May 17, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Pro-inflammatory diet linked to relapses after 1st MS attack: Study A more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of relapses and more inflammatory brain lesions for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the years following their first disease attack, according to a recent study. However, dietary intake did not impact disability progression or the volume of lesions with…
November 3, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD #ECTRIMS2022 ā Ocrevus Seems to Beat Rituximab in Reducing Relapses 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 ā…
June 15, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Just Because We Aren’t Relapsing Doesn’t Mean We Are Symptom-free In relapsing-remitting MS, relapses and exacerbations involve a worsening of symptoms or the appearance of new ones for 24 hours or more. My disease baseline has changed many times over the years, but has never returned to how it was before my symptoms began. I’m intrigued by how…
April 26, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AAN2022 ā More Patients Given Ublituximab Relapse-free in Trials More relapsingĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients givenĀ ublituximabĀ remained relapse-free over the two-year long Phase 3 ULTIMATE clinical trials, compared to those givenĀ AubagioĀ (teriflunomide), new data show. “The prevention of relapses represents an important goal of disease-modifying therapy with the potential for a marked impact on the accumulation of disability,” Lawrence Steinman,…
April 13, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Pain and Positivity: My Experience With Plasmapheresis “‘Cause I would never break your heart/ I would only rearrange/ All the other working parts will stay in place.” ā Biffy Clyro, a Scottish rock band If youāve spent any time in a hospital, you know that it never gets completely dark. Thereās always a light flickering somewhere, a…
April 4, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 Not Linked to Long-term Worsening of RRMS: Iranian Study COVID-19 does not seem to be linked to increased disability worsening or more relapses in the long term for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), an Iranian study suggests. The study was relatively small, the researchers noted, indicating that more research is needed in the future to determine the…
March 2, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Double-edged Sword of Fatigue Medications āI close my eyes/ Only for a moment then the momentās gone/ All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity.ā ā Kansas, “Dust in the Wind”Ā The dark cloud of fatigue first swept through my mind toward the end of 2018. I was no stranger to physical fatigue,…
February 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Combined Data May Predict Person’s Risk of Advancing From CIS to MS A novel algorithm that combines genetic, environmental, and clinical data could be useful for predicting whether people with a first onset ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease ā known as clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)Ā ā will experience relapses or a worsening of their disease over time. The…
January 26, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD After Pregnancy, Women Show More Brain Lesions, Volume Loss Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have more brain lesions and accelerated brain volume loss (BVL) after pregnancy compared with pre-pregnancy measurements, recent data showed. Brain lesions in the early postpartum period ā the first months following childbirth āĀ were associated with a higher risk of worsened disability and relapse…
January 21, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Real-World Data Shows Tecfidera Comparable to Gilenya at Preventing Relapses Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) appears to have similar benefits to Gilenya (fingolimod) in preventing relapses and the loss of motor function and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study with real-world data found. The two medications also led to similar findings on MRI scans, including in…
January 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Acthar Gel May Help RRMS Patients Who Fail Corticosteroids Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) may be useful for managing disease relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who fail to respond to treatment with corticosteroids, according to results from a small clinical trial. The study, “Results from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study…
January 10, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD After Tysabri, Ocrevus Seen as Better Than Gilenya at Preventing Relapse Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) may be more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) at preventing relapse in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who recently transitioned from Tysabri (natalizumab), according to a new study. Ocrevus is āpotentially a better exit strategy than [Gilenya] after [Tysabri] cessation, with an impressive reduction [in] risk…
November 24, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS 1st Patient Enrolled in ENSURE Trials of IMU-838 in RRMS Immunic TherapeuticsĀ has enrolled the first participant in its Phase 3 ENSURE clinical trial program, which is testing the company’s investigational treatment IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). “Enrollment of the first patient in ENSURE … marks an important inflection point for Immunic as we…
November 11, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS sNfL Levels Linked to Relapse-free Disability Progression, Move to SPMS Measuring levels of the protein serum neurofilament light chain (NfL)Ā can help to identify people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at higher risk of relapse-free disability progression or conversion to secondary-progressive disease, according to a study from Germany. The study, “NfL predicts relapse-free progression in a longitudinal…
October 18, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ECTRIMS2021 ā Relapse-free Worsening More Likely in Late-onset 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 hereĀ to see the latest stories from the conference. People…
September 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Tecfidera May Reduce Relapse Rate More Than Other RRMS Therapies First-line treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) leads to a lower rate of relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) than does treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) or injectable immunomodulators, according to an analysis of insurance data from France. “These data will be useful to feed into physician…
September 8, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Risk of MS Relapse Not Increased by COVID-19 Vaccine, Study Finds Getting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 does not increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses in the two months following vaccination, according to a new study. The results support recommending COVID-19 vaccines for people with MS, its researchers said. “The incidence of relapses in the 2āmonths before and…
September 1, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Interferon Beta-1b Effective, Safe for Older MS Patients: Real-world Study A real-world study confirmed the effectiveness and safety of interferon beta-1b in treating older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), those over the age of 40. āThese findings from a real-world setting are promising and demonstrate the positive benefit-risk ratio for [interferon beta-1b] in this study population of middle-aged and…
June 29, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace When Challenges Arise, Remember Your Resilience A numb, weak leg. Yay. Another thing to add to the list of crappy challenges Iāve had to face this year. If you ask me, itās all been a bit too much, and Iād like to get off this ride and get my money back, please. I recently rang my…
June 18, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Younger Age, DMT Use at Early Relapse May Lessen Later Disability People with Ā multiple sclerosis (MS) who are usingĀ a disease-modifying therapyĀ ā and are at a younger age ā when they have a relapse within the first three years of their disease course are more likely to recover completely, lowering their risk of long-term, 10-year disability, a study suggests. Complete recovery…
April 28, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Research Focuses on Measuring Therapeutic Lag Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, held April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. A novel method to calculate how long it takes therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) to become fully effective…
April 14, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD WNT9B Genetic Variant Linked to Increased Relapse Risk A genetic variant in the WNT9B gene and vitamin D response are both associated with a greater risk of relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study in Belgium has found. The study, āGenetic variation inĀ WNT9BĀ increases relapse hazard in multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal…
April 9, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Retinal Layer Thickness May Predict MS Progression, Relapses Measurements of the thickness of the eye’s retina ā the layer of nerve cells lining the back of the eye ā could be used to predict disability progression and relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a real-world study from Austria suggests. āOur study shows that both crossectional and…
March 25, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Early MRI Findings May Predict Disease Worsening in Children with MS Abnormalities detected on MRI scans at the onset and within the first two years of disease may predict disability worsening in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), a nine-year study reports. Specifically, damage in the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerve plays a major role in predicting outcomes in these…
February 23, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace Why It’s Important to Promptly Address Changes in MS Symptoms Tingling fluttered down my spine and into my butt.Ā āWhat on earth was that?ā I thought. I bent my head forward again, andĀ the same thing happened.Ā āOK, thatās weird.ā I sat on our spare…
January 6, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Less Sunlight Means More Risk of Relapse, Disability, Studies Assert Reduced exposure to sunlight, previously reported as a risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), also seems to increase the risk for relapse and worsening disability, data from two clinical studies suggest. The beneficial effects of sunlight exposure were linked to increased levels of vitamin D, but also modulation…
September 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – 13-year Data Find Tecfidera Safe, Reduces RRMS Relapses Long-term treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) continues to be safe and effective at reducing the frequency of relapses and disability progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), according to 13-year data from a Phase 3 extension study. The study findings were presented at MSVirtual2020 by Ralf…
September 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Relapses During Pregnancy More Likely on Higher Efficacy DMTs Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā using moderate- or high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before conceiving are more likely to have a relapse during pregnancy than are those taking low-efficacy DMTs or no medicines at all, a registry-based study found. This greater relapse risk during pregnancy could be reduced with…
September 3, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 ā Zeposia Still Prevents Relapses in Relapsing MS Patients After 3 Years, Trial Data Show Zeposia (ozanimod) oral capsules continue to safely and effectively prevent relapses and disability progression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to three-year data from a Phase 3 extension clinical trial. āGaining insight into long-term therapeutic outcomes can enable clinicians to identify the most appropriate…
August 21, 2020 Columns by John Connor ‘Apocalypse Now’: I Love the Smell of Hashish in the Morning Helicopters were whirling in my brain. Turns out, it was a solitary police one. Though it was another hot night, my wife closed my windows in case of a prowler. I’m on the ground floor, after all. It was a dark moment in my life. Another relapse had struck…