RRMS

A new study shows that 40% of patients in Italy and Germany who have  secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are not aware of their diagnosis, indicating a need for significant improvement in patient-physician communication.

A new Phase 3 clinical trial to explore the safety and efficacy of Mapi Pharma’s once-a-month injectable formulation of glatiramer acetate — named GA Depot — has started enrolling patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial (NCT04121221) is expected to enroll approximately 960 participants, 18 to 55…

The levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and chitinase3-like1 (CHI3L1) in the cerebrospinal fluid — the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — serve as respective biomarkers of disease activity and progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. Measuring levels of both proteins also helps to…

The levels of the inflammatory molecule interleukin-22 (IL-22) may be used as a potential biomarker to evaluate disease severity and the effectiveness of treatments in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study shows. The study, “Impact of interferon β-1b, interferon β-1a and fingolimod therapies on serum…

Immunic Therapeutics announced that a Phase 2 clinical trial of IMU-838, its experimental oral therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), is fully enrolled ahead of schedule. The trial, called EMPhASIS, also exceeded its target number of participants: Immunic set an initial recruitment goal of 195 patients by mid-2020, and enrolled 210…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who don’t use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are more likely to have been misdiagnosed previously, and to have poorer relationships with their healthcare providers, the results of a new survey suggest. The survey, titled “Multiple Sclerosis In America 2019,” was conducted by …

The volume of atrophied (shrunken) regions in the brain, as visible through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, can predict disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research reveals. The finding was published in the journal Radiology in an article titled, “Atrophied Brain T2 Lesion Volume…

Age at disease onset is tightly linked to clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis patients, a Swiss study in those on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) reports. It found a risk of continuous relapses more likely in pediatric MS, and that of disease progression in those with adult-onset MS. Patients at age 40…

Patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher levels of protein markers of activated glial cells than those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) or patients with other neurological disorders, according to a new study. The findings also indicated that scoring the extent of glial involvement in relation to nerve…

Sandoz, a division of Novartis dedicated to the development of biosimilars, has entered an agreement with Polpharma Biologics, a biopharmaceutical company also dedicated to the manufacture of biosimilars, to develop and market a biosimilar to Biogen‘s Tysabri (natalizumab). Tysabri is a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) that was …

Treating at-risk relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients is most cost-effective with Mavenclad (cladribine) tablets when compared to Gilenya (fingolimod), Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) or Tysabri (natalizumab), according to a study in Dutch patients. The study, “Cost Effectiveness of Cladribine Tablets for the Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in…

Treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) is associated with the death of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) more often than previously reported and appears to be most common during the first month, according to a European review. The study, “Adverse events with fatal outcome associated…

Treatment with rituximab — sold as Rituxan in the U.S. by Roche and Biogen, and as MabThera by Roche in Europe — reversed disease course in a “dramatic fashion,” leading to complete remission in a 12-year-old boy with aggressive relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a case report states. The report, “…

Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a molecule that mediates immune and inflammatory responses, likely promotes inflammation and tissue damage in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and should be considered a potential target for treating the disease, a study reports. The findings of the study, “IL-17A is associated with the breakdown of the…

No excessive relapse risk appears to exist for people with multiple sclerosis who undergo surgery that requires anesthesia, researchers report, challenging long-held assumptions associated with MS and surgery. Their single-site study, “Multiple sclerosis relapse risk in the postoperative period: Effects of…

Routine screening through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict long-term disease progression — leading to more certainty and informing better treatment choices, a 15-year study reported. The study, titled “Early imaging predictors of long-term…

A clinical trial based at the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Nottingham, U.K., is recruiting patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to compare two treatment strategies, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced. The Phase 4 study, called DELIVER-MS (NCT03535298), intends to enroll about 800…

Obesity, altered lipid (fat) levels, and elevated leptin — an hormone produced by fat cells — may contribute to neuroinflammation, and worse disease severity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), research has found. A study with the findings, titled “Obesity worsens central inflammation and disability in multiple…

Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), taken as a 462 milligram (mg) tablet twice daily, significantly decreases disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and leads to low rates of gastrointestinal side effects, new interim data of Phase 3 trial EVOLVE-MS-1 show. The findings were presented at the 2019 Consortium…

Oral Gilenya (fingolimod) taken daily at a 0.5 mg dose is superior to Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) injections at lowering relapses and disease activity over one year in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results of a Phase 3b trial. The research, “Efficacy and Safety…

Two ongoing clinical trials may help doctors better understand which type of disease-modifying therapy — those considered highly effective or those with low-to-moderate efficacy used in an escalating treatment approach — would be best for people in the early stages of  relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a  …

Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who switched to infusions with Sanofi Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) report increased satisfaction with treatment and improvements in health-related quality of life, according to…

A newly developed scoring tool enables better identification of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as well as those transitioning or already diagnosed with secondary progressive MS (SPMS). The research about that finding, “Validation of the Scoring Algorithm for a Novel Integrative Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) Screening Tool,”…

New data suggests that treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) in an extended interval dosing regimen is associated with a significantly lower risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), compared with the standard interval dosing. The data was presented by Lana Zhovtis Ryerson, MD, on May 7 at the 2019 …

In clinical practice, relapse events dropped by roughly half over a four-year period in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with Aubagio (teriflunomide), a real-world study reports. The study, “Real-life outcomes of teriflunomide treatment in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis: TAURUS-MS observational study,” also examined patients’ perspectives in…

Cognitive and neuropsychiatric problems caused by relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) — such as memory and processing issues, depression, and irritability — are the main source of strain among life partners of MS patients with mild disability, a study finds. The study, “Caregiver strain among life partners…

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) is more efficient at preventing relapses, and has a lower discontinuation rate than Aubagio (teriflunomide), according to a Danish study. The study “Comparative effectiveness of teriflunomide and dimethyl fumarate: A nationwide cohort study” was published in the journal Neurology. Aubagio (marketed by Sanofi Genzyme) and Tecfidera…

National organizations that represent patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) welcome the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s March 26 approval of Novartis’ oral therapy Mayzent (siponimod) — but they complain that, at $88,500 per year, the treatment is overpriced. The Multiple Sclerosis Society of America (MSSA) is clearly upbeat about the…

Roche Canada and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) have completed negotiations ultimately aiming to obtain public funding for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as a first-line treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with active disease, and as management strategy for patients with early primary progressive MS…

The Cleveland Clinic Nevada is recruiting participants for DELIVER-MS, a clinical trial comparing two common treatment approaches for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Results from the DELIVER-MS trial, titled “Determining the Effectiveness of Early Intensive Versus Escalation Approaches for the Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis” (…