July 18, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Certain MS Lesions Linked to Worse Disability, but Location Not a Factor The presence ofĀ iron rim lesions (IRLs), which are regions of chronic nervous system damage with ongoing inflammation, visible on MRI scans, is linked with more substantial disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā according to a new study. However, the connection between these lesions and worse disability does not…
July 7, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Smoking Linked to Worse Outcomes in RRMS Patients After 10 Years Smoking is associated with lower brain volume, more brain lesions, and greater disability and attention deficits among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) after 10 years,Ā according to a study in Norway. “The findings imply that patients should be advised and offered aid in smoking cessation shortly after diagnosis, to…
June 30, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Long-term Zeposia May Help Cognitive Function in Patients, Data Show Long-term treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) stabilizes or even improves cognitive function in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly among those with greater brain volumes. Thatās according to five years of data from the completed SUNBEAM Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT02294058) and the ongoing…
April 25, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD In Relapsing MS, NfL Levels Help in Disease Progression Prediction Serum levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) ā proteins found in nerve cell projections ā can help in the prediction of disease progression among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of data from two large Phase 3 trials. The researchers said that NfL…
November 15, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Longer Breastfeeding May Damage Brain By Delaying DMT Use Having at least one pregnancy may lower disability scores in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), but breastfeeding for longer than six months may worsen damage to the brain, an observational study in patients has found. Findings support the need for careful pregnancy planning, counseling, and treatment management to ensure…
August 3, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Regular Exercise Helps Preserve Key Brain Areas, Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who exercise regularly are able to maintain volume in the hippocampus, a brain regionĀ responsible for learning and memory, a study reports. This work “adds to the growing body of evidence that exercise has many benefits for people with MS,” the National MS…
April 13, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Genetic Risk for MS Linked to White Matter Changes in Brains of Children A high genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with structural alterations in white matter ā brain regions composed mainly of nerve fibers ā in childhood, findings from a large study show. Brain volume, however, was not affected by genetic risk in the more than 2,000 children whose…
March 20, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD Gilenya Outperforms Avonex in Lessening Brain Lesion Activity, Atrophy in Children with MS, Trial Shows Oral treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) is more effective than Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for controlling brain lesion activity and brain volume loss in children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosisĀ (POMS), two-year results of the PARADIGMS study show. That means Gilenya provides an effective treatment option for…
September 12, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – No Retinal Thinning with Ocrevus in Relapsing MS Patients, Phase 3 Trials Show Treating relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is not associated with retinal thinning ā unlike treatment with Rebif (interferon beta-1a), according to two Phase 3 trials. The findings also showed a link between retinal thinning and brain volume loss. The study, ā…
May 10, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #AANAM – Oral Ozanimod Better than Avonex in Lessening Brain Volume Loss in Relapsing MS, Trial Shows Oral treatment with ozanimod (RPC1063), an investigational immunomodulator under development by Celgene, is better at preventing brain volume loss, compared with Avonex (interferon-beta-1a), in adults with relapsing forms of…
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…
October 15, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Excessive Weight, But Not Vitamin D, Linked with Faster Grey Matter Loss in MS, Study Finds Being overweight is associated with accelerated grey matter volume loss in the brain, a mark ofĀ neurodegeneration, in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a five-year observational study shows. But vitamin D levels, often suggested as an MS risk factor, do not seem to affect brain volume over time.
July 16, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Fasting Study, ‘Bad’ T-cells, Brain Volume, Ocrevus in Scotland Missouri Trial to Examine if Fasting Alters Gut Microbiome and Immune System of RRMS Patients in Helpful Ways The impact of various diets on multiple sclerosis (MS) has been studied, but this new study will look into whether fasting has an impact. The researchers at Washington University…
July 9, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #EAN2018 – Spinal Cord Atrophy Better Marker of Physical Disability in SPMS Than Brain Volume Loss, Study Reports Atrophy seen in areas of the spinal cord is a better predictor of physical disability in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients than loss of brain volume, a new study reports. The research was presented at theĀ 4th Congress of the European Academy of NeurologyĀ (EAN), recently held in Lisbon,…
May 2, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #AAN2018 ā Lemtrada Sustains Long-Term Benefits for RRMS Patients, TOPAZ Study Shows Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) can sustain reduced activity and prevent progression of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) for more than seven years, clinical data from the CARE-MS extension trial shows. Findings were recently presented in four poster presentations at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Los Angeles. Lemtrada, marketed by Sanofi Genzyme, is an approved MS therapy that, according to its label, should generally be reserved for patients who have had an inadequate response to two or more other therapies. But the use of the word "generally" opens a window of opportunity āto use Lemtrada as a second-line therapy and potentially first-line therapy,ā Barry Singer, MD, director of the MS Center for Innovations in Care at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, said in an email response to questions fromĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today. The treatment was initially tested in two pivotal clinical trials in comparison with a high-dose under-the-skin injection of Rebif (interferon beta-1a) in RRMS patients. Participants were either new to treatment (CARE-MS I, NCT00530348) or had not responded to prior therapies (CARE-MS II, NCT00548405). During these trials, patients received 12 mg of Lemtrada for three or five consecutive days in two annual courses ā at the beginning of