ECTRIMS

As a law student in the Czech Republic, Jana Hlavacova specialized in international law and international relations, but a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis led her to shift her professional focus. Applying her legal expertise to her work at the Czechia Ministry of Health, she now helps shape healthcare policy…

When Jill Blackburn’s daughter, Sierra, was diagnosed with pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age of 15, Blackburn had trouble finding sufficient support and resources. She eventually joined a relevant Facebook group, which she evolved into a nonprofit organization, the Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Alliance. She now serves as…

Going through menopause with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be challenging, as the changes that come with this stage of life may interact or occur in tandem with existing MS symptoms. A team of researchers recently studied how menopause affects women living with MS, with their findings presented…

Roxy Murray was living up to being known as “The Multiple Sclerosis Fashionista” when she attended the 2025 European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) conference in Barcelona, Spain, on a warm September afternoon. Murray, who has multiple sclerosis (MS) and lives in London, applies her…

The world’s largest meeting on multiple sclerosis (MS) has wrapped up for the year, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) played a central role in many of the advances highlighted there. Nearly 10,000 people attended the 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple…

Up to six years of continuous treatment with Briumvi (ublituximab) led to sustained reductions in relapse rates and a low rate of disability progression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), with no new safety concerns reported. That’s according to new long-term data from the…

Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium continues to show a significant effect on disability worsening in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), even in those without signs of active inflammation in the brain, a group with limited treatment options. That’s according to new data…

Increasing the dose of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) by two- or threefold, depending on a person’s weight, did not provide additional benefit in slowing disability progression compared with the standard regimen in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). That’s according to top-line data from the Phase 3b GAVOTTE…

Most people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) given Mavenclad (cladribine) did not experience confirmed disability progression for at least four years after starting on the approved therapy, according to new Phase 4 trial data. The results come from the CLARIFY-MS (NCT03369665) and MAGNIFY-MS (NCT03364036)…

Children and adolescents living with multiple sclerosis (MS) seem to benefit at least as much — and for some outcomes, significantly more — from Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as from treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod), now the only MS therapy approved for pediatric patients in the U.S. That’s according to…

Frexalimab, a therapy Sanofi is developing for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, led to sustained reductions in disease activity in people with relapsing forms of MS over more than two years of treatment, while continuing to show a favorable safety profile. That’s according to new data from an…

Consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods (UPF) — products high in additives, artificial ingredients, and extensive processing — is associated with increased disease activity in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), which is the first presentation of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study has found. The analysis used a…

Treatment with equecabtagene autoleucel, known for short as eque-cel — Iaso Biotherapeutics‘ CAR T-cell therapy candidate for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) — was well tolerated and led to an easing of disability for five patients taking part in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The…

Combining the diabetes medication metformin and the antihistamine clemastine significantly increased myelin repair in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results from a Phase 2 clinical trial. However, the effects were small, and participants showed no improvements in disability or visual function after six months of treatment.

Increasing blood vitamin D levels with high-dose supplementation can significantly reduce the risk of new disease activity in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), or those who experienced a first episode of symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from the D-Lay-MS…

Aerobic exercise may help promote myelin repair in some parts of the brain in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study. Though the study included a small number of participants and followed them for a short period of time, the findings suggest that “supporting metabolic health…

Some older people with multiple sclerosis (MS), namely those older than 60, may be able to safely discontinue disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as long as they continue to be regularly monitored for new disease activity, a new study suggests. The findings showed that people older than 50 generally experience an…

A stem cell transplant may offer better long-term results for people with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with standard high-efficacy drug treatment, according to new evidence presented at a major European conference this week. Specifically, researchers found that an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) was superior to…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) seem to experience significant changes in cognition more than a year before significant physical decline is evident, a study found. While measures of processing speed, verbal memory, and visual memory worsened after about 2.7 years, significant changes in walking function and dexterity were only…

Following the MIND diet, a program that focuses on brain health, may help reduce disability, ease fatigue, and improve quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of data from a U.K. database. The diet, which combines aspects of the Mediterranean and the Dietary…

The new revisions to the McDonald criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) —  a set of guidelines long used to diagnose the neurodegenerative condition — have increased the proportion of people who can be diagnosed with MS and also allow for earlier diagnoses. That’s according to a new analysis…

The 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), the world’s largest congress dedicated to multiple sclerosis (MS) research and care, kicks off today in Barcelona. About 9,000 scientists, clinicians, industry leaders, and patient advocates from more than 100 countries are expected…

A revised version of the McDonald criteria, a set of guidelines used to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS), is expected to include additional features that will help doctors make an accurate diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease, even if patients have yet to manifest clinical symptoms. The…

Daily treatment with high-dose simvastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering medication, failed to slow disability progression in adults with secondary progressive disease or SPMS, according to top-line data from a Phase 3 clinical study. Jeremy Chataway, PhD, a professor of neurology at University College London (UCL) in the U.K.,…

Sanofi’s tolebrutinib significantly delayed disability progression, by 31%, and increased the rates of disability improvement compared with a placebo in people with nonrelapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to new data from the HERCULES Phase 3 clinical trial. The investigational BTK inhibitor also was found to significantly…

Taking high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D) as a supplement is safe and can nearly double the time it takes for people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a first manifestation of neurological symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS), to experience new disease activity. That’s according to data from D-Lay-MS…

Continuous treatment with Briumvi (ublituximab) over five years was associated with low rates of relapses and confirmed disability progression among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to analyses from the open-label extension (OLE) phase of the treatment’s ULTIMATE Phase 3 trials. Relative to patients who…

A short course of treatment with Mavenclad (cladribine) can provide long-term reductions in disease activity and disability progression for as long as four years in adults with highly active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new data from the MAGNIFY-MS studies. The majority of patients had…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) should generally follow a regular vaccination schedule similar to their healthy peers, with certain adjustments made if they’re on particular disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), according to a group of experts in Europe who devised a set of more than 50 evidence-based guidelines for the…

Alan Thompson, dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences at University College London (UCL), has won the 2021 Charcot Award, a prize given once every two years for a lifetime of achievement in research into the understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). “The Charcot Award is viewed by…