July 25, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Genetic risk found similar between RRMS, PPMS in Swedish study The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) was similar between first- and second-degree family members of people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS). The findings, which were consistent with previous studies suggesting that genetics and environment are relatively equal contributors to disease risk, also…
June 27, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Review: Ocrevus best of 4 antibody therapies for progressive MS Among four antibody-based therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) works best to prevent disability progression and other measures of disease activity in people with PPMS, or primary progressive MS, a review study found. However, the medication is associated with an increased risk of infection, data suggested.
April 21, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Secondary progressive MS found to start later, move slower than PPMS People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) seem to experience slower worsening of their disabilities than those with the primary progressive form of the disease (PPMS), a new study reports. However, SPMS patients tend to be older and have more advanced disability when they enter the progressive stage…
December 14, 2022 News by Joana Vindeirinho, PhD Tecfidera Has No Impact on PPMS Progression After 2 Years: Trial Data Continuous treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) for more than two years did not slow clinical and radiological measures of disease progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) compared with patients who started treatment after one year. In fact, most PPMS patients remained stable with or without…
July 14, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS EMBOLD Study of ATA188 in Progressive MS Is Given Go-ahead An independent committee of experts has recommended that the Phase 2 portion of the EMBOLD clinical trial continue as planned without a sample size adjustment, following an analysis of safety and effectiveness data. The trial is testing Atara Biotherapeutics‘ experimental medication ATA188 in progressive forms of multiple…
July 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Early MS Symptoms May Help Predict Diagnosis, Disease Course Some prodromal symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā symptoms that are evident before the disease begins in earnest ā could help to predict the course of MS, a new study proposes. In particular, its researchers suggest that MS patients with prodromal depression are more likely to be diagnosed…
April 7, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AAN2022 ā CONSONANCE Update Shows Ocrevus’ Effectiveness After 1 Year Nearly three of every four participants in the CONSONANCE clinical trial, which is evaluating Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in people with primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), showed no evidence of disease progression after a year of treatment. That’s according to new data presented at the American Academy of…
April 1, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Use of GA Depot in Treating Progressive MS Given US Patent Mapi Pharma announced that it has been granted a U.S. patent covering the use of GA Depot, a potential long-acting formulation of glatiramer acetate, in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent, No. 11,167,003, is titled, ā…
March 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Worsening Disability in Absence of Relapses ‘Underestimated’ in MS A substantial amount of disability worsening happens independently of relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), including those in earlier stages of relapsing-remitting disease, a study in a large patient database reported. While its findings “confirm relapses contribute to the accumulation of disability, primarily early in multiple sclerosis,” data…
March 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Cortical Lesions Seen to Predict Disability Worsening A higher burden of lesions in the brain’s cortex is associated with a greater likelihood of disability worsening in multiple sclerosis (MS) and transition to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), researchers report. These results suggest that “monitoring cortical lesion volume … could be useful when stratifying risk of disability…
February 28, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Iron Rim Lesions Linked to More Severe Disease Iron rim lesions, or specific regions of chronic inflammation seen on MRI scans of the brain, are associated with greater disability and poorer outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. These findings “could support the use of iron rim lesions as an imaging biomarker for disease severity and…
February 24, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Machine Learning Helps Predict Treatment Response in PPMS Machine learning ā using computer algorithms ā can be used to identify people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) who are more likely to respond to treatment, a new study shows. The ability to predict treatment response could allow clinical trials to be designed more efficiently, researchers said. Jean-Pierre…
December 14, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Alliance Outlines Global Goals for Progressive MS Research and Care Leaders of theĀ International Progressive MS Alliance have proposed a global research strategy to find better ways to care for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). They detailed their proposal in the paper, “Charting a global research strategy for progressive MSāAn international progressive MS…
December 14, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Regular Eye Screening Vital for MS Patients, Study Finds Visual disturbances are common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly among those with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), longer disease duration, and worse disability status, a new study has found. Yet, “visual complaints may occur in people with all types of MS, anytime along the disease course, and…
November 22, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Lesser Right-hand Dominance May Be Linked to More Severe MS Inconsistently switching between hands for most common manual activities ā or naturally choosing the left rather than the right hand ā may be associated with more severe multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), either in the form of younger age at diagnosis or progressive type, particularly in women, a small study suggests. These…
