October 6, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD How well MS patients adhere to treatment tied to certain factors People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experience a greater number of more severe flare-ups, also known as relapses, are more likely to take their medications regularly, but less likely to keep taking them over time, a review study has found. Other factors associated with better treatment adherence and persistence…
May 17, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ‘Hidden’ Disabilities Fairly Common at RRMS Diagnosis, Study Finds Many people newly diagnosed withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) experience substantial “hidden disabilities,” such as depression or fatigue, a study highlights. Findings indicate that treatment with disease-modifying therapies generally does not affect the severity of these problems, at least in the short term. “Considering the substantial impact that hidden…
May 10, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD B-cell-depleting Therapies May Increase Risk of Psoriasis Reports of psoriasis ā an autoimmune skin disease that shares some biological processes with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā are disproportionally high among MS patients on therapies that deplete B-cells, according to a U.S. study based on patient adverse event data. Conversely, patients on Tysabri (natalizumab), glatiramer acetate (sold…
April 25, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Bone Marrow Infusions, ATA188, Enhanced MRIs, Costs Progressive MS Trial Finds Repeat Bone Marrow Infusion Safe, Feasible Two bone marrow transplant studies are reported in this story. The first, a tiny trial of just six people, assessed the safety of this procedure, which involves harvesting cells from their bone marrow, then infusing them into the bloodstream…
April 22, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias The High Cost of Living With MS I always knew that living with multiple sclerosis (MS) was super-expensive, but a new study is a real eye-opener. The study, published in the journal Neurology, puts the annual tab for MS in…
April 21, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Data Is Lacking on Safety of MS Treatments During Breastfeeding There is minimal data available on the safety of most disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) when used during breastfeeding, a new review indicates. The study “Disease-Modifying Drugs and Breastfeeding in Multiple Sclerosis: A Narrative Literature Review,” was published inĀ Frontiers in Neurology. Disease-modifying therapies, or DMTs,…
April 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Equal DMT Use Found in Norway Despite Socioeconomic Status: Study People newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Norway have in recent years received disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) independent of their socioeconomic status, according to a new analysis. These findings do not support previous reports indicating that fewer DMTs are prescribed for the most socially deprived MS patients, the…
April 11, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Herpes, COVID-19, Exercise, DMT Studies No Link Between Herpes Infection and MS Risk in Genetic Study This is interesting because the Epstein-Barr virus is a member of the herpes family, and recently, a major study indicated a link between Epstein-Barr and MS. Yet, the study reported here concludes there is no link between herpes…
April 8, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Crossing the Lemtrada Finish Line I’m marking a big anniversary this month. It’s been four years since I finished the second round of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), my final disease-modifying therapy (DMT). That means that, after about 60 monthly blood draws, I’m finished being stuck. Lemtrada is usually a two-phase series of injections, with…
March 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Smell Test Might Help Predict if MS Treatments Are Working A measure of the nose’s sensitivity to smell could be used to detect whether treatments for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) are working or not, a new study indicates. The scientists noted that their results need to be validated through further study, but said the findings suggest that a smell…
December 17, 2021 Columns by John Connor Santa Is Not Cominā to Town! This is the fifth year I’m writing a Christmastime missive about how my MS journey as Santa is going since the disease mortally attacked my immune system. The trouble was that it took doctors ages to work out my diagnosis. Being Santa Claus, no MRI machine…
December 3, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias My Lemtrada Treatment, 5 Years Later It was five years ago, Dec. 5, 2016, that I scootered into the office of Dr. Heidi Crayton, my neurologist, and plopped into a soft, brown leather recliner. Day 1 of Round 1 of my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab)Ā infusions was about to begin. I’d prepped for this day: two days…
November 10, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD AI Proposed to Help Thwart MS Treatment Delays, Discontinuation Patientsā underestimation of their own disease and the cost and side effects of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are among the main causes of delayed treatment initiation and non-adherence in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a report from OptimizeRx. These findings help uncover areas for improvement, which the health…
June 9, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS DMTs Underutilized in Younger Patients, Study Indicates Nearly a third of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are younger than 40 are not being treated with disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), even though younger individuals are expected to get the most benefit from DMTs, according to a new study. “DMTs for MS are more frequently used at…
November 14, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Filtering Ads and Choosing What’s Best I remember a time without televised ads promoting medication. We had access to information through our physician or a card catalog. Pharmaceuticals are now a mainstay on our airwaves. And although prevalent, these ads previously had been inapplicable to me. Until now. An ad for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) aired a…
June 17, 2019 News by Alberto Molano, PhD Relative Cancer Risk is Higher in MS Patients Who Switch Disease-modifying Treatments More Frequently, Study Finds The relative risk of developing cancer was found to be higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who more frequently switched between disease-modifying treatments, according to a study. In addition, researchers found an increased incidence of cancer in male MS patients from 20 to 50 years old, and in female…
January 30, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Canadian RRMS Patients Less Likely to Discontinue Treatment with Oral Gilenya, Compared to Injectable or Infusible Therapies Multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients in Canada are more likely to comply with their treatment plan and less likely to discontinue the use of the oral disease-modifying treatment Gilenya (fingolimod), compared to injectable or infusible treatment options, new research shows. The research article with that finding, āA…
October 15, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Plasma Neurofilament Light Levels Linked to Treatment Effects in RRMS, Study Finds Levels of proposed biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) are associated with therapeutic effects of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) inĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS) patients, according to a real-world study. Study findings also revealed that treatment with either Lemtrada (alemtuzumab, marketed byĀ Sanofi Genzyme),Ā Gilenya (fingolimod, marketed by Novartis), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate, marketed…
July 18, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Quarter of MS Patients in UK Not Aware of Disease-modifying Treatments, Online Survey Reports A recent patient survey reveals that almost one in four people with multiple sclerosis in the U.K. are not aware of available treatments that could help delay the onset of disability, even though a clear majority put disability as a chief worry. TheĀ report, fundedĀ byĀ Sanofi Genzyme,Ā was conducted by Adelphi…
June 5, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye: An Acne Drug, a High-Cost Gel, Good News About Lemtrada, and Getting Off MS Drugs In case you missedĀ them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. Acne Therapy Reduces Rate of Multiple Sclerosis Progression, Canadian Study Reports At first glance, the headlines about this drug announced what seemed to be…
July 27, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD PCORI Awards $20M to 4 Studies Comparing Current Drug and Rehab Therapies for MS The National Multiple Sclerosis Society reported that the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has granted nearly $20 million in funding to four research projects assessing various multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies for their clinical effectiveness. Two of the grants will cover studies comparing disease-modifying treatments, looking to identify differences…