November 9, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Tysabri Superior to Gilenya at Easing Activity in RRMS, Study Reports Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) was more effective thanĀ Gilenya (fingolimod) in helping people with relapsingāremitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) achieve no evidence of disease activity, a head-to-head study suggested. The study, “BEST-MS: A prospective head-to-head comparative study of natalizumab and fingolimod in active relapsing MS,” was…
November 9, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Monitoring Fluctuations in Brain Volume May Help Track RRMS Disease Progression The brain volume of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) undergoes a dynamic cycle of enlargement and contractions, a new study shows. Patients with a lower volume (contractions) had less severe MS and a shorter disease duration, the study found. Overall, these findings suggest that frequent monitoring of the…
November 3, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD InnoCare Cleared to Launch Phase 2 Trial to Test Orelabrutinib in RRMS Patients InnoCare Pharma is preparing to launch a Phase 2 trial to assess the safety and efficacy of orelabrutinib, its investigational Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The trial, which is expected to enroll approximately 160 patients, will be carried out in the U.S.
October 30, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Better Repair of Nerve Insulation May Lead to New MS Treatments There may be a better way of repairing the insulation surrounding damaged neurons that could lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The data showed that blocking the protein sphingomyelin hydrolase neutral sphingomyelinase 2, or nSMase2, could improve the quality of the myelin surrounding…
October 28, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mavenclad for RRMS Now Available Through Seven Provincial Public Drugs Plans in Canada Eligible people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) now have access toĀ MavencladĀ (cladribine) through seven provincial public drug plans in Canada, including the RĆ©gie de l’assurance maladie du QuĆ©bec (RAMQ) and the Ontario Drug Benefit Exceptional Access Program. The oral treatment now is available through public drug programs…
October 8, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Health Canada Approves Oral Zeposia for Adults With RRMS Health Canada has approvedĀ Zeposia (ozanimod), an oral daily treatment for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in the country. Approval does not assure that Zeposia will be available to Canadian patients at no or low cost, as publicly funded prescription plans are largely administered by each…
October 5, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gilenya and Tecfidera Similarly Effective at Treating RRMS, Real-world Study Says Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are similarly effective at lowering the frequency of relapses and delaying disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a real-world study from Switzerland reported. These efficacy measures were also consistent whether patients were new to aĀ disease-modifying therapy (DMT)…
September 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – High-efficacy DMTs More Effective at Slowing Retina Atrophy in RRMS Patients, Study Finds Compared to low-efficacyĀ disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), high-efficacy medications are more effective at slowing the loss of nerve cells making up different layers of the retina ā the region at the back of the eye that enables one to see ā in patients with relapsing-remitting…
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 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Early Intensive DMT Use in RRMS Appears More Effective Than Escalation Early use of high efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) is more effective than the traditional approach ā that of an escalating treatment regimen ā at delaying disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), a real-life study from Italy reports. People later moving to more aggressive treatment also appeared…
September 10, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Ponesimod Superior to Aubagio in Delaying Disability Progression in Relapsing MS, Trial Data Show Janssen Pharmaceuticalsā investigational oral therapy ponesimod is superior to Sanofiās Aubagio (teriflunomide) in delaying disability progression in adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to exploratory analyses of OPTIMUM clinical trial data. These and other findings from Janssenās MS research program, including on the health…
September 3, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Targeting B-cells in Cerebrospinal Fluid May Lead to More Effective MS Therapies, Study Suggests Immune B-cellsĀ are more abundant and have a pro-inflammatory profile in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that bathes the central nervous system, Ā compared to blood in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study reports. The results suggest that therapeutic strategies targeting the CSF B-cells could constitute a…
August 25, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mavenclad Effectively Lowers Relapse Rates, Study Comparing DMTs Finds MavencladĀ (cladribine) appears to be better at lowering relapse rates during the first two years of disease in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients than other MS therapies, including interferon, Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), a head-to-head observational study found. Mavenclad, however, was less effective at…
August 21, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS FDA Approves Kesimpta, B-cell Targeting Therapy for Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novartis‘ Kesimpta (ofatumumab) as a self-administered treatment for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), meaning those withĀ clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS). According to Novartis,…
August 11, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Rituximab More Effective Than Gilenya, Tecfidera, and Comparable to Tysabri, Study Finds Rituximab is more effective and leads to fewer treatment discontinuations in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS)Ā than Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), according to real-world data based on two years of therapy. Rituximabās effectiveness appeared to be comparable to that of Tysabri (natalizumab), but with fewer…
