Disease modifying therapies (DMT)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Scinopharm Taiwan’s glatiramer acetate injection, a generic of Copaxone, to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). Scinopharm is the first pharmaceutical company in Taiwan to win U.S. approval for glatiramer acetate, marking a significant milestone…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England is recommending natalizumab — sold as Tysabri and Tyruko — as an option for certain people with hard-to-control multiple sclerosis (MS). NICE is responsible for deciding which medicines will be covered by the National Health Service…

Disability progression in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to follow one of four distinct patterns, according to long-term data from more than 5,000 people with relapsing-onset MS followed in an Italian registry. The study specifically found that disability progression could generally be categorized into four patterns: minimal-worsening,…

I wrote in the summer about changing the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for my multiple sclerosis (MS). I’ve familiarized myself with the available DMTs, and I plan to ask my neurologist for her recommendation next week and then make a decision. As I’ve researched my options, I’ve become interested…

Specific disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) significantly slow the rate of brain volume loss in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), a benefit that is directly linked to reduced long-term disability, according to a new review. A network meta-analysis of more than 26,000 patients confirms that therapies most effective at preserving…

For most people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the use of disease-modifying therapies, or DMTs, does not affect their perceived pain, according to a survey-based study in Australia. As few as one-third of MS patients who had ever used DMTs reported a change in pain, while one-eighth of those…

Disability progression is not always permanent for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), even when it occurs independent of a relapse, a new study has found. Researchers report that nearly one-third of RRMS patients who experience progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) see their disability levels ease in the…

Oligodendrocytes, the cells that build and repair myelin in the brain and spinal cord, may play a role in the inflammatory processes involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), even at the earliest stages of disease, according to a study in a mouse model. “We found that oligodendrocytes transition to disease…

Genentech‘s experimental oral therapy fenebrutinib has become the first Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor to show positive Phase 3 results in both relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS), the company announced. In what Genentech called “unprecedented results,” two late-stage trials testing…

Enrollment is complete for the randomized part of ENHANCE, a large clinical trial testing a new dosing schedule for Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), developer TG Therapeutics announced. This part of the Phase 3b ENHANCE study (NCT05877963) is specifically testing whether…

Bionxt Solutions has launched the final animal study needed to prepare for human testing of BNT23001, its sublingual version of cladribine, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The 15-day dosing optimization study will compare Bionxt’s thin-film formulation with the approved tablet version of cladribine, sold as Mavenclad, in…

I’d spent about five years trying to figure out what was wrong with me and then treat it when I got the phone call. During that time, I’d had three surgeries to repair old injuries and had been treated for chronic Q fever. I’d also been diagnosed with multiple…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted fast track designation to EG110A, EG 427‘s DNA-based therapy to treat neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) — a bladder disorder that can arise from spinal cord injury or neurodegenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The FDA gives fast track status to experimental…

Zenas Biopharma has acquired global rights to develop the BTK inhibitor orelabrutinib to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. The deal with orelabrutinib’s developer, Innocare Pharma, includes rights to two other investigational therapies. Zenas will pay Innocare up to $100 million in cash and up to…

Up to six years of continuous treatment with Briumvi (ublituximab) led to sustained reductions in relapse rates and a low rate of disability progression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), with no new safety concerns reported. That’s according to new long-term data from the…

Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium continues to show a significant effect on disability worsening in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), even in those without signs of active inflammation in the brain, a group with limited treatment options. That’s according to new data…

Frexalimab, a therapy Sanofi is developing for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, led to sustained reductions in disease activity in people with relapsing forms of MS over more than two years of treatment, while continuing to show a favorable safety profile. That’s according to new data from an…

Combining the diabetes medication metformin and the antihistamine clemastine significantly increased myelin repair in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results from a Phase 2 clinical trial. However, the effects were small, and participants showed no improvements in disability or visual function after six months of treatment.

Some older people with multiple sclerosis (MS), namely those older than 60, may be able to safely discontinue disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as long as they continue to be regularly monitored for new disease activity, a new study suggests. The findings showed that people older than 50 generally experience an…

A stem cell transplant may offer better long-term results for people with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with standard high-efficacy drug treatment, according to new evidence presented at a major European conference this week. Specifically, researchers found that an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) was superior to…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may receive less frequent treatments with anti-CD20 therapies without increasing their risk of disease activity or disability progression. That’s according to a new meta-analysis of published studies that investigated the use of different dosing schedules for anti-CD20 therapies — approved treatments that deplete the…

TG Therapeutics has started enrolling participants in a Phase 3 trial to test a new version of Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) that can be injected at home. This change could offer greater convenience and flexibility for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The new formulation is given…

The CD20 inhibitor Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) rapidly depletes immune B-cells in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), as expected, but ongoing treatment also leads to changes in immune T-cells, a new study reports. After about six months of treatment, patients experience T-cell changes such as an increase in regulatory…

In the U.S., nearly 4 out of 5 neurologists prescribing therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) have received payments from pharmaceutical companies that market MS treatments, according to a new analysis. The findings indicate that neurologists who receive payments from a company are significantly more likely to prescribe that…

The United Arab Emirates became the first country to approve tolebrutinib, clearing it to treat adults with nonrelapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Sanofi’s oral BTK inhibitor is also the first approved therapy that directly addresses the chronic inflammation that contributes to disability progression independent of relapses. “The…

For children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), receiving treatment with Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) or its generic formulations may reduce relapses by nearly threefold compared with Avonex (interferon beta-1a), according to data from a clinical trial. However, nearly half of patients on Copaxone and one-third of those…

Researchers have identified a genetic biomarker that predicts whether people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) will respond to glatiramer acetate (sold as Copaxone, among others) therapy. A study based on an analysis of more than 3,000 MS patients showed that those who carry a form of…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be significantly more likely to have relapses if their Medicare insurance covers fewer disease-modifying therapies, a study shows. The findings suggest that plans with narrower MS treatment coverage may be linked to worse health outcomes, possibly because the therapeutic response to complex diseases…

Switching between CD20-targeting antibodies Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Kesimpta (ofatumumab) doesn’t affect either’s effectiveness at lowering disease activity and slowing disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a real-world study in Germany shows. Researchers did see a link between switching and a faster, continuous decrease of immunoglobulin…

Despite evidence supporting the safety of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) during pregnancy, women with multiple sclerosis (MS) in their childbearing years are significantly less likely than men in the same age range to receive these typically most effective treatments, according to a study from France. The researchers found what they…