Disease modifying therapies (DMT)

About 62% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before and during pregnancy, and the medications don’t appear to harm their health or their babies’ health, recently reported data from an international registry show. Most pregnancies resulted in live, full-term births, and these births generally occurred…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are significantly more likely to visit an emergency department if they have other health problems, aren’t on disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), or have public or no insurance, according to a study at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Although ED [emergency department] visits for MS…

Fumarate-based therapies like Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) are equally effective among Black, Hispanic, Asian, and white adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S., the largest real-world study of its kind shows. “The findings of this study suggest that fumarate medicines…

I went to see the neurologist last month for a routine follow-up for my multiple sclerosis (MS), anticipating no changes. After all, I’ve been on the same medication for my MS, fingolimod (which often goes by the brand name Gilenya), for about 10 years. I feel my…

The rates of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who advance from a relapsing disease course to a secondary progressive one have decreased significantly in the past decades, a 30-year study in Italy shows. While the greater availability and earlier use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have played a role,…

Anti-CD20 therapies, a type of treatment approved for multiple sclerosis (MS), alter the activity of several types of immune cells, including increasing the levels of certain anti-inflammatory immune cells. That’s according to the study “Transcriptomic profiling after B cell depletion reveals central and peripheral immune cell…

A new low-cost version of Tecfidera, a widely used oral therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now available in the U.S. for a fraction of the typical cost. Launched by Civicascript, this generic form of dimethyl fumarate is expected to significantly improve access to…

A CAR T-cell therapy from Iaso Biotherapeutics was tolerated well and led to marked improvements in disability for three people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to early data from a Phase 1 clinical trial. After a single dose of equecabtagene autoleucel, patients saw rapid and…

Almost two years of treatment with fenebrutinib — an investigational oral tablet for multiple sclerosis (MS) — helped patients with relapsing forms of the disease remain nearly free of relapses and disability progression. That’s according to new data from the open-label extension of FENopta (NCT05119569), a Phase…

Alvotech, a developer of biosimilar medicines, is expanding its partnership with Advanz Pharma to commercialize three new products in Europe — one of them a biosimilar of Kesimpta (ofatumumab), a drug used for treating multiple sclerosis (MS). Biosimilars are therapies that have no clinically meaningful differences…

The use of B-cell depleting therapies does not increase the risk of an infection with COVID-19 among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have been vaccinated, according to the findings of a new study by U.S. researchers. While such treatments did compromise the body’s ability to develop antibodies against…

As a whole, disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to reduce the risk of stroke among patients, though their impact varies depending on the type of medication that’s taken. Those are the findings of a new analysis of published studies by scientists in Europe, who noted…

Factors including being male, smoking, and having more frequent relapses are linked to significantly increased risk of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a meta-analysis of several published studies. Other variables linked to disease progression included disability score and the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). “Hence,…

The use of high-efficacy disease modifying therapies (DMTs) among relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients may aid their capacity to work on the economy — and put them at a lower risk of needing protected employment programs — than those on moderate-efficacy DMTs, according to a new study from Denmark.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new generic form of glatiramer acetate injection, a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that was originally approved under the brand name Copaxone. The generic was developed by Zydus Lifesciences in collaboration with Chemi S.p.A.,…

Early treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) may help protect the cerebellum, a region of the brain that plays a key role in motor coordination, cognitive function, and emotional regulation, from damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggested. Data from the clinical studies that supported Ocrevus’ approval…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who live in rural areas are 17% less likely to receive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) than those in urban regions, a study involving people from the Canadian province of Alberta suggested. The likelihood was lower when considering therapies that are highly effective at controlling…

Treatment during pregnancy with the approved multiple sclerosis (MS) medication Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) does not appear to increase the risk of birth defects in infants, and its use while breastfeeding is not linked to growth problems in the youngsters, according to follow-up data of mothers and their children…

The patient support program Cycle Vita, which assists patients throughout the process of medical prescriptions, is now available for people taking the multiple sclerosis (MS) medication Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate). That’s according to Cycle Pharmaceuticals, in an announcement a few months after the company acquired Banner…

Fampridine, which is approved to improve walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and the disease-modifying therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) seem to have the greatest benefits on MS walking abilities, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of treatment options. The data align with previous findings for fampridine, which…

Starting Tysabri (natalizumab) early in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment may lead to better outcomes, including greater reductions in relapse rates and less use of MS-related healthcare services over starting it after other therapies. That’s according to a U.S. healthcare claims analysis of more than 1,500 adults with MS.

Myrobalan Therapeutics has been awarded a grant of more than $850,000 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to advance its new oral candidate MRO-002 for treating progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The funding was made through the society’s Fast Forward program, which seeks to bridge the…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive anti-CD20 therapies such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) are significantly less likely to discontinue their treatment compared with patients who are given other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a Swiss study has found. Staying on treatment may be related to the effectiveness of B-cell-depleting…

Using a simple algorithm to recommend highly effective disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can help make treatment fairer for all patients, and level inequalities otherwise defined by race or ethnicity, a new study by U.S. researchers suggests. Indeed, use of the algorithm over a…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who switch from a high- to a moderate-efficacy disease-modifying therapy (DMT) increase their risk of disease activity, especially younger adults and those having inflammatory disease activity before a switch, a study finds. Knowing these factors “can help guide future studies on deescalation,” researchers…

A statistical model that takes clinical and demographic factors into account could help guide treatment decisions in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who haven’t yet started on a multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy, a study reports. “Our study offers a predictive tool that fulfills an unmet need for…

Over the past decade, diagnoses of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Finland have become faster and treatments now follow the latest evidence, with about five times as many patients receiving high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as first-line options, a study finds. Drawing on registry data, researchers found that diagnoses are…

Four more people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have received foralumab nasal spray — Tiziana Life Sciences’ therapy candidate for SPMS — via an expanded access program, the biotechnology company announced. That program allows patients who do not qualify for an ongoing Phase 2a clinical…

Switching from anti-CD20 medications to less effective fumarate therapies is linked to reduced healthcare visits and costs related to infections after a year, without affecting the rate of relapses in stable multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to an analysis of a U.S. healthcare claims database, which compared switchers against…

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with low educational attainment are more likely to delay the start of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) after a diagnosis than those with a high educational status, a Danish study suggests. Educational status wasn’t significantly associated with diagnostic delays after the onset of symptoms,…