February 15, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Sudo raises $30M more to advance TYK2 inhibitor therapies to trials Sudo Biosciences has secured an additional $30 million in funding to support the development of two TYK2 inhibitor therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological and skin conditions ā and now is aiming to launch clinical trials later this year. With a second close of its Series…
February 14, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Researchers call for more pragmatic clinical trials in MS Few multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials have used a so-called pragmatic design, which evaluates the effectiveness of interventions in real-life routine practice, a study has found. Because such trials are better able to emulate conditions in real-world clinical practice and provide solid and more actionable evidence to inform treatment…
December 6, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD EBV-001 vaccine prevents EBV infection in lab-grown human cells EBV-001, a vaccine candidate being developed by EBViously to target the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), triggered the production of potent antibodies against the virus in mice, and blood samples from these animals prevented EBV infection in lab-grown human cells. That’s according to new data presented by the company, which is…
May 23, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cannabis oral spray nabiximols found to ease spasticity in MS Treatment with the cannabis oral spray nabiximols helped to relieve spasticity ā increased muscle stiffness and spasms common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā among participants in two MS clinical trials, according to the results of a new analysis. “In this analysis, nabiximols was shown to significantly…
March 31, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Proactive steps needed to make MS rehab trials racially diverse: Study Clinical trials testing rehabilitation strategies for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) include a disproportionate number of white participants and have generally paid little attention to how race and ethnicity may influence outcomes. Further, few efforts have been undertaken to make MS trials more racially and ethnically diverse. A team…
December 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS TreatSim Program Allows Simulation of RRMS Clinical Trials Researchers have created a computer program that can simulate clinical trial responses for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which may improve clinical trial design for novel disease-modifying therapies. The tool, called MS TreatSim,Ā was described in the study, “In silico clinical trials for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis…
October 24, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Recurrent MS Disability Progression Measures May Aid Trial Efficiency Measuring disability progression every time it occurs, rather than just tracking whether it occurs, could improve the statistical power of clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly for progressive forms of the disease. That’s according to scientists at Roche and several academic institutions who published their findings in…
September 28, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AI Tool Aims to Make Progressive MS Trials More Effective for Patients A new machine learning tool could help make clinical trials for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) more efficient and effective, a study suggests. Its scientists propose that the tool, when used in initial patient studies, works to more rapidly move a potential progressive MS treatment into pivotal Phase…
August 10, 2022 by BioNews Staff Expert Voices: Understanding pediatric multiple sclerosis research and care In this installment of our āExpert Voicesā series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Tanuja Chitnis, MD, to answer some of your questions about pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS). Chitnis is a board-certified neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis-related neuroimmunological disorders. Chitnis’s interest in children with MS led her to create…
August 5, 2022 Columns by John Connor Pesky Leukocytes Dash My Hopes of Joining a Trial of Mavenclad for MS In December 2019, I was stopped in my tracks, or rather wheels, as I was about to have my third infusion of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapy (DMT) that Iād been taking every six months for the past year. My neurologist had decided just a few…
August 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Research on Exercise’s Protective Effects Flawed, Researchers Say An international team of scientists is calling for more rigorous studies to test whether exercise can help protect the nervous system from damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The scientists argue clinical trials that have evaluated exercise in MS have marked flaws in their design, making…
July 18, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: ATA188 in Progressive MS, Early Symptoms, Yoga, Rituximab EMBOLD Study of ATA188 in Progressive MS Is Given Go-ahead Is this another small step toward an MS cure? AT188 is an experimental therapy designed to kill cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). As you probably know, researchers have found a lot of evidence that EBV is connected…
July 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Efficacy, Safety of Mavenclad in Real World Similar to That of Trials The safety and efficacy of the approved multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā therapy Mavenclad (cladribine) in a real-world group of patients were similar to what had been demonstrated in clinical trials, a new study reports. Among 243 people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), more than 60% showed no…
June 23, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD aHSCT, Stem Cell Therapy for RRMS, Troubled by Unknowns, Paper Says Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) has shown some promise as a treatment option for highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but more clinical evidence is needed to support its use, a team of researchers in the U.K. suggest. “Uncertainty remains as to how aHSCT compares with current…
May 13, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Hunt for EBV Vaccine Gets a Boost From NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is joining the search for a vaccine to attack the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This is a big deal for people with multiple sclerosis, because carrying the virus is thought to play a significant role in the development of MS. In fact,…
