Photo courtesy of Brittany Quiroz Day 2 of 31 This is Brittany Quiroz’s story: There are dozens of misconceptions about living with multiple sclerosis (MS): People with MS wind up in a wheelchair. MS is only for old people. MS is — or isn’t — genetic. I think…
MS relapse
More than half of the people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who received Briumvi (ublituximab) in the ULTIMATE clinical trials had no signs of disease activity over the first six months of the trial — and over 80% of participants had no disease activity for the…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. In this column, I’ll be highlighting some MS News Today stories from last week’s Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis…
Evobrutinib, an experimental BTK inhibitor being developed for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), continues to be well tolerated and is showing low relapse rates after four years of treatment. That’s according to new data spanning a Phase 2 trial (NCT02975349) that tested evobrutinib against…
The multiple sclerosis (MS) community is gearing up for the eighth annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, taking place this week both virtually and in San Diego, California. The yearly meeting, occurring Feb. 23-25 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, is bringing together…
Long-term use of Zeposia (ozanimod) did not adversely affect the heart of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated for one or two years in Phase 3 clinical trials, with no clinically significant changes in cardiac function reported. Data on people enrolled in the two studies were retrospectively evaluated, as the therapy…
TG Therapeutics’ Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), a CD20 inhibitor recently approved for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now commercially available in the U.S., the company announced. The treatment was approved in the U.S. late last year, with indications that include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS),…
Patient dosing has begun in a Phase 2 trial testing Denali Therapeutics‘ investigational oral RIPK1 inhibitor SAR443820 in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The clinical trial (NCT05630547) seeks to enroll about 168 patients, age 18–60, with either relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), active and nonactive secondary progressive…
People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who are receiving oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are still more likely to experience a relapse or any form of disease activity if they are smokers, a study found. Researchers also observed that former smokers had a disease…
Within the first 12 years after the onset of symptoms, about one-fourth of people with clinically isolated syndrome — or a first episode of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms — showed a worsening of disability independent of relapses, a study reports. This type of disease progression, called progression independent…
“I was told I’m in a flare-up,” a newly diagnosed person with multiple sclerosis (MS) wrote to a Facebook group the other day. She said the flare-up had been going on “for a while now” and wondered when she could expect it to calm down. After I pondered…
My hips have hurt for several years. Right now, it’s just a dull ache. But there have been times when it has been a shooting pain. Hip pain isn’t necessarily connected to your multiple sclerosis (MS), but it could be. It might be caused by alterations in your…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved TG Therapeutics‘ B-cell-depleting therapy ublituximab under the brand name Briumvi for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The approval covers clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive…
My condo was hit by Hurricane Ian in October. Less than a month later, it was hit again by Tropical Storm Nicole. I have a dog whose bark is shattering and a cat who likes to bite. The car dealer can’t find the title for the…
More than four years of treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) did not cause significant swelling of the macula — a part of the retina, found in the back of the eye, and important for visual clarity — in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a small study showed. While…
People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who are stable on rituximab treatment may receive the therapy at extended intervals without risking increased MS disease activity, according to a new study. In fact, a longer lag between infusions could potentially reduce the medication’s side effects, researchers say — noting,…
As an adult, it hasn’t been easy for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Planning festivities and buying gifts don’t come naturally to me. Perhaps it’s because adult life never ends, whereas as a student, I had holiday breaks that signified the beginning of the season, allowing me to…
Well, dear readers, I finally did it. The recital I’ve been telling you about finally took place after several long delays and a good bit of scrambling, and all those singing lessons were finally put on display for a public audience. I’d like to tell you I stepped…
What’s in a name? Does it really matter if your multiple sclerosis (MS) is called relapsing or progressive, or secondary rather than primary? I’ve never thought so, and the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS agrees with me. The panel is calling for new methods…
People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who switch to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) after discontinuing Gilenya (fingolimod) have fewer relapses than those who switch to Mavenclad (cladribine) or Tysabri (natalizumab), according to a new study. Rates of disability worsening were similar for Ocrevus and Tysabri, but patients who switched…
Temperature variability and increasing exposure to airborne pollutants — both consequences of climate change — can worsen disease symptoms and risk relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent review study. Unwanted effects of environmental change were also linked to a number of other neurological conditions,…
Timing doses of rituximab by measuring B-cell counts is a more tailored approach to treatment, and it effectively reduces relapses and disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study in patients with active disease. This tailored approach allowed patients to receive less frequent doses if their B-cell counts…
Long-term use of the investigational BTK inhibitor evobrutinib among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) continues to maintain MS relapse rates, and keep MRI lesion activity low. That’s according to up to 3.5 years of data from a Phase 2 trial (NCT02975349) and its open-label…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and a good night’s sleep seem to be mutually exclusive. I seriously doubt that anyone with MS will reply in the comments that the disease has blessed them with the best sleep of their lives. Yet I used the word “seem” because when writing about any…
Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), an anti-CD20 therapy developed by Genentech, seems to be superior to rituximab at lowering relapse rates among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from two large MS registries. Overall, the findings suggest that rituximab cannot be considered just as good as —…
Treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) significantly reduces the risk of experiencing the first multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in adults with radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), according to data from a Phase 4 clinical trial. RIS is a condition in which patients have MS-like lesions on MRI scans, but…
Long-term treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) continues to be safe and lower the rate of relapses in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) more than Avonex (interferon beta-1a) does. That’s according to up to six years of data from the ongoing PARADIGMS Phase 3 trial (NCT01892722), wherein…
Fertility treatments do not significantly increase the risk of relapse in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), even among those who undergo treatment protocols associated with greater levels of hormone exposure, according to a recent U.S.-based analysis. Older age, a longer MS duration, and the use of MS disease-modifying…
An intravenous (into-the-vein) formulation of ofatumumab — a disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) sold under the brand name Kesimpta — resulted in a 63% reduction in relapse rates among MS patients, with about 60% remaining relapse-free over the first year of treatment, a recent study in…
Note: This story was updated Oct. 31, 2022, to correct that in the six months after treatment discontinuation, relapses were reported in 18.8% of RMMS patients and 3.5% of those with SPMS. When multiple sclerosis (MS) patients stop their disease-modifying treatment, the risk of relapses and disease activity on…