September 22, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Fatigue not eased with DMTs in people with MS: Study Using disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) doesn’t reduce fatigue levels in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Norway suggests. Anxiety and depression were both associated with fatigue, suggesting “there are other underlying causes of fatigue than focal inflammation, on which DMTs have an effect,” the study’s researchers wrote…
February 10, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Older MS patients with stable disease may safely stop DMTs: Study People over 60 with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have stable disease may discontinue their disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) without an added risk of relapses or worsening disability, according to a small study. At that age, only the presence of lesions with active inflammation and an Expanded Disability…
November 2, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD #ECTRIMS2022 ā DMTs Ease SPMS Disability Early but Not Over Time Early use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) may lead to overall lower levels of disability, according to a new analysis. But staying on treatment does not appear to significantly slow disability progression over time. People with SPMS who used DMTs early…
March 22, 2022 News by Hawken Miller Stem Cell Transplant Gaining Ground as MS Therapy Option Nothing was working for Jennifer Stansbury Koenig, who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in 2010 the day before she learned she was pregnant. The first disease-modifying therapy (DMT) Koenig started in 2013, Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), an oral capsule developed and marketed by Biogen, made her…
February 22, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD More Skin Cancer Reported to FDA From Patients on Certain Oral DMTs Multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments belonging to the class of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators ā such as MayzentĀ (siponimod) andĀ Gilenya (fingolimod) ā may be associated with a greater likelihood of skin cancer, results from a real-world study suggest. The association was the greatest for a form of…
February 14, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD EU Copaxone Label No Longer Advises Against Use During Breastfeeding The label of CopaxoneĀ (glatiramer acetate) ā an approved therapy for relapsing forms ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) ā has been updated in Europe to no longer contain a warning against its use during breastfeeding. The label update follows a review by European Union health authorities of non-clinical and clinical evidence submitted…
January 26, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Trials and Tribulations of MS Medications “Hey, man, I’m alive. I’m taking each day and night at a time/ I’m feeling like a Monday but someday I’ll be Saturday night.” ā Bon Jovi Multiple sclerosis (MS) medications can generally be separated into two categories: disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and those that help to manage symptoms. While…
January 21, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias An Epstein-Barr Virus Primer for MS Patients You may have heard about the research that’s just been published about the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS). The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study reports that being infected by EBV raises the risk of developing MS by 32 times. This isn’t a small or…
December 7, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Worsening of Disability Evident in Older Patients Who Stop DMTs While older multiple sclerosis (MS) patients whose conditions are stable commonly stop using disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study indicates this decision can shortly lead toĀ a marked disease worsening in a substantial portion of them. “Our results raise important questions about the accepted practice of discontinuing medications once MS…
November 16, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Benefited RRMS Patients Who Responded Poorly to DMTs Most relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients switching to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) following suboptimal responses to other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) show no evidence of disease activity, according to final two-year data from the European-based CASTING Phase 3b trial. These clinical benefits, which entail no relapses or disease progression and no…
August 20, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Do People With MS Need a 3rd Vaccine Shot? Now that a third COVID-19 vaccine shot has been approved in the U.S. for immunocompromised people, and vaccine boosters are expected to be available to the general publicĀ sometime after Sept. 20, Walgreens and CVS have lost no time in offering the additional shot to those who qualify.
July 21, 2021 News by Hawken Miller World Brain Day Focuses on Global Access to Treatments The first World Brain Day, created by the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), occurred seven years ago, and since then has been devoted to raising awareness about disorders such as Parkinsonās disease, stroke, and epilepsy. This year, WFN, which represents 122 national neurological societies, is turning its…
July 6, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Since My MS Diagnosis, I’ve Realized It’s OK to Be Different Confusing people is my special skill. I’ll open my mouth, and no one will have a clue what I’m on about. It all started with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis eight years ago. Since then, I’ll often get, āMS? Oh my sister’s friend’s aunt’s nephew’s dog has that!ā (Just kidding.)…
June 11, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Stem Cell Transplant Trial Enrolls First Patient in Minnesota A clinical trial investigating patient-derived stem cell transplants for the treatment of people with severe relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) has enrolled a patient in Minnesota. The patient was enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School, one of two trial sitesĀ in the state. An additional 18…
May 18, 2021 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Perceptions of Medication Can Predict MS Treatment Adherence, Persistence Perceptions of a medication can predict treatment adherence and persistence ā sticking with the same therapy ā in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a prospective observational study found. The findings were the result of a clinical study (NCT02488343) evaluating the profile of adherence to therapy in patients ages…
April 5, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Switching From Gilenya to Lemtrada May Not Be Optimal Choice, Study Says Previous treatment with oral Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā is associated with a suboptimal response to Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and an increased risk of secondary autoimmune disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a study reports. However, Lemtrada showed an efficacy in patients switching from various other disease…
March 17, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Nerve Cell Loss in Retina Found to Be Worse in Patients on Interferon-beta The degeneration of nerve cells in the retina of the eye is more pronounced in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking interferon-beta than in patients treated with more efficacious disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study finds. As the loss of such cells,…
March 4, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Learning to Ride Along With the Ebbs and Flows of Multiple Sclerosis I am uncomfortable amid ambiguity and unknowns. I find myself searching for rationale when, at times, none exists. I crave clarity yet mostly exist amid the fogginess of MS. I live this way literally and figuratively. My lack of clarity grows with the wait for the COVID-19 vaccine. When I…
January 11, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: DMTs and Disease Progression, Obesity, Sunlight and Relapses, MS Fatigue Study: Past Long-term DMT Use Tapers Risk of Current MS Progression Since being diagnosed in 1980, I’ve used four disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), starting with Avonex (interferon beta-1a) in the late 1990s. I haven’t had a true flare since shortly after my Avonex treatment began. My disease has progressed, but…
December 30, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias Will Reduced Treatment Time Keep Ocrevus Competitive? One of the key considerations when choosing a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is how much it will disrupt your life. It’s one of several factors that need to be evaluated. Unlike shots and pills, infusion treatments can require a significant amount of time. That’s why the U.S. Federal Drug Administration’s December…
November 13, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MSIF Issues New Recommendations to Protect Against COVID-19 The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) has issued new recommendations about how people with MS should adjust their daily lives because of the coronavirus pandemic. The MSIF, a network of national MS societies from around the world, first issued COVID-19 recommendations last spring. But much has been learned…
September 24, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Restarting Rituxan: One Down, and a Lifetime to Go Last week, I again started my twice-annual infusion of Rituxan (rituximab). After 384 days without my disease-modifying therapy, my team decided I could no longer wait. In its absence, my symptomology had worsened. Halting progression trumped a pandemic, and with personal protective equipment in place, I begin…
August 14, 2020 Columns by John Connor Relapse, Relapse, Relapse, Profanity, Relapse Maybe I should have called this one “Short and Sharp 2.” Yes, I’ve had another relapse, following my last one in May. I can no longer clean my own tail, and the present regime is literally to “s**t the bed!” I’m using a lot of exclamation points here,…
July 29, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Canadian MS Working Group Updates Guidelines for Diagnosis, Treatment The Canadian MS Working Group (CMSWG) ā made up of neurologists with the Canadian Network of MS ClinicsĀ ā has updated its recommendations concerning diagnosis and the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a press release from theĀ MS Society of Canada.
June 5, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias Another Medication, Zeposia, Joins the MS Treatment Arsenal By my unofficial count, disease-modifying therapy No. 19 has just become available to people with multiple sclerosis in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Zeposia (ozanimod) in late March. While pharmaceutical companies usually rush to make newly approved medications available to patients, with COVID-19 raging,…
April 21, 2020 Columns by Jessie Ace MS Patients Face Additional Barriers Due to the Coronavirus Well, this is super weird. Being told to stay home and leave our houses only for food, medication, or exercise is bizarre for those of us in England. Itās starting to take a toll on my mental health.Ā The other day, I stood in line at…
April 17, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias A Snapshot of COVID-19 and Disease-modifying Therapies Are people with MS more susceptible than the average person to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19? And if COVID-19 attacks them, what’s the likely course of their illness? What about COVID-19 and disease-modifying therapies? Doctors from around the world are collecting information right now to try to answer these…
April 9, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Zeposia Is Now Approved, But Expect Delays Zeposia’s recent approval in the U.S. is exciting news for all in the MS community. Unfortunately, we will need to table that excitement a bit longer. Despite its approval, the treatment’s commercial distribution will be delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am confident, however, that it will be…
March 20, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias Have You Tested Positive for Coronavirus with MS? What happens if you have MS and you’ve tested positive for COVID-19? How will the disease affect your disease-modifying therapies and your MS? Dr. Barry Singer, (@drbarrysinger), a neurologist who directs The MS Center for Innovations in Care in St. Louis,Ā has posed…
March 13, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias Guidelines for DMT Use as COVID-19 Spreads People with multiple sclerosis have unique concerns about the new coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease that it causes. Many of us use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that suppress our immune systems and give us an extra element to worry about when we plan our defense against this virus. To help us…