October 4, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS patients in UK less likely to be on treatment, new study shows People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United Kingdom are less likely to be on disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) compared with MS patients in other countries in Europe, a new study reports. “We know that getting early treatment with disease-modifying MS therapies can improve long term health and wellbeing.
September 30, 2022 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD IFN-beta Therapy Found to Help Blood Vessels in Brain Dilate in MS Treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) ā a disease-modifying therapy that lowers inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) ā was found to restore the ability of blood vessels in the brain to dilate following a stimulus. A new study suggests that this ability, called cerebrovascular reactivity or CVR, is reduced…
July 26, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Exercise in Early MS May Ease Mood Disorders via Immune Alterations Exercise prior to being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) was associated with less depression and anxiety among patients, likely due to a reduction in the levels of an inflammatory molecule called interleukin-2 (IL-2), a study revealed. “This finding supports the notion that exercise in the early stages may act…
April 21, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MSTOP Program in California Cuts DMT Costs and MS Relapse Rates A program aimed at optimizing the use of highly effective therapies successfully lowered treatment costs and relapse rates among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Southern California, according to a study. “Our novel physician-led approach simultaneously reduced MS DMT [disease-modifying therapy] expenditures and the frequency of MS relapses. We…
July 13, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Patients Less Likely to Stop Taking Tecfidera Than Aubagio: Study Tecfidera has a lower risk of discontinuation due to treatment failure than Aubagio in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new observational study in Norway suggests. In the study, people receiving Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) were 38% less likely to experience treatment failure and stop use than those receiving…
June 23, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD High Free Light Chains Levels May Indicate Sooner Second Relapse High levels of kappa-free light chains, or kappa-FLC, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ā the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord ā may help identify people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) who will progress sooner to multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. Overall, those with a high…
June 18, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Younger Age, DMT Use at Early Relapse May Lessen Later Disability People with Ā multiple sclerosis (MS) who are usingĀ a disease-modifying therapyĀ ā and are at a younger age ā when they have a relapse within the first three years of their disease course are more likely to recover completely, lowering their risk of long-term, 10-year disability, a study suggests. Complete recovery…
March 19, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Survey: COVID-19 Concerns Affected MS Management Concerns about COVID-19 caused people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to postpone or deviate from recommended care ā including appointments, imaging scans, and laboratory tests, a survey found. But notably, while most patients perceived their disease-modifying therapies as an added risk factor…
January 2, 2020 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Use of DMTs Changing ‘Natural History’ of Relapsing MS, Study Says People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) have a better prognosis and a slower progression to disability since the introduction of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) some 20 years ago, according to a retrospective study. The study, āOutcomes in a Modern Cohort of Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients Followed from Diagnosis Up…
March 6, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2019 – Women Lack Guidance About Pregnancy After MS Diagnosis, Survey Says Women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) say they lack guidance regarding family planning, pregnancy, and breastfeeding, according to a survey. Sixteen percent of those women also reported they didnāt become pregnant due to MS-related concerns. Casey E. Engel, Ā clinical researcher at Weill Cornell Medical CollegeĀ in New York, Ā presented the…
October 26, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Lemtrada and Tysabri More Efficient Than Older Injectables in Preventing SPMS Onset, Study Finds Sanofi Genzyme‘s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) are more effective in preventing conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) compared to older injectable drugs, researchers from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. reported at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS MeetingĀ Oct. 25-28 in Paris. The…
June 6, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ongoing Ocrevus Trials Seek More Knowledge of Treatment Effects and MS Patients’ Benefits Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a recently approvedĀ therapy for relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā is now on the U.S. market, but research intoĀ itsĀ use is far from over. Several clinical trials, sponsored by Ocrevus’ developer Genentech or its parent company Roche, are looking at various aspectsĀ of the treatment. Multiple Sclerosis…
May 30, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC17 – Review Suggests Certain MS Patient Groups May Discontinue Disease-Modifying Treatments Older patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) as well as older relapsing patients whose MS has been inactive after five years may safely discontinue their treatments, Canadian researchers at Vancouver’sĀ University of British ColumbiaĀ argue. TheirĀ Sanofi Genzyme-sponsoredĀ study, āWhen Should Disease-Modifying Treatments Be Discontinued in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: An…
August 1, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Phase 3 Study of Ocrevus in Relapsing MS Patients Now Recruiting in US and Canada A Phase 3 clinical trial exploring Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is now recruiting participants. The trial, sponsored by Genentech (NCT02637856), is seekingĀ patients who have previously taken aĀ disease-modifying treatment that did not adequately controlĀ their disease activity. Participants mustĀ be between 18 and 55…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Should RRMS Disease-Modifying Drugs Be Used to Treat Secondary Progressive MS? A majorĀ dilemma facing clinicians is whether to continue treatment withĀ disease-modifying drugs, effective in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), as the disease progresses to secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In SPMS, Ā these treatments seem to lose their benefits and ā as they areĀ often associated with severe side effects and high costs ā clinicians…