Drug information

A higher dose of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) given three times weekly over seven years led to sustainably lower relapse rates and slowed disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a long-term analysis of the GALA study. The higher dose — 40 mg/mL — was generally well-tolerated with no…

Note: This story was updated Jan. 12, 2022, to note that Ponvory is approved in the U.K. for people with relapsing forms of MS who have active disease, defined by clinical or imaging features. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that Ponvory (ponesimod)…

COVID-19 infection rates after widespread vaccination were significantly higher among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or Gilenya (fingolimod) than in the general population, but not among MS patients given other immunosuppressive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a data study in England reports. While information on patients’ vaccination…

MS-STAT2, a clinical trial testing whether the cholesterol-lowering medication simvastatin might slow disability progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), has finished enrollment. A total of 964 people are now in the trial (NCT03387670), making it the largest progressive MS trial not run by a commercial…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in the U.K. are now eligible to receive one of three new treatments for COVID-19 that are meant to prevent serious disease in at-risk populations who tested positive for the virus. First available under this plan were Regeneron and Roche’s antibody-based therapy…

Cortrophin Gel (repository corticotropin injection), an injectable gel medication approved for acute flares in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic autoimmune diseases, is now available through the AllianceRx Walgreens Prime specialty pharmacy to patients living in the U.S. First approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…

Study: Anti-CD20 Therapies, Gilenya Lower Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines This research adds more evidence to studies that have already shown that certain disease-modifying therapies reduce the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Those DMTs include Kesimpta (ofatumumab) and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), plus rituximab, another anti-CD20 vaccine, that is sometimes used…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England is set to again recommend against adding Fampyra (fampridine) to the list of medications available to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with walking difficulties through the country’s national health service (NHS). The poor cost-effectiveness of Fampyra — sold…

Certain treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) — specifically, anti-CD20 antibody therapies and Gilenya (fingolimod) — are likely to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19, according to a new study. “Highlighting groups who have mounted an inadequate vaccine response has already been helpful in guiding who should receive…

There is minimal evidence that the expensive anti-inflammatory medication Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) is more effective than inexpensive corticosteroids for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases, according to a new review paper. “We found no evidence where it was a conclusive slam dunk that…

Worsening of Disability Evident in Older Patients Who Stop DMTs Some neurologists believe that multiple sclerosis (MS) progression slows, or even stops, when people reach their 60s, so they advise patients that there’s no need to continue their disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Personally, I think a DMT age ceiling is…

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Aubagio (teriflunomide) are the preferred disease-modifying treatments for managing relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in Canada, according to a report from Spherix Global Insights. The report was part of Spherix’s RealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis (Canada) service, which collects data on market trends of MS…

The use of oral contraceptives does not increase the risk of a second attack of symptoms or the progression of disability in women with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or early stage multiple sclerosis, a study demonstrated. Notably, the researchers also “did not find a protective effect on disability…

Lucid-MS, a new chemical molecule being developed by FSD Pharma for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), has shown the ability to restore motor function in an animal model of the disease, the company announced. After about 50 days of treatment, animals receiving Lucid-MS showed a marked decrease…

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) infusions was about to begin. I’d prepped for this day: two days…

Aubagio (teriflunomide) failed to significantly reduce relapses in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), but two years of treatment decreased the number of brain lesions on MRI scans, according to the final results of the Phase 3 TERIKIDS clinical trial. Importantly, the lack of a signficantly lower relapse rate…

A researcher at the University of Houston has received a $100,000 grant to investigate adherence to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and correlations between adherence patterns and disease outcomes over time. The one-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was awarded…

Wearable ‘Neural Sleeve’ Counters Foot Drop, Aids Mobility in Study This is a neat concept, described by the manufacturer as a lightweight sleeve on the lower leg that predicts the movement a leg is about to make. Then it sends a signal to the muscles to help lift that…

Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with subcutaneous cladribine saw limited disease progression over a follow-up period of up to 20 years, especially with increased cumulative dosing, according to a recent study. Subcutaneous (SC) cladribine is administered as an under-the-skin injection. It is a formulation different from…

The development of Delpor‘s DLP-208 implant for the treatment of moderate-to-severe spasticity, a symptom that commonly affects people with multiple sclerosis (MS), has been boosted by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. The $2.5 million grant will help the company advance DLP-208 into clinical testing, which…

The oral medication Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) has been approved by the European Commission to treat adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). “This approval is a significant step forward in improving treatment adherence for people living with relapsing MS, which can make a meaningful difference on treatment…

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has recommended that Ponvory (ponesimod) be offered through the National Health Service (NHS) Scotland to people with active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision means that the oral therapy will be available at low or no cost to patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS),…

The multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) triggers immune cell death by interacting with a protein called Keap-1, a new study reveals. The study, “Wdr1 and cofilin are necessary mediators of immune-cell-specific apoptosis triggered by Tecfidera,” was published in Nature Communications. Tecfidera is widely…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continues to be the most commonly prescribed therapy for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), including primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to an analysis from the market intelligence firm Spherix Global Insights. However, other therapies are “gaining traction” among…

Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) was found to be a cost-effective treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experiencing a relapse, according to an economic analysis. Notably, the economic value of Acthar Gel was greater than that of alternative treatments — plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin — from the…

The injectable ACTH gel medication Cortrophin Gel (repository corticotropin injection), first introduced in the U.S. in the 1950s, will now be relaunched as a treatment for acute flare-ups in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune conditions, following its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In…

This week’s column focuses on stories from Multiple Sclerosis News Today reporters who have been following the annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, or ECTRIMS. #ECTRIMS2021 – Stem Cell Transplant May Better Treat SPMS Than DMTs This presentation involves autologous…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. Early use of…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. Mavenclad…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference.