Editor’s note: The 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. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference.
SPMS
An upcoming conference focused on progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) will offer the latest insights about the underlying biology of the disease, and treatment and clinical strategies in development. The one-day conference, “Emerging Research & Trial Strategies for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis,” is taking place virtually on Oct. 4,and is…
An investigational immunotherapy, ATA188Â showed it could reverse disability and improve exercise capacity in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), Atara Biotherapeutics, its developer, reported in an update on a Phase 1 trial and its long-term extension study. EMBOLD trial findings based on MRI brain imaging…
Temedica, a Munich-based digital health company, has joined efforts with Roche to launch a free mobile app that aims to improve care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in Germany. Available in German only, the Brisa app will make a record of individual disease progression in…
A variation in a gene called STK11, previously shown to increase the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) among Caucasians, is now also linked to a greater likelihood of MS in Black people. In fact, the variation was significantly more common in Black MS patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS),…
MediciNova is planning to launch a Phase 3 clinical trial that will evaluate its investigational oral candidate ibudilast (MN-166) in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) without relapses. The company is actively engaging with potential partners that could help fund the study. “Over the past quarter, we…
To the person who left the note on my windshield: I wish you would have asked. I would have told you that I have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, a neurological disease that impairs my ability to walk. My MS has worsened over time and will continue to progress. I can’t…
Three scientists in the U.K. were given awards by the International Progressive MS Alliance that will support projects aiming to explore new approaches to treating progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The three are among this year’s 19 winners of the alliance’s Research Challenge Awards, which totaled £1.2 million…
High-potency therapies are more effective at reducing the frequency of symptom relapses in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) than low-potency medications, a 10-year study showed. Notably, there was no difference in the effectiveness of either high- or low-potency medicines to limit the progression of disability. “When the…
Using high-efficacy therapies as a first treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients significantly increases the likelihood of having no evidence of disease activity after one and two years, compared to using moderately effective therapies, according to a real-world study of Norwegian patients. However, with each additional attempted treatment, the…
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has granted its International Progressive MS Alliance (Alliance) Research Challenge Awards to 19 researchers for their work on progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Among them is Jennifer Gommerman, PhD, a professor at the University of Toronto, in Canada, who will use…
Markedly low levels of a simple amino sugar called N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) were found in the bloodstream of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlated with greater disease severity and disability, a study reported. These findings support GlcNAc as…
Foralumab, an investigational anti-CD3 antibody that is administered via a nasal spray, has been given for the first time to a person with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). It was administered under an Individual Patient Expanded Access Program, which earned approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in…
The European Commission has approved Ponvory (ponesimod) to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and active disease, as defined by clinical or imaging features. The approval, which follows a recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use in March, covers clinically isolated…
After last week’s column about my neurologist declaring that I now have secondary progressive MS, a certain ennui has seeped into me. While this isn’t surprising, it’s also surprising, because I’m on the mood-altering drug fluoxetine. OK, fluoxetine is a regular antidepressant, but “mood-altering” sounds so much cooler.
Although multiple sclerosis (MS) affects many different races and ethnicities and may even be more aggressive in some of these patient populations, minority representation in MS clinical trials remains critically low. Black patients made up only a fraction of the total enrollment in large-scale Phase 3 trials for three…
Isn’t it just like me to start my column with a physics analogy that is already confusing? Please stick with me, as all will be revealed. My point is that if a black hole is big enough, you might slip through its event horizon without even noticing. There would…
I am the unlikeliest of warriors. Being called one makes me a little uncomfortable. While I appreciate the sentiment, I feel unworthy of the title. A warrior chooses to battle independent of circumstance. I do so because it is my only option. Multiple sclerosis calls me to fight. Perhaps in…
Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17–22. Go here to read the latest stories from the conference. Among people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) without active disease, high blood levels of the…
Helper T-cells Drive Transition from RRMS to SPMS, Study Suggests The T-cells referred to in this study, known as CD4+ cells, are believed to play a significant part in central nervous system inflammation. The disease-modifying treatment Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) is designed to destroy these misbehaving T-cells, along with B-cells, so…
A group of helper T-cell (Th cells), a type of immune cell, could be responsible for the transition from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), with important implications for diagnosing and treating SPMS, a new study found. The study, “Involvement of cytotoxic Eomes-expressing…
Many believe pain and suffering are interchangeable. While they can and often do coexist, one is not reliant on the other. Pain can occur with or without suffering, and the inverse is true. Physiological, psychological, and psychosocial factors influence our experience with each. The meanings and relationships of these three…
I am an optimist in a pessimistic world. A fish out of water. I hold hope to ward off messages of defeat. In a world rife with suffering, hope is essential for soul survival. In my world with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, it has been my saving grace.
For a first time, an immune-modulating antibody will be given via nasal administration to treat a person with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a request to use the antibody — a fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody called foralumab — under an…
The European Commission has approved Novartis’ Kesimpta (ofatumumab) as the first self-administered, at-home B-cell-targeting therapy for adults with relapsing forms of 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),…
A branch of the European Medicines Agency has recommended that Ponvory (ponesimod) be approved to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults with active disease. This positive opinion from agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) covers clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary…
The journal JAMA Neurology recently reported that a 78-year-old man with progressive multiple sclerosis died after being diagnosed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a brain disease. The man, diagnosed with MS about 30 years ago, had been treated for two years with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and had no previous…
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…
Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals (EHP) is preparing for an international Phase 2 clinical trial testing EHP-101 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study will take place in about 20 locations in the U.S. and Australia, and is expected to include approximately 50 patients with relapsing forms of…
Asymptomatic damage to spinal nerves occurs even in clinically stable cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) and carries an increased risk for further lesions, a recent study suggests. Although a firm link between the asymptomatic loss of myelin in the spine and worsening disability remains to be found, this work…