July 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD High Levels of NfL Protein Linked to Disability, Faster Disease Progression in MS High levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein circulating in the blood of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at an early stage of the disease are linked to higher disability and faster disease progression, a study has found. According to researchers, these findings suggest that NfL ā a…
July 9, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Disability Builds in Relapsing MS in Ways Not Tied to Relapses, Analysis Finds Disability appears to mostly accumulate in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a progressive manner ā rather than being due to relapses, a pooled analysis of patients in two Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) clinical trials shows. These findings, indicating that disease progression underlies relapsing MS as well,…
July 7, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Collaborative Project Will Focus on TRPM4 as Potential Therapeutic Target for MS The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has granted ā¬1.2 million ($1.35 million) to support a project seeking to characterize the function of the protein TRPM4, a potential therapeutic target to prevent nerve cell injury associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to develop new drug candidates…
July 1, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Exposure to DMTs Does Not Increase Risk of Severe COVID-19 in MS Patients, Study Finds Exposure to disease-modifying therapies does not increaseĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19, according to a registry-based study. However, MS patients who are older, obese, or have severe neurological impairments have a greater risk of developing a severe form of the disease. Findings…
May 27, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Higher Blood NfL Levels Predict Worse Disability Over Time in MS, Study Suggests Higher blood levels of theĀ neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein at diagnosis are predictive of worse disability over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a large population study from Sweden suggests. The study, “Plasma neurofilament light levels are associated with the risk of disability in…
May 18, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS National MS Society Expert Panel Offers Guidelines for Regular Exercise Healthcare providers should encourage everyone with multiple sclerosis (MS) to engage in regular exercise and keep physically active, new guidelines based on an expert panel convened by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society recommend. They also suggest different types of exercise applicable to people at varying levels of disability.
May 7, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Long-term Gilenya Use Helps Delay Disability in Relapsing MS, 10-year Study Reports People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated withĀ GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) for eight or more years show smaller increases in disability over 10 years than those using this treatment for a shorter time, a long-term follow-up study reports. Longer use ofĀ Gilenya also resulted in lesser disability progression,…
April 29, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Obesity Linked to Faster Optic Nerve Atrophy in MS Patients Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are obese experience a faster degeneration in their optic nerve tissue than those of normal weight, a study found. Since optic neuropathy correlates with greater nerve cell loss in the brain, tracking changes to the retina may be a feasible way to determine…
April 29, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ocrevus’ Early Use May Lower Need for Walking Aid by 49% Over 6 Years StartingĀ treatment with OcrevusĀ early can lower almost by half the need for a walking aid inĀ peopleĀ with relapsing forms ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) over six years, new analyses of Phase 3 trial data that compared immediate initiation with a two-year delay show. A separate analysis also found…
April 22, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Starting Mayzent Early of Greater Benefit in SPMS, 5-Year Trial Data Show People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who began treatment with MayzentĀ early and continued its use for years are less likely to experience disability progression than those starting the medication later in their disease course, five-year data from the EXPAND study suggest. Data from this same Phase 3…
April 15, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gray Matter Lesions Affect Cognition in Japanese MS Patients as Well, Study Says People in Japan with lesions in the cerebral cortex due toĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) were found to have greater cognitive problems, or difficulties thinking, than those without lesions in this area of mostly gray matter that surrounds the brain, a study reports.Ā Lesions confined to the…
April 3, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Ocrevus Lowers Progression Risk in More Disabled MS Patients, Study Suggests For multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with considerable disability, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) appears to lower the risk of continued progression in both relapsing and primary progressiveĀ forms of the disease, data from an exploratory and post-hoc analysis of three Phase 3 trials report. These findings were in the study, ā…
March 24, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Risk of Faster Progression in PPMS Tied to Older Age and Active Disease Older age at onset and evidence of active disease, like clinical relapses or inflammatory brain lesions, significantly increase the likelihood of Ā faster disability progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a natural history study suggests. These findings ā which included active disease being seen in 31% of the 178…
March 13, 2020 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Second Phase 3 Trial of MedDay’s MD1003 for Progressive MS Fails to Meet Goals MedDay Pharmaceuticals‘Ā MD1003 did not ease functional disability or its progression in patients with non-active progressive multiple sclerosis, Phase 3 clinical trial data shows. The SPI2 Phase 3 study (NCT02936037) sought to confirm the positive results of a first Phase 3 trialĀ called MS-SPI…
March 9, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Myo Wearable Sensor Captures Subtle Movement Problems in MS An multi-sensor band worn on the arm or leg, called Myo, can capture and relay difficulties with limb movement due to multiple sclerosis (MS) with an accuracy that mirrors gold standard measures of disability, like the Expanded Disability Status ScaleĀ (EDSS), a study reports. These findings support the…
