March 19, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Neurostimulator to repair myelin in RRMS named breakthrough device The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated SetPoint Medicalās neurostimulator a breakthrough device for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This designation is intended to accelerate the development of devices intending to more effectively treat or diagnose life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases than standard approaches.
September 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Stem cell therapy found safe, effective in RRMS study Nearly three-quarters of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) showed no signs of disease activity five years after receiving a stem cell transplant, according to a recent Swedish study. Moreover, about half of patients with at least minimal disability saw improvements after the transplant and about one-third remained stable.
September 19, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Imcyse completes enrollment in Phase 1 trial testing IMCY-0141 for RRMS Imcyse has completed patient enrollment and initial dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating IMCY-0141, its next-generation immunotherapy, in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The study, the first portion of a Phase 1/2 trial called IMCY-MS-001 (NCT05417269), is an open-label trial evaluating three doses of IMCY-0141…
March 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Orelabrutinib reduces brain lesions in RRMS by 90% in Phase 2 trial Treatment with InnoCare Pharma’s orelabrutinib ā an experimental inhibitor of the Brutonās tyrosine kinase (BTK) enzyme ā led to significant reductions in new active brain lesions among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). That’s according to the results of a 12-week interim analysis of a global Phase 2…
September 12, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Progression Without Relapse Also Common in RRMS, Patients Say Nearly two-thirds of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) report disease progression independent of relapses, according to a survey involving more than 4,500 multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients in Germany. This finding supports evidence pointing to progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) as an underestimated contributing factor in RRMS.
August 17, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD CNM-Au8 Lessens Vision Problems in RRMS Patients in Phase 2 Trial CNM-Au8, Clene Nanomedicineās experimental oral therapy, safely and effectively improves vision and neurological function in adults with stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and disease-related visual impairment. Those are the findings of the VISIONARY-MS Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03536559), a proof-of-concept study that investigated CNM-Au8 in people with…
August 16, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD RRMS Onset Taking Place at Older Ages Over Past 50 Years The first symptoms of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have been appearing increasingly later in life, according to a Spanish study covering nearly five decades. From the 1970s through the 2010s, the average age at disease onset rose by more than 10 years in both men and women, its researchers…
July 29, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS No Link Between MS Severity, Vitamin D-related Mutations: Study A number of genetic variations related to vitamin D metabolism were not significantly associated with the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. The study, “Role of Multiple Vitamin D-Related Polymorphisms in Multiple Sclerosis Severity: Preliminary Findings,” was published inĀ Genes. In MS, the body’s immune…
July 13, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Fighting Fire With Fire: The War Between Lemtrada and My MS āSo can you lift me up/ And turn these ashes into flames/ ‘Cause I have overcome/ More than words will ever say.ā ā Kate Voegele My relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS) diagnosis stole my life from me. The reverberations of this unwelcome thunderbolt were astounding. Coming to terms with a…
July 11, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19, Predicting Progression, Early Treatment, Estriol Higher COVID-19 Risk Tied to 2 MS Therapies, Even With Vaccination According to this study, people being treated with Ocrevus had 3.6 times the risk of a breakthrough COVID-19 infection compared with people being treated with most other disease-modifying therapies. For those treated with Gilenya, the risk was increased…
July 8, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Early RRMS Treatment Lessens Need for Disability Pension in Denmark Delaying the start of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) increases the risk of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) needing a disability pension to compensate for a permanent reduced capacity to work,Ā Ā according to a Danish study. The study, āTime to first treatment and risk of disability pension…
June 20, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Vidofludimus Calcium, Foralumab, Exoskeleton, Dysport Vidofludimus Calcium Safely Reduced RRMS Brain Lesions Vidofludimus calcium, also called IMU-838, is an oral therapy designed to reduce the activity of B- and T-cells. These are immune cells believed to be responsible for the inflammation that results in MS damage. In this small study, active lesions ā including…
June 16, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Signal Detection Theory May Help Measure MS Cognitive Fatigue A new tool called signal detection theory (SDT) found a relationship between subjective cognitive fatigue, often experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and the activation of certain brain regions, a study reported. Although the relationship was found in both patients and healthy controls after cognitive fatigue was…
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…
