Inglese of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York will discuss ublituximab's ability to decrease study participants' inflammatory brain lesions. And Dr. Edward Fox of Central Texas Neurology Consultants, the trial's principal investigator, will do a poster-session presentation on the study's patient characteristics and preliminary results as a whole, including safety. The ongoing Phase 2 trial is still recruiting patients with relapsing forms of MS. Researchers are randomly assigning participants to receive intravenous infusions of either ublituximab or a placebo. One of the studyās primary goals is to see how well ublituximab depletes B-cells 28 days after the start of treatment. Another primary goal is to see how safe the therapy is, with the measurement being treatment-related adverse events that patients experience over six months. Ublituximabās ability to reduce relapses will be a secondary measure of the trial. Researchers will assess it after 48 weeks of treatment. Fox, who is the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic of Central Texas, and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Round Rock, made a ublituximab presentation at the 3rd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in June. It revealed that the therapy nearly depleted B-cells only four weeks after treatment started. Earlier data suggests that ublituximab can be administered in only one hour. Ocrevus, the only approved MS therapy that targets B-cells with CD20, requires 3 1/2 hours. Although the Phase 2 trial is continuing, the data generated so far supports plans for two Phase 3 trials, TG Therapeutics said. They will randomize patients to receive either ublituximab or Aubagio. The trials, which the company hopes to start by the end of September, will be conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It allows the FDA to evaluate the design and population size of a trial a company intends to use to seek a drug's regulatory approval. The FDA has refused to approve therapies whose trial design it believed to be flawed. Obtaining a design sign-off before a trial improves the chance of a treatment being approved if it meets the study's objectives.
September 1, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – MediciNova to Share Results of Ibudilast Trial in Progressive MS at October Summit MediciNova will present data from its clinical trial of ibudilast (MN-166) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) at the upcoming 7th Joint ECTRIMS – ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris. The European and American Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS and ACTRIMS) selected the presentation “…
August 14, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Phase 1 Trial Recruitment Complete for Ataraās ATA188 T-cell Immunotherapy for Progressive MS Atara BiotherapeuticsĀ recently published anĀ updateĀ ofĀ the companyās quarterly financial results and operational highlights, including the advancement ofĀ itsĀ T-cell based immunotherapy strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer. One of the investigational therapies featured in the report is ATA188, a potential treatment for MS.
March 9, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski #ACTRIMS2017 – Neurologist Bourdette Questions ACTH Medicare Costs in Interview with MS News Today The sky-high costs to Medicare for prescriptions of the MS medication H.P. Acthar Gel, Ā as reported in Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ were highlighted at theĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 ForumĀ in…
February 24, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Relapsing MS Treatment Showing Efficacy in Phase 2 Extension Study, Celgene Reports at ACTRIMS 2016 Celgene CorporationĀ announced theĀ results from anĀ extension studyĀ of theĀ RADIANCE Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating ozanimod in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The results were also presented at the recentĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016Ā in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ozanimod is a small…
February 22, 2016 News by admin MS Stem Cell Therapies Show Promise, But More Work Is Needed, Researcher Tells ACTRIMS 2016 Dr. Andrew Goodman of the University of RochesterĀ discussedĀ the latest research and perspectives on stem cell strategiesĀ forĀ people with multiple sclerosis (MS), saying in a presentation at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016Ā thatĀ such therapies, while promising,Ā are not yet ready for widespread clinical use. New therapies…
February 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Leptomeningeal Inflammation May Offer New Treatment Targets In Progressive Forms of MS Researchers at Johns Hopkins UniversityĀ in Baltimore presented keyĀ findings today, Feb. 19, concerningĀ the presence of contrast-enhancing lesions in later stages in the relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model. The presentation was made at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016, which is ongoing through…
February 19, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Research on Progressive MS to Be Funded by International Progressive MS Alliance Dr. Timothy Coetzee from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will present an overview of the objectives and achievements of the International Progressive MS Alliance (PMSA), an organization dedicated to facilitating and funding research on progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a form of MS especially lacking effective therapeutic options. Coetzee…
February 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Progressive MS Trials May Need a ‘Tailored’ MRI Approach, Researcher Tells ACTRIMS 2016 Dr. Daniel S. Reich with Johns Hopkins UniversityĀ isĀ givingĀ an oral talk on āMRI as an Outcome Measure in Progressive Multiple Sclerosisā at Friday’sĀ ACTRIMS Forum 2016.Ā This year’sĀ meetingĀ focuses on progressive MS, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 20, in New Orleans. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the…