March 2, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Acthar Gel Ably Treats MS Relapses, Topline Data Show Acthar GelĀ (repository corticotropin injection) leads to significant improvements after two months of use in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) still having acute relapses despite treatment, and who failed to respond to other high-dose corticosteroids, topline data from an observational study show. The gel’s developer, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, also…
January 30, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Multiple Factors Influence the Prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in MS Patients, Study Indicates Age, gender, disease subtype, degree of disability, and more factors affect lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā Also, the epidemiology of LUTS must be better understood and promptly detected and treated to improve patients’ quality of life. Those findings are detailed in a new study,Ā “…
January 21, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Mayzent Approved in Europe as First Oral Treatment for Active Secondary Progressive MS TheĀ European CommissionĀ has approvedĀ Novartis‘s MayzentĀ (siponimod) as the first oral treatment for adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS). Active SPMS is defined by the presence of evident relapses or the detection of inflammatory activity in brain lesions on imaging scans. āAs the only indicated oral therapy proven for…
January 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD MS Progression Affected by Degree of Relapse Recovery and Timing of DMT Use, Study Says Recovering well after a first relapse and starting aĀ disease-modifying therapy (DMT) immediately afterward considerably increases the likelihood of slowing progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. Its findings support relapse recovery as a critical factor for DMT initiation, and one that should be assessed routinely in MS…
January 8, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Study Links FTO Gene Mutation to Obesity, Increased Disability in MS Patients A common mutation in the fat-mass obesityĀ (FTO) gene is associated with obesity and increased disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a Kuwaiti study. The data, which showed no link between this mutation and an increased risk of MS, highlights the need for more studies about…
January 6, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Brain Regeneration Impaired in Progressive MS, Unaffected By DMTs, Study Reports Regeneration in the brain is reduced in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but enhanced during disease activity in those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a study reports. The results also show that regeneration is unaffected by treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), as shown by the levels…
November 15, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Depression, Fatigue Influence Health-related Quality of Life More Than Physical Impairment of MS, Study Reveals Depression and fatigue have a more powerful influence on the overall health-related quality of life, compared to physical impairment, among patients with multiple sclerosis, a new study shows. The study, āContributing factors to healthārelated quality of life in multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal Brain and…
November 11, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Early Damage on Brain Scans and Greater 5-Year Disability Help Predict 30-Year Outcomes in MS, Study Finds A 30-year study of outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reports that radiological findings in the first year of disease onset, and the amount of disability evident at five years, helps to predict both the likelihood of a person advancing toĀ secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and long-term survival. The study,…
November 11, 2019 News by Alejandra Viviescas, PhD Low Neurite Density in Spinal Cord Linked to Greater Physical Disability in RRMS Patients People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have poorer neurite density ā a measure that relates to the amount of nerve cell projections, including axons and dendrites involved in nerve-to-nerve communication ā in the brain and spinal cord than do those without this disease, a study shows. This measure, especially…
November 8, 2019 News by Mary Chapman āSoothie Cushionā Designed to Regulate Body Temperature in Travelers With MS, Other Disabilities Newly launched, theĀ Soothie Cushion is designed to provide seating comfort and help regulate the body temperature of travelers with disabilities, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and myasthenia gravis, says its official retailer, Special Needs Group/Special Needs at Sea (SNG). The product is said to offer enduring comfort…
November 1, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Interferons Superior to Glatiramer Acetate, and Tysabri More Effective than Gilenya for RRMS, Real-world Study Finds Interferon therapy (brand names Avonex, Betaseron, and others) is more effective than glatiramer acetate (sold as Copaxone, Glatopa and other generics) for reducing relapses…
October 22, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Long-term Gilenya Treatment Safe and Effective for Relapsing MS Patients, Phase 3 Trial Shows Long-term treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is safe and effective, results from a Phase 3 trial show. Trial findings were reported in the study, “Extended treatment with fingolimod for relapsing multiple sclerosis: the 14-year LONGTERMS study results,” published in…
October 3, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Bowel, Bladder Problems Linked to Higher Levels of Fatigue and Disability, Study Reports Bladder and bowel problems, such as constipation and fecal incontinence, are associated with a higher level of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in Australia. The findings also showed that greater fatigue and experiencing bowel and bladder problems are associated with…
October 3, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Acthar Gel Eases MS Flare-up Symptoms After Two Months of Treatment, Observational Study Shows Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) eased flare-up symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experiencing relapses, top-line data from an observational registry study shows. Acthar Gel, a medication developed and marketed by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, is a compound that enhances the production of steroids in the…
September 20, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Mayzent’s Benefits from a Patient Perspective a ‘Key Question,’ Says EXPAND’s Principal Investigator The most recent data continue to support Mayzent‘s (siponimod) benefits and provide more insights on how this therapy can make a difference for those with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā in particular, data showing the therapy lowers the risk of becoming wheelchair-dependent. New results from…