May 23, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: DMTs and Symptoms, Aquatic Exercise, Infections āHiddenā Disabilities Fairly Common at RRMS Diagnosis, Study Finds This headline doesn’t report the full nature of this story. In addition to being “fairly common,” the research concludes that disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have little effect on these so-called “hidden disabilities.”Ā I don’t agree with that conclusion. Most of…
May 9, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Cannabis, Keto Diet, Tysabri, MS Unknowns Cannabis āHighly Effectiveā Against MS Symptoms, Some Users Report I would’ve expected many users to report that cannabis has been highly effective at treating MS symptoms, not just some. But comments about this study on the MS News Today Facebook page indicate that people have mixed results. Even…
April 29, 2022 Columns by John Connor The MSer Who Lay in Bed for 2 Years and Can Now Walk Again My column’s handle is “Fall Down, Get Up Again” because the first piece I wrote for Multiple Sclerosis News Today was titled “A Mountain to Climb with MS ā in My Living Room.” That column got me this gig five years ago. It was set in 2012, mind you,…
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 21, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD BDNF Risk Variant Linked to Brain Inflammation in New RRMS Patients A risk variant in the BDNF gene is tied to increased brain inflammation and reduced cortical thickness on MRI scans in people newly diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a recent study found. āWe report for the first time an association between the BDNF [genetic variant] and central inflammation…
February 23, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah The Furious Fire of Heat Sensitivity “In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix must first burn.ā ā Octavia E. Butler You know that feeling of waking up in a strange place, and it takes a second to remember where you are? Imagine that coupled with not being able to move from the neck…
February 7, 2022 News by Hawken Miller Endurance Sports Inspire Young Frenchman With RRMS Sports was a huge part of Armand Thoinetās life, and when he was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) one week before his 19th birthday, that life turned upside down. He could no longer engage in activities that mattered greatly to him, such as rugby, tennis, and skiing. āI…
January 17, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD 1st RRMS Patient Enrolled in ENSURE-2 Trial of Oral IMU-838 The ENSURE-2 Phase 3 clinical trial, evaluating Immunic Therapeuticsā experimental oral therapy IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), has enrolled its first patient. The milestone, announced in an email to Multiple Sclerosis News Today, follows the recruitment of the first RRMS patient in…
January 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS High Levels of Gut Bacterial Toxins Found in Spinal Fluid of MS Patients People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have high levels of toxic compounds made by gut bacteria in the fluid around their brain and spinal cord, a study found. “This work not only furthers our understanding of the role of gut-brain communication in neurodegenerative disease progression, but also provides a potential…
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 16, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Benefited RRMS Patients Who Responded Poorly to DMTs Most relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients switching to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) following suboptimal responses to other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) show no evidence of disease activity, according to final two-year data from the European-based CASTING Phase 3b trial. These clinical benefits, which entail no relapses or disease progression and no…
November 10, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah MS Advocacy Gives Me Strength and Purpose I want to help in any way I possibly can. My lonely confusion in the early days after being diagnosed with aggressive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was mentally and physically paralyzing. However, this column isnāt about how āHurricane MSā battered my body. Instead, it’s about why I chose to…
November 4, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Numares to Develop Multi-biomarker Test of SPMS Transition Numares has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Oxford University Innovation to develop and commercialize a panel of biomarkers that identify disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the company aims to create a tool that detects early signs of conversion from relapsing remitting…
October 26, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stem Cells (MSCs) Fail to Reduce Brain Inflammation in Active MS Into-the-vein treatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) failed to significantly reduce brain inflammation or improve clinical conditions among adults with active multiple sclerosis (MS) in an international Phase 2 clinical trial, according to final study data. The trial, which used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to assess…
October 21, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD National MS Society Supports Stem Cell Transplant for Select, Aggressive RRMS The National Multiple Sclerosis Society supports the use of a patient-derived bone marrow transplant to treat people with very aggressive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who responded poorly to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). This position is in line with a recent set of society recommendationsĀ on how and in…
October 7, 2021 News by Mary Chapman New PBS Listings in Australia Will Lower Cost of Kesimpta for Patients People in Australia with multiple sclerosis (MS) and certain other medical conditions will have access to new and expanded medications ā including Kesimpta ā now listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Having these medications on the PBS will lower treatment costs for MS patients and their…