The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and a dozen other advocacy groups have banded together to support the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2017, a bill seeking to strengthen the rights of airline passengers and close service gaps often faced by patients with disabilities, including those with multiple sclerosis (MS).

A high daily dose of simvastatin improves multiple sclerosis patients’ cognitive function, according to a new analysis of Phase 2 clinical trial results. The British team that did the research will start a study soon on whether simvastatin, which goes by the brand name Zocor and other labels, can also slow…

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this second of two parts on terms starting with the letter “D.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to mind your Ps and…

The casual remark, “You seem perfectly fine to me!” bothers me (and others) because eligibility for Social Security Disability benefits requires proving we are not fine. In fact, we must prove that we are disabled, which is no small burden when we “seem perfectly fine.” ‘Looking’ disabled An acquaintance of mine…

A real-world medical-facilities setting has confirmed clinical trial findings that Gilenya (fingolimod) can reduce multiple sclerosis relapses, according to a Spanish study published in Plos One. Gilenya, developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, was the first oral disease-modifying therapy to obtain U.S. and European approval. The Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency authorized…

A Phase 3 clinical trial has been launched by MedDay Pharmaceuticals to investigate whether treatment with high-dose biotin (MD1003) may ease disability and improve mobility in non-relapsing primary or secondary progressive MS patients. The study is recruiting participants across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Biotin is a form of…

Loss of spinal cord neurons may not be a reliable tool to predict disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), contrary to what was originally thought, according to researchers at Queen Mary University of London. Their study, “Axonal loss in the multiple sclerosis spinal cord revisited,” appeared in the journal…

A global Phase 3 clinical trial assessing MD1003 — also known as high-dose biotin — for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) might lead to the approval of one of the first treatments helping select progressive patients to improve. The trial aims to prove that high-dose biotin can reverse disability in non-active progressive MS.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and others with spinal cord injuries and disorders will speak at the United Spinal Association’s upcoming 6th Annual Roll on Capitol Hill, which takes place June 11-14 in Washington, D.C. Andrea Dalzell, Ms. Wheelchair New York 2015, will be among those advocating for greater access to complex rehabilitation technology.

The burden of moderate-to-severe relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is underappreciated, according to a study sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt. Researchers discussed the findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th annual meeting in Boston, April 22-28. The title of the presentation was “The Economic Burden Of…

Although a Phase 2b trial of the remyelination drug candidate opicinumab (also known as anti-LINGO-1 and BIIB033) failed to meet its primary goal of improving disability in relapsing and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers believe the drug did cause “fairly strong” improvements. The trial evaluated four doses of the…

Twenty years ago, the idea that B-cell depletion could treat multiple sclerosis would have been greeted with a hearty laugh by any well-respected neurologist or MS researcher — or perhaps a scoff. But times change and research advances. Today, a medicine that gets rid of certain B-cells may be the most powerful drug yet developed against…

People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are more likely to feel exhausted and have limited leg function than those without progressive MS as they age, a preliminary study suggests. The findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 69th Annual Meeting, set for April 22-28 in Boston.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who smoke have a significantly worse quality of life than non-smoking MS patients, concludes a new study. Researchers presented the study, “Smokers with MS have greater decrements in quality of life and disability than non-smokers,” at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in…

Spending more time in the sunshine could make people with multiple sclerosis (MS) feel more energetic, though dietary vitamin D intake’s effect is mixed, depending on what type of MS a particular patient has. That’s the conclusion of a study — “Dietary intakes of vitamin D, sunshine exposure, EDSS and fatigue…

Two Phase 3 clinical trials investigating the long-term effects of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed the drug maintained improved outcomes, even in the absence of further treatment. Both studies were presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum, held…

Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) increased the proportion of patients with no evidence of progression (NEP) in the recently concluded ORATORIO Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). The evaluation of NEP — a combined measure of three disability assessments — was a secondary exploratory endpoint of…

Treatment with Apitope’s lead agent, ATX-MS-1467, decreased brain lesions in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in a now-completed Phase 2a clinical trial. ATX-MS-1467 is a potential disease-modifying agent with an immune-tolerating action. It consists of four short peptides derived from the myelin basic protein, and is designed to reduce…

A Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of ozanimod (RPC-1063) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) shows treatment reduced the disease’s annualized relapse rate (ARR), researchers reported. The Phase 3 SUNBEAM trial (NCT02294058) tested ozanimod, an oral, selective sphingosine 1-phosphate 1 (S1PR1) and 5 (S1PR5) receptor modulator designed to…

EMD Soreno has recently published Phase 3 clinical data showing that Cladribine tablets reduced the annualized rate of brain volume loss (BVL, brain atrophy) compared to placebo in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study, “Reduced brain atrophy rates are associated with lower risk of disability progression…

A newly concluded clinical trial gives scientific evidence of the benefits that a stem cell transplant holds for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who fail to respond to medications — with researchers calling the procedure a reasonable option for those with high disease activity. Five years after the treatment — high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by autologous hematopoietic cell transplant — further disease…

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, there seemingly were as many opponents as there were proponents. All these years later, the standards and expectations of that landmark legislation have become second-nature in mainstream America. Concerns about costs and consequences were…

At the time of my MS diagnosis I was a full-time graduate student with plans to obtain a joint Masters of Public Administration/Juris Doctor degree. After six years as a stay-at-home mom and military spouse, I was anxious to complete this next stage of my education and return to…

  When thinking about multiple sclerosis (MS), it’s important to remember there are four distinct types of the disease. Most of you well know this, so I’ll just mention them here: relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS); secondary progressive MS; primary progressive MS, and clinically isolated syndrome. (Anyone needing or wishing more information…

Cyclophosphamide (CPM) may delay the progression of disability in the first years of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), but patients must take it for two years — and many are unlikely to tolerate it for that long. The study, “Double-Blind Controlled Randomized Trial of Cyclophosphamide versus Methylprednisolone in Secondary Progressive…

Recently published data from three Phase 3 trials of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) show that the investigational drug does what no other therapy has achieved so far — working to prevent disease in both relapsing and primary progressive (PP) forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Publications in the New England Journal…

Despite recent studies showing that treatment with Ampyra (Fampyra in Europe; fampridine) improves both walking speed and ability, and offers psychological benefits to patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) recently decided to not recommend the drug for use on the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland.

The British government announced on Oct. 31 that a new Personal Support Package will be available for people with health disabilities, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), ensuring they receive personalized health and employment support. A Green Paper – a government document for consultation – is available online to open…

ABLE Accounts and Amendments In my previous column, I introduced the exciting new program for people with disabilities, called the ABLE Act (Achieving a Better Life Experience Act). The final bill, signed into law in 2014, deviated substantially from the original proposal and that needs to…

RedHill Biopharma recently announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the Japan Patent Office for a new patent covering RHB-104 as a potential treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Once granted, the patent will be valid until 2032. The European Patent Office also recently approved a patent application for the drug with this…