August 10, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr and Smoking, Infections, Oral DMT Trial, Exercise and the Brain Smoking and Epstein-Barr Virus Combine to Raise MS Risk, Study Says A number of studies over several years have demonstrated a likely link between the Epstein-Barr virus and MS. Of course, there’s no question about the health risks of smoking. Put the two together, and it looks like double…
August 4, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Oral RRMS Therapy Safely Lowers Active Lesions in Phase 2 Trial, Data Show Immunic Therapeutics‘sĀ IMU-838, a selective immune system modulator, can safely lower the number of brain lesions in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), top-line Phase 2 clinical trial data suggest. Findings show the trial met its primary goal with statistical significance ā a reduction inĀ active lesions (gadolinium…
July 27, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Tysabri in Long-term Use Seen to Lessen Relapses, Stabilize Disease Tysabri (natalizumab) is effective at reducing the frequency of relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and is rarely associated with poor clinical outcomes, a real-life and multiyear observational study reports. The study, āLong-term effect of natalizumab in patients with RRMS: TYSTEN…
July 21, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Tysabri Use Can Lessen Disability in RRMS Patients, Real-world Study Reports Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) can lessen disability in people withĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), a large and real-world study found, supporting “confirmed disability improvement” reported in a pivotal clinical trial. Nearly one-quarter of the 5, 384 patients enrolled, particularly those new to treatment, experienced a decrease of at least one…
July 6, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Tecfidera Safe and Effective in Hispanic/Latino MS Patients, Real-world Data Show TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate) is as safe and effective in Hispanic/LatinoĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients as it is in their non-Hispanic and non-Latino peers, three-year data from a real-world study show. These interim findings, based on the largest group of Tecfidera-treated Hispanic and Latino MS patients studied to date, support the therapyās…
June 24, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Psychosis, Cognitive Difficulties May Be First Symptoms of RRMS, Case Report Indicates Psychosis and cognitive difficulties may be initial symptoms of relapsingāremitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a case report says. āA case report revealing acute onset psychosis and cognitive impairment as primary manifestation in relapsingāremitting multiple sclerosisā was published in the journal…
June 17, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Phase 3 Trial of GA Depot for Relapsing MS Advances With $20M Support Mapi Pharma, supported by an additionalĀ $20 million investment from its partner Mylan, will continue a Phase 3 trial assessing the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of GA Depot, its long-acting, once-a-month injectable formulation of glatiramer acetate. The study (NCT04121221),Ā which opened in October 2019,…
June 12, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Switch From Tysabri to Other DMT Raises Relapse Risk, Study Finds The risk of a relapse isĀ two to three times higher inĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā patients who switch from Tysabri (natalizumab) to an oral or other injectable…
June 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Blood Factors Impair Metabolism of Blood-brain Barrier in MS, Study Suggests Molecules in the blood of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients promote a pro-inflammatory state and impair the metabolism and integrity of the blood-brain barrier, a study suggests. In MS, the disruption of the blood-brain barrierĀ (BBB)Ā ā a highly selective and protective membrane ā allows immune cells to reach the central nervous…
May 26, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Evobrutinib Lowers MS Relapse Rates Over 2 Years of Use, Trial Data Show Note: This story was updated May 27, 2020, to note a change in the protocol of the EVOLUTION trials, which are now comparing evobrutinib with Aubagio, rather than Avonex, along with updated NCT numbers. The investigational oral medication evobrutinib leads to a sustained reduction in relapse rates…
May 15, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD EBV Infections Evident in All 901 MS Patients in German Study Supporting evidence that infection with Epstein-Barr virusĀ (EBV) could be one of the root causes ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study found all of its 901 early disease patients carry antibodies against this virus, meaning that all are or have been exposed to it. The study, “…
April 24, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Sanofi’s BTK Inhibitor Seen to Effectively Reduce Brain Lesions in Phase 2 Trial The investigational, oral BTK inhibitor SAR442168 can limit the number of new inflammatory brain lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), results from a Phase 2b clinical trial show. “The results of this study give hope that SAR442168 may become an important…
April 23, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD VTS-Aspirin Combos to Ease Flush in RRMS Named Orphan Drug by FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to combinations of VTS-Aspirin plus fumarate therapy usingĀ Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) or Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate) for easing flush in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS). In the U.S., orphan drug designation is given to…
March 31, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Bile Acid Supplements May Ease Symptoms of Progressive MS Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have lower than usual levels of molecules called bile acidsĀ circulating in their blood, a Ā study found. These molecules, produced in the liver to aid fat absorption in the gut, also appear to block inflammation and nerve cell damage in the brain. Oral treatment withĀ …
March 30, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD CHMP Favors Zeposia (Ozanimod) as Oral Treatment for Active RRMS in EU TheĀ Committee for Medicinal Products for Human UseĀ (CHMP) has recommended Zeposia (ozanimod) oral capsules to be approved in the European Union (EU) to treat adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Opinions released by CHMP, an arm of theĀ European Medicines AgencyĀ (EMA), are generally accepted by the European Commission,…