October 19, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ECTRIMS2021 ā CD20-positive T-cells May Be Early Drivers of MS Editorās note: TheĀ 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. 13ā15. GoĀ here to see the latest stories from the conference. Certain types of…
October 14, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ECTRIMS2021 ā Brain Lesions Help Predict Long-term Disability Editorās note: TheĀ 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. 13ā15. GoĀ here to see the latest stories from the…
October 8, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Hydroxychloroquine Shows Potential to Treat PPMS in Phase 2 Trial Treatment with hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria medication, appeared to help slow disability progression among people with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in a small, proof-of-concept clinical trial. Hydroxychloroquine “is a promising treatment candidate for PPMS and should be investigated further in randomized controlled clinical trials,” its researchers wrote. Results ofĀ the study…
September 30, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Oct. 4 Online Conference Offers Latest Insights Into Progressive MS An upcoming conference focused on progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) will offer the latest insights about the underlying biology of the disease, and treatment and clinical strategies in development. The one-day conference, “Emerging Research & Trial Strategies for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis,” is taking place virtually on Oct. 4,and is…
August 25, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Ocrevus Reduces MS Relapse Risk, But Linked to More Hospitalizations Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) reduces relapse risk and slows disability progression inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) but also is associated with higher hospitalization rates in older people with relapsing forms of the disease, a new observational study reports. Hospitalizations ā which occurred mainly due to urinary tract infections ā were more frequent…
August 18, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Trial Will Test Ocrevus on Arm, Hand Function in PPMS A Phase 3 clinical trial testing the effect of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) on upper limb disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is recruiting participants. The trial, called O’HAND (NCT04035005), expects to enroll approximately 1,000 adults with PPMS, ages 18 to 65, at more than…
July 27, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gray Matter in Hippocampus Can Help Distinguish Between Two MS Types Subtle changes in structure in the hippocampus ā a region of the brain involved in processing memories ā can differentiate between relapsing-remitting and primary progressive multiple sclerosis, according to a new study. The study, “Unraveling the MRI-Based Microstructural Signatures Behind Primary Progressive and RelapsingāRemitting Multiple Sclerosis Phenotypes,”…
July 2, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Trials of IMU-838 in RRMS, Progressive MS Start Later This Year The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Immunic Therapeutics to initiate two clinical trials of its investigational medicationĀ IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), as well as a separate trial for people with progressive types of MS. The RRMS clinical trial program, expected…
June 30, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ublituximab Quite ‘Reassuring’ as Potential MS Therapy, Experts Say In clinical trials, the investigational anti-CD20 therapy ublituximab was the first to push the annualized relapse rate (ARR) below the 0.1 threshold among patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), while improving disability outcomes in a significant proportion of patients. “The [relapse] rate was below a tenth…
March 26, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Rituximab Fails to Lessen Brain Inflammation in Progressive MS Trial Injecting rituximab ā a cancer therapy sometimes used inĀ multiple sclerosis ā into the spinal canal of people with progressive forms of MS did not demonstrably lower inflammation or improve clinical conditions, according to the results of a small trial. “Contrary to the initial high expectations, no clear-cut effect on…
January 26, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD PPMS Patients ‘Drove’ Slowing in Brain Atrophy Seen With Ibudilast, Trial Analysis Finds People with primary progressive MS (PPMS) appeared to show a much stronger response and to be the” driving” force behind a slowing in brain atrophy seen withĀ ibudilastĀ treatment in the SPRINTāMS trial, a post-hoc study analysis reports. The treatment response observed in brain atrophy was more evident…
January 22, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD SERPINA3 Nerve Injury-induced Protein May Be Biomarker of PPMS People with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) have significantly higher levels of a nerve injury-induced protein, called SERPINA3, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) than do those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and those without the neurodegenerative disease, a study shows. Of note, the CSF is the liquid that bathes…
January 19, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Targets Pro-inflammatory T-cells, Not Just B-cells, in PPMS, Study Finds In addition to significantly reducing subsets of B-cells ā its main immune cell target ā Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) lessens pro-inflammatory immune T-cells in people with primary progressiveĀ multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a small study shows. Notably, the suppression of immune cell subsets thought to be involved in the abnormal immune responses…
December 16, 2020 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Stem Cell Therapy Shows 2-year Benefit for Progressive MS Patients in Phase 1 Trial Lesser or stable disability over two years was evident in most progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given a stem cell treatment in a small Phase 1 clinical trial, supporting a larger study now underway, researchers report. These results suggest that a treatment using mesenchymal stem…
November 23, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Early Use of Ocrevus Best for Slowing PPMS Progression, Long-term Data Show Early and continuous use ofĀ OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) significantly slows disability progression and delays the time until wheelchair reliance in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), new Phase 3 data spanning more than six years show. Findings fromĀ the ORATORIO trial, comparing immediate use with a two-year delay, support Ocrevus’ sustained…