COVID-19

School started last week for our three kids. They got to see friends from the last school year, meet their new teachers, and sit at a new desk in their new classrooms. Per tradition, there was no homework assigned the first week, but they still brought home plenty of papers…

Anti-CD20 Therapies Help Mount T-cell Response to COVID-19 Vaccines Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been concerns that anti-CD20 therapies, such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), may interfere with the ability of a person with MS to fight a COVID-19 infection. But this report says that even if…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are on therapies that deplete antibody-producing B-cells can mount an effective T-cell immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, a new study shows. The findings suggest that the vaccines strongly activate other parts of the immune system that are helpful in fighting the virus,…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or are somehow lucky enough to live on your own desert island, you’ve probably noticed that things are kinda difficult these days. I mean, COVID-19 is still a thing, and now we have monkeypox to deal with. Everyone seems to be…

Greater feelings of social support predicted better sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study shows. Specifically, greater help with daily tasks and more leisure activities with others were the types of social support identified, after adjusting for potential influencing factors, as…

Higher COVID-19 Risk Tied to 2 MS Therapies, Even With Vaccination According to this study, people being treated with Ocrevus had 3.6 times the risk of a breakthrough COVID-19 infection compared with people being treated with most other disease-modifying therapies. For those treated with Gilenya, the risk was increased…

Fully vaccinated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are treated with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or Gilenya (fingolimod) have a significantly higher risk of COVID-19 infection than those given other immunosuppressive therapies, according to a study in Italy. Called breakthrough infections, these post-vaccination cases of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has opened MS Bike, an annual cycling event to raise awareness and funds for research and services that make the difference for the more than 90,000 Canadians living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Conducted in an entirely virtual format due to COVID-19 in 2020…

Evusheld Boosts Antibodies Against COVID-19 in Vaccinated Patients Research has shown that the COVID-19 vaccines have been effective for people being treated with disease-modifying therapies, except for those that target B-cells, such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), Kesimpta (ofatumumab), and Rituxan (rituximab). If this very small study of 18 people proves…

Treatment with Evusheld (tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab) after COVID-19 vaccination significantly boosted the levels of antibodies against the virus among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were taking B-cell targeted therapies, a small study showed. “This is important as it provides a different strategy for protection against…

Worsening disability was associated with worry about COVID-19 in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in the U.S. and Italy, a study evaluating the pandemic’s impact has found. In both countries, MS patients with greater psychological disabilities, such as depression, were more likely to have worrying thoughts, while those…

Aquatic exercise is used less often by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than land-based exercise, but it’s generally well liked by those who use it, a patient survey found. A lack of pool access and associated expenses remain significant barriers to aquatic exercise. The team also found that exercise…

Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on rituximab, higher B-cell counts are predictive of a better antibody-based response to a vaccine for COVID-19, according to a new Swedish study. “In our study, the B-cell level in patients given Rituximab was the only factor that influenced the ability to form antibodies…

No Link Between Herpes Infection and MS Risk in Genetic Study This is interesting because the Epstein-Barr virus is a member of the herpes family, and recently, a major study indicated a link between Epstein-Barr and MS. Yet, the study reported here concludes there is no link between herpes…

Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) report new bouts of depression and anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but factors that often influence such mental health concerns were not associated with anxiety or depression in the patient group  surveyed for a recent U.S. study. “We found that…

“Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.” — Lawrence Block When the world was thrown into lockdown at the dawn of COVID-19, I was already an old hand at functioning…

COVID-19 does not seem to be linked to increased disability worsening or more relapses in the long term for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), an Iranian study suggests. The study was relatively small, the researchers noted, indicating that more research is needed in the future to determine the…

The week started with a bang, albeit with a hint of underlying anxiety. Friends and former work colleagues gathered during the first days of spring to chat in my sun-lathered back garden in South London. COVID-19 lateral flow tests had all been passed. Previously, we’d spent years working together on…

Telehealth services for physical and mental healthcare were used often by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and most were satisfied or highly satisfied with such care, according to a study based on survey results. “The findings suggest that telehealth services were well liked during the…

The past two weeks have been a bit of a blur. Our younger son caught the COVID-19 virus at school, and once we got a positive home test, we went into containment mode. While I took him to get an official test at a local clinic, my husband got everything…

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…

COVID-19 Booster May Benefit Patients on Anti-CD20 Therapy After multiple reports of how Gilenya and anti-CD20 MS medications reduce the efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, here’s more evidence that a booster shot may improve that protection. The researchers report “modestly increased levels” of anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after a third…

Nearly a third of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with COVID-19 experience symptoms that last at least one month, according to a review of of more than 550 infected MS patients in the U.K. who did not need to be hospitalized. This study’s rate is higher than that reported for the…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with weak immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines are more likely to respond successfully to the booster shot if they are receiving an anti-CD20 therapy compared with those on Gilenya (fingolimod), according to a small study in Norway. These early findings suggest that booster shots…

Among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease type and the use of anti-CD20 therapies — such as ocrelizumab and rituximab — were associated with an increased risk of death from COVID-19, a new meta-analysis revealed. “We hope that these findings … may help neurologists in optimizing…

I’m pretty sure that wherever you are, you’re responding the same as we all are to the ravages of the latest Bond villain, that dastardly omicron variant of the coronavirus! OK, pipe down, Kiwis. The whole world knows the extreme lengths you’ve gone to avoid a massive COVID-19 outbreak. If…

A little over a year ago, I wrote about whether people with multiple sclerosis (MS) should get a COVID-19 vaccine. I was anxious to be vaccinated as soon as I could, but I was also concerned about how the vaccines would affect someone with MS. Would the side effects…

Cortrophin Gel Now Available in US at AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Cortrophin Gel is similar to Achtar Gel, which was, until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent re-approval of Cortrophin, the only repository corticotropin injection available in the U.S. Cortrophin Gel is a naturally produced cortisol that is expected…

COVID-19 infection rates after widespread vaccination were significantly higher among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or Gilenya (fingolimod) than in the general population, but not among MS patients given other immunosuppressive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a data study in England reports. While information on patients’ vaccination…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in the U.K. are now eligible to receive one of three new treatments for COVID-19 that are meant to prevent serious disease in at-risk populations who tested positive for the virus. First available under this plan were Regeneron and Roche’s antibody-based therapy…