March 14, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Rituximab for MS may safely control disease in children, teens Treatment with rituximab, an approved CD20 inhibitor that’s sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), was found to adequately control the neurodegenerative disease in patients diagnosed during childhood or adolescence, a new study showed. The therapy, given byĀ infusion into the bloodstream, was generally safe and significantly reduced…
June 14, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ocrevus appears to be better than rituximab at preventing MS relapses Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) appears to be more effective than rituximab at reducing relapse activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but disability progression outcomes are comparable between the therapies, an observational study of patients reported. “Study findings suggest that the effectiveness of rituximab on MS relapses was…
March 13, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD WHO asked to add 3 MS treatments to its list of ‘essential medicines’ Aiming to promote equitable accessĀ toĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments worldwide, an international MS alliance is asking that threeĀ disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) be added to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of essential medicines. Inclusion on the WHO list is considered an important if “initial” step in assuring that helpful treatments…
December 9, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD No Increase in Disease Activity With Longer Lag in Rituximab Treatment 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 medicationās side effects, researchers say ā noting,…
November 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Rituximab Doses for MS Might Be Best Timed By Measuring B-cells Timing doses ofĀ rituximabĀ by measuring B-cell counts is a more tailored approach to treatment, and it effectively reduces relapses and disability progression inĀ 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…
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…
August 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Anti-CD20 Therapies Help Mount T-cell Response to COVID-19 Vaccines People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are on therapies that deplete antibody-producing B-cells can mount an effective T-cell immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, a new study shows. The findings suggest that the vaccines strongly activate other parts of the immune system that are helpful in fighting the virus,…
July 18, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: ATA188 in Progressive MS, Early Symptoms, Yoga, Rituximab EMBOLD Study of ATA188 in Progressive MS Is Given Go-ahead Is this another small step toward an MS cure? AT188 is an experimental therapy designed to kill cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). As you probably know, researchers have found a lot of evidence that EBV is connected…
July 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Rituximab Outperforms Tecfidera at Preventing Relapses in Phase 3 Trial Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with rituximab were more than five times less likely to experience a relapse compared with patients given Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), according to data fromĀ a Phase 3 clinical trial. Patients on the experimental therapy also were 32% more likely to have no evidence…
May 18, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Marriage, Education, DMT Affect Patients’ Treatment Adherence Among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), those who are married and have more formal education are more likely to take treatments as recommended, according to a new study from Iran. The study, “Effects of Disease-Modifying Treatments discontinuation in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A 5…
May 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS With Rituximab, B-cell Counts Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Response Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on rituximab, higher B-cell counts are predictive of a better antibody-based response to a vaccine for COVID-19, according to a new Swedish study. “In our study, the B-cell level in patients given Rituximab was the only factor that influenced the ability to form antibodies…
May 10, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD B-cell-depleting Therapies May Increase Risk of Psoriasis Reports of psoriasis ā an autoimmune skin disease that shares some biological processes with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā are disproportionally high among MS patients on therapies that deplete B-cells, according to a U.S. study based on patient adverse event data. Conversely, patients on Tysabri (natalizumab), glatiramer acetate (sold…
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 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Algorithm Predicts Relapse Risk Using EHR Data Using a two-step machine learning strategy, researchers have developed an algorithm to predict the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse based on data gleaned from electronic health records. “The two-step machine learning model predicts a patient’s future one-year MS relapse risk with clinically actionable accuracy, comparable to other clinical…
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…
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…
January 17, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr Virus, EHP-101, Anti-CD20 Therapies, Gut Bacteria Epstein-Barr Virus May be Leading Cause of MS, Raising Risk by 32 Times Several studies over the past few years have suggested a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), but this one is huge, both in the number of participants and in the length…
December 17, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study: Anti-CD20 Therapies, Gilenya Lower Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines Certain treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) ā specifically, anti-CD20 antibody therapies and Gilenya (fingolimod) ā are likely to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19, according to a new study. “Highlighting groups who have mounted an inadequate vaccine response has already been helpful in guiding who should receive…
October 18, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: AHSCT for SPMS, Rituximab, Sativex, Smoking This week’s column focuses on stories from Multiple Sclerosis News Today reporters who have been following the annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, or ECTRIMS. #ECTRIMS2021 ā Stem Cell Transplant May Better Treat SPMS Than DMTs This presentation involves autologous…
October 13, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ECTRIMS2021 ā Rituximab as First RRMS Therapy Outperforms Others 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…
September 27, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Bladder Treatment, Anti-CD20 DMTs, Cancer and MS, Seasons and MS Oral Fesoterodine Fumarate Can Ease Bladder Problems in MS This is a biggie for me since bladder problems have affected my quality of life for years. I recently switched my bladder medication hoping it would be a change for the better. The jury is still out. So, I’ll have…
September 21, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Anti-CD20 Therapies Show Similar Safety, Efficacy in RRMS Anti-CD20 antibody therapies that target B-cells are highly effective for reducing the risk of relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new analysis confirms. The analysis did not find any significant differences in efficacy or safety among the anti-CD20 therapies currently approved to treat RRMS, though…
April 27, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Ocrevus, Rituximab Linked to More Severe COVID-19 Cases in Italy Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ hereĀ to read the latest stories from the conference. Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that target CD20 are associated with worse outcomes from COVID-19 inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, an…
April 20, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #AANAM ā Blacks, Whites Respond Differently to B-cell Targeting Therapies Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17ā22. GoĀ here to read the latest stories from the conference. Common B-cell depleting therapies, such as rituximab and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), may result in shorter duration B-cell depleting effects in…
March 29, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19, UK ‘Mega-trial’, Pilates, Rituximab Certain Factors Worsen Outcomes in MS Patients With COVID-19 The worse your MS disability is, it seems, the worse the outcome if you’re infected with the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. If you’re still debating whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine, this might help you make up your mind.
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…
March 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Certain Factors Worsen Outcomes in MS Patients With COVID-19 People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have more extensive mobility issues are more likely to have worse outcomes from COVID-19, a new study indicates. The study findings also indicate that COVID-19-associated outcomes are worse among MS patients who are Black, older, have heart-related diseases, and who were treated with…
March 4, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Learning to Ride Along With the Ebbs and Flows of Multiple Sclerosis I am uncomfortable amid ambiguity and unknowns. I find myself searching for rationale when, at times, none exists. I crave clarity yet mostly exist amid the fogginess of MS. I live this way literally and figuratively. My lack of clarity grows with the wait for the COVID-19 vaccine. When I…
February 22, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Tysabri, Evobrutinib, Diet Study, Rituximab Drop in PML With Tysabri Use in Sweden Likely Due to Risk Management Plan I’m JCV-positive, so I’m at risk for PML if I’m being treated with Tysabri. And I was treated with Tysabri for seven years without a problem. That, I believe, is because my neurologist carefully followed…
February 16, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Rituximab Before or During Pregnancy Not Linked to Major Complications Treatment with rituximabĀ before or during pregnancy was not associated with major pregnancy or infant complications, according to a case series of 19 women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. These findings add to the limited available evidence on the use of rituximab by expectant mothers either…