April 8, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Crossing the Lemtrada Finish Line I’m marking a big anniversary this month. It’s been four years since I finished the second round of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), my final disease-modifying therapy (DMT). That means that, after about 60 monthly blood draws, I’m finished being stuck. Lemtrada is usually a two-phase series of injections, with…
April 6, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AAN2022 ā Data from Multiple Trials Show Kesimpta’s Safety, Efficacy Treatment with Kesimpta (ofatumumab) for more than three years revealed no new or unexpected safety findings, and continued to slow disability progression and prevent the development of new brain lesions in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new clinical trial data. Information from another trial also…
March 8, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MS Society, Corporate Partners Commit to Diversity in Clinical Trials The National MS Society, together with a number of its corporate healthcare partners, want to help correct the lack of diversity in clinical trials as part of an effort toward resolving healthcare inequities in the MS community. To address these disparities, the National MS Societyās Corporate Healthcare Roundtable, a…
March 7, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: ‘Cog Fog,’ Tolebrutinib, Ublituximab, Spinal Atrophy #ACTRIMS2022 ā Cognitive Training Paired With tDCS Aids Patients A treatment to clear “cog fog” would be welcomed by many people with MS. Over 75% of us are troubled by cognitive problems. In this study, adding painless transcranial direct current stimulation to standard cognitive training improved results when compared…
February 15, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD VISIONARY-MS Trial of CNM-Au8 to End Early Due to Pandemic VISIONARY-MS, a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of CNM-Au8 in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) with disease-related visual impairment, will conclude early due to COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges. The release of trial data is expected in the second half of this year, according to…
January 5, 2022 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Study Finds Lemtrada Safe for MS Patients With Other Autoimmunity Other autoimmune conditions, particularly those characterized by the presence of anti-TPO antibodies, should not preclude patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) from receiving treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), according to an analysis of pooled data from clinical trials and post-market data. The study, āAutoimmunity and long-term safety and efficacy…
November 24, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS 1st Patient Enrolled in ENSURE Trials of IMU-838 in RRMS Immunic TherapeuticsĀ has enrolled the first participant in its Phase 3 ENSURE clinical trial program, which is testing the company’s investigational treatment IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). “Enrollment of the first patient in ENSURE … marks an important inflection point for Immunic as we…
November 23, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Trial of IMS001 Therapy ImStem Biotechnology announced that the first patient in its Phase 1 clinical trial for IMS001, an investigational treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), has been dosed at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The trial (NCT04956744) is recruiting participants with an MS diagnosis ages 18 to 65. More information…
November 12, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Phase 3 Trials of Tolebrutinib in MS Forms to Include Digital Measures Sanofi GenzymeĀ has extended its collaboration with Koneksa to bring digital measures into its Phase 3 trials of tolebrutinib, an investigational therapy for relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Through this joint effort, Koneksaās digital biomarkers were applied to clinical trials of Parkinsonās…
October 1, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD CALLIPER Trial for Progressive MS Enrolls First Patient Immunic Therapeutics has enrolled the first patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing its oral therapy candidate IMU-838 for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial, CALLIPER (NCT05054140), is expected to run in parallel to the companyās two identically-designed Phase 3 trials, dubbed…
September 7, 2021 News by Grace Frank BioNews Clinical Will Bring Trials Into ‘Continuum’ of MS Care A new service, BioNews ClinicalĀ is seeking to bring more patients into relevant clinical trials by helping all involved ā scientists, pharmaceutical companies, people with diseases ā regard these studies as part of continuing care. āToday what happens is that the conversation about patients participating in a clinical trial is…
August 31, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Testing Extra Dose in MS, Other Diseases A new clinical trial launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is evaluating the impact of an extra dose of an approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccine in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseasesĀ who did not properly respond to an original vaccine regimen. Approximately 600 people will…
August 23, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Ocrevus, Probiotics, Floodlight App, Sativex in UK Trial Will Test Ocrevus on Arm, Hand Function in PPMS A lot of the focus in MS treatment and clinical trials is placed on walking ability. It seems to me that only recently has attention been paid to above-the-waist disabilities. I know that many people with MS have problems…
August 23, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Top-line Data on NVG-291 in Healthy Volunteers Expected This Year NervGen Pharma announced that its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety and pharmacological properties of NVG-291 ā its lead therapeutic candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurologic conditions ā in healthy volunteers is going according to plan, with early top-line data expected later this year. āThe…
August 16, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Mavenclad, Sativex, Mistreatment, Patient Survey Trial Will Test Mavenclad for Advanced Progressive MS I often think that researchers have forgotten about people whose MS has progressed to an advanced stage. But MS patients who have moved into a wheelchair deserve treatment with a disease-modifying therapy as much as those who are just beginning their…