the study and again one year later. After completing this treatment period, they had the opportunity to participate in a four-year extension study (NCT00930553) during which they could receive the therapy as needed to control their disease. Patients completing the extension could enroll in the five-year TOPAZ trial (NCT02255656) for further evaluation. To date, 80% of the participants (299 patients) from CARE-MS I and 73% from CARE-MS II (317 patients) have completed seven years of long-term follow-up. After completing two initial courses of Lemtrada, 59% of patients from CARE-MS I and 47% from CARE-MS II did not require additional treatment courses with Lemtrada or other disease-modifying therapies during the next six years. Two-thirds of Ā CARE-MS II patients who required a third Lemtrada course also experienced disability stabilization one year after the last treatment. During the seven years of follow-up, reported annualized relapse rates remained low, and 37% of patients from CARE-MS 1 and 44% from CARE-MS II experienced confirmed improvements in disability. In fact, during this period, only 26% from CARE-MS 1 and 31% from CARE-MS II showed disability worsening. The treatment also had a sustained effect on slowing brain volume loss by the seventh year, with a median yearly brain volume loss of 0.20% or less from the third to seventh year. This effect was found to be even better than that reported during the initial two years of treatment in the pivotal studies (0.59% in the first year and 0.25% in the second year in CARE-MS I, andĀ 0.48% in year one and 0.22% in year two in CARE-MS II). Additionally, evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no signs of disease activity during the seven years of follow-up. āThe extension study data being presented at AAN illustrate that more than two-thirds of patients did not experience confirmed disability worsening at year seven after initiating treatment with Lemtrada,ā Singer said in a press release. āIn addition, consistent effects were maintained over time across relapses and MRI outcomes including brain volume loss, even though the majority of patients did not receive any additional treatment over the prior six years.ā During the extension studies, the frequency of adverse events was similar to that reported during the pivotal studies. In seven years, three deaths occurred, none of which was considered to be treatment-related. Thyroid adverse events were reported to be more frequent by the third year, but declined thereafter. As Singer noted, "the serious risks of Lemtrada, including serious infusion reactions, serious infections, thyroid disease, kidney disease, low platelets and potential malignancies, must always be discussed with the patient." All patients should also be carefully monitored on a monthly basis for four years after the last treatment course āto screen for autoimmune complications, including low platelet counts, thyroid disease, and kidney disease,ā he said. Lemtradaās long-term effects were shared at the AAN annual meeting in these presentations: āActive RRMS Patients Treated with Alemtuzumab Experience Durable Reductions in MRI Disease Activity and Slowing of Brain Volume Loss: 7-Year Follow-up of CARE-MS II Patients (TOPAZ Study)ā āDurable Clinical Outcomes With Alemtuzumab in Patients With Active RRMS in the Absence of Continuous Treatment: 7-Year Follow-up of CARE-MS II Patients (TOPAZ Study)ā āDurable Reduction in MRI Disease Activity and Slowing of Brain Volume Loss in Alemtuzumab-Treated Patients With Active RRMS: 7-Year Follow-up of CARE-MS I Patients (TOPAZ Study)ā āDurable Clinical Efficacy of Alemtuzumab in Patients With Active RRMS in the Absence of Continuous Treatment: 7-Year Follow-up of CARE-MS I Patients (TOPAZ Study) Lemtrada is approved in more than 60 countries, and has additional marketing applications under review by regulatory authorities worldwide.
February 22, 2018 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Study Links Degeneration of Deep Gray Matter in Brain to Faster MS Disability Degeneration of the brain’s deep gray matter is associated with more rapid disability in multiple sclerosis patients, a European study shows. The research, āDeep gray matter volume loss drives disability worsening in multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal Annals of Neurology. Scientists know that loss…
December 7, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski Advances in MRI Readings My neurologist orders an annual MRI to see if any major changes have occurred, and last year my imaging included NeuroQuant software. NeuroQuant is still relatively unknown in the multiple sclerosis patient community. It is a measuring software that gives us real numbers we can comprehend instead of subjective…
October 26, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 ā MedDayās High-Dose Biotin, MD1003, Improves Disability in Progressive MS Patients MD1003, a high-dose biotinĀ developed by MedDay, slowed or prevented further disease progression among progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in a Phase 3 clinical trial, researchers announced at the Oct. 25ā28 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, France. The effects of the treatment were seen to be upheld over…
August 3, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Resistance Training Can Slow MS Patients’ Brain Shrinkage, Clinical Trial Indicates Resistance training like weight lifting can protect or even regenerate the nerve cells of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients, slowing the progression of the disease, according to a clinical trial. A hallmark of MS is the brain shrinking faster than normal, and findings from this trial indicates that resistance training can slow the shrinking or even make some brain areas grow. Research has shown that physical training benefits MS patients, helping them alleviate many symptoms, including excessive fatigue and balance control problems. Recent studies suggest that exercise can have a disease-modifying role in MS. This means physical activity can be an important adjuvant, or add-on therapy, for standard-of-care regimens. Researchers followed 35 patients with relapsing-remitting MS for 24 weeks. Eighteen patients did resistance training twice a week, consisting of four lower- and two upper-body exercises. The other 17 patients struck with their normal routines. Before and after the 24 weeks, doctors took magnetic resonance imaging scans, or MRIs, to evaluate patients' brain structures. After the 24 weeks, the scans showed less brain shrinkage in those who had resistance training. Some of their cortical brain regions were also thicker ā an indication they were growing. It is not clear why exercise benefits MS patients' brains, nor if exercise has the same effect on all patients. Additional studies are needed to clarify its therapeutic effect, the researchers said. That knowledge could help improve current MS therapies.
June 7, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD #CMSC16 – Fingolimod (Gilenya) Offers Consistent Health Benefits in Relapsing-Remitting MS Patients Researchers at the Swedish Neuroscience InstituteĀ inĀ Washington and Novartis Pharma revealed that Gilenya (fingolimod) induced a consistent and significant reduction in disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The results wereĀ recently presented at the June 1-4Ā Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual…