April 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Long-term data support early Kesimpta start in relapsing MS For people recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), first-line treatment with Kesimpta (ofatumumab) was associated with a lower risk of disability progression over starting it after about 2.5 years of using Aubagio (teriflunomide). Thatās according to six years of data spanning the ASCLEPIOS I (NCT02792218) and…
December 12, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vanda acquires rights to Ponvory for MS in US, Canada for $100M Vanda Pharmaceuticals has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Ponvory (ponesimod), an oral therapy approvedĀ for relapsingĀ types of MS, in a new deal with Actelion Pharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the agreement, Vanda paid $100 million to Actelion (now part ofĀ Janssen), the therapyās original developer. While…
November 6, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD US patent likely for vidofludimus calcium at relapsing MS trial dose Immunic Therapeutics has been notified of the intent to grant a U.S. patent covering the use vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) in treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā at a daily dose of about 10 to 45 mg. That range covers the two IMU-838 doses shown to be…
June 7, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Researchers analyze switching to Kesimpta from oral therapies People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who experienced disease activity while on oral therapies had less disease activity after switching to Kesimpta (ofatumumab), according to an analysis of data from the Phase 3 ARTIOS clinical trial. The patients previously were on Gilenya (fingolimod), or fumarate-based therapies such…
May 25, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Ocrevus reduces B-cells’ diversity, but not T-cells’, in relapsing MS Long-term treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) doesn’t change the diversity of T-cells ā those needed to mount effective immune responses against foreign pathogens ā in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a small study shows. Consistent with its mechanism of B-cell depletion, however, Ocrevus did reduce the molecular…
May 18, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Fenebrutinib significantly reduced brain lesions in relapsing MS: Trial Genentech‘s investigational BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib significantly reduced the number of new brain lesions and showed no new safety concerns in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from the company’s Phase 2 FENopta clinical trial (NCT05119569), which is evaluating fenebrutinib’s…
May 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2023: Early use of Ocrevus lowers disease activity in relapsing MS Nearly half of the people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) treated early with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in Phase 3 clinical trials showed no evidence of disease activity after up to nine years on the therapy, data show. In contrast, about one-quarter of enrolled patients who started on…
April 11, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Mavenclad benefits for MS sustained up to 15 years after last treatment The benefits of Mavenclad (cladribine) were sustained for up to 15 years after its last treatment course in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from the CLASSIC-MS study. More than half of those who received the oral therapy in the clinical trials that supported…
March 20, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Half of US neurologists expect to test Briumvi in the next 6 months Most neurologists in the U.S. are aware of the recent approval of Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and about half anticipate testing the therapy in the next six months,Ā according to anĀ analysisĀ by market research companyĀ Spherix Global Insights. The therapy, developed…
February 23, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Mitochondria changes found early on in progressive MS: Mouse study Changes in mitochondria ā cells’ energy production centers ā are evident in early disease stages in a mouse model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), but were not found in a model of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to researchers. These changes, seen before symptoms of the disease started, were…
December 28, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Ublituximab, Now Briumvi, Approved in US for Relapsing Forms of MS 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 MSĀ (RRMS), andĀ active secondary progressive…
October 19, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD 2 Biomarkers Seen as Best at Predicting Course of Relapsing MS The levels of two cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, CHI3L1 and CXCL13, were significantly elevated in people withĀ relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā relative to control groups without this disease, and are most likely to predict how relapsing MS will progress, a study reported. Higher levels of these biomarkers were also…
May 25, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD ‘Silent Progression’ in Relapsing MS Linked to Significant Brain Atrophy People with relapsing multiple sclerosis who have disability progression, but no clinical relapses, show significantly faster brain shrinkage, or atrophy, than those with a stable disease, a study shows. There were no significant differences in the brain atrophy rate between patients with progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) and…
April 5, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #AAN2022 ā Long-term Evobrutinib Safe, Effective in Relapsing MS Long-term treatment with evobrutinib safely and effectively reduces the rate of relapses in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to 2.5 years of data from a Phase 2 extension study. These findings ā supporting evobrutinibās therapeutic potential in relapsing MS ā were shared in an…
March 23, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD ProTEct-MS Trial Data Reinforce Previous Temelimab Studies Higher doses of temelimab were generally safe and resulted in beneficial trends on key neurodegeneration markers in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who already were on rituximab treatment, according to top-line data from the ProTEct-MS Phase 2 clinical trial. While the studyās small size…
March 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Smell Test Might Help Predict if MS Treatments Are Working A measure of the nose’s sensitivity to smell could be used to detect whether treatments for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) are working or not, a new study indicates. The scientists noted that their results need to be validated through further study, but said the findings suggest that a smell…
March 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Ublituximab Eases Brain Lesions Better Than Aubagio The experimental medication ublituximab significantly reduces the number of new brain lesions with severe nerve cell degeneration in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) as compared with Aubagio (teriflunomide), according to new data from the Phase 3 ULTIMATE clinical trials. The findings showed that ublituximab induces a rapid…
January 31, 2022 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Final Data Likely Soon in Phase 2 Trial of Temelimab for Relapsing MS A Phase 2 clinical trial into the safety and tolerability of higher-doseĀ temelimab as a potential therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is now complete, and top-line data is expected by late March, its developer,Ā GeNeuro, announced. The ProTEct-MS Phase 2 trial (NCT04480307), conducted at the Karolinska…
December 15, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ublituximab as Relapsing MS Therapy Under FDA Review The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to review TG Therapeuticsā application seeking the approval of ublituximab as a treatment for people with relapsing forms ofĀ multiple sclerosis. An FDAās decision is expected on or before Sept. 28. The agency is not currently planning to hold an…
November 19, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Cladribine as Injection May Limit Relapsing MS Progression for Years 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…
November 9, 2021 News by Mary Chapman UK’s MS Pregnancy Register Seeks Improved Care for Women With MS Itās been a decade since the opening of the UK MS Register, which sought to gain a better understanding of how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects patientsā everyday lives, with a goal, according to its website, toward fueling campaigns for “fair, relevant policy and improved health care.” Now, the…
October 1, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Ublituximab, Potential Relapsing MS Therapy, Up for FDA Approval TG TherapeuticsĀ has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval ofĀ ublituximab, the companyās investigational anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). Its application was based on data from the ULTIMATE 1 (NCT03277261) and ULTIMATE 2 (NCT03277248) Phase…
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 3, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Trials Support NfL Levels as Marker of Disease Activity in Relapsing MS Larger declines with treatment in blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker of nerve cell damage, are associated with fewer brain lesions, less brain shrinkage, and lower relapse rates in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a study reported. These results, based on a post-hoc analysis…
April 21, 2021 News by Mary Chapman One-third of Patients in the UK Hid MS Status, Poll Finds An MS Society survey found that about one-third of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.K. have kept their condition hidden from their partner, family members, employer, or work colleagues. To help mark MS Awareness Week, observed in the U.K. April 19ā25, the nonprofit organization released…
April 19, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Kesimpta Approved in UK as At-home Relapsing MS Therapy Kesimpta (ofatumumab) has been approved in the U.K. as the first self-administered, at-home, B-cell-targeting therapy for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and active disease. More specifically, the approval includes patients with eitherĀ clinically isolated syndrome,Ā relapsing-remitting MSĀ (RRMS), or active secondary progressive MSĀ (SPMS), who have…
April 19, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Tecfidera Approved in China to Treat Relapsing MS Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) was given the green light by health regulators in China to treat people withĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) ā clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, and active secondary progressive MS. The National Medical Products Administration’s (NMPA) decisionĀ came through a priority review of clinical trial data for Tecfidera,…
March 30, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Kesimpta Approved in EU as At-home Injectable Therapy for Relapsing MS The European Commission has approvedĀ Novartisā Kesimpta (ofatumumab) as the first self-administered, at-home B-cell-targeting therapy for adults with relapsing forms ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and active disease. Active disease in these forms, which include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS),…
March 19, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ponvory (ponesimod) Approved for Adults With Relapsing Forms of MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ponvory (ponesimod) as an oral treatment for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval covers clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS). The treatment is taken as a…
March 8, 2021 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Safety Board Says Phase 2 Temelimab Trial Should Move Forward A Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating GeNeuro‘s investigational antibody temelimab as a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) should continue as planned, without modifications. That’s the recommendation of a Drug Safety Monitoring Board, an independent committee of clinical research experts, which was evaluating the trial of the…