treatment

Genentech‘s investigational BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib significantly reduced the number of new brain lesions and showed no new safety concerns in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from the company’s Phase 2 FENopta clinical trial (NCT05119569), which is evaluating fenebrutinib’s…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have never received treatment with a disease-modifying therapy tend to have better long-term outcomes after stem cell transplant, according to a recent report from a center in Mexico. The findings suggest that stem cell therapy may be most beneficial when given…

Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Surgical treatment of facial pain I’ve never heard of surgery being used as an MS treatment, but…

FSD Pharma has completed dosing in the first group of healthy volunteers enrolled in its Phase 1 clinical trial testing Lucid-21-302, an oral medication candidate for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS). The medication, also known as Lucid-MS, was first given to a sentinel subject — one…

A recent post on the MS-Selfie blog asks and answers this question: What is the “greatest unmet need” concerning multiple sclerosis (MS)? Professor Gavin Giovannoni, the London-based neurologist who writes that blog, lists five unmet needs, many of which I agree with. But those needs are from the viewpoint…

Modified nanocapsules containing retinoic acid can suppress inflammation and prompt the growth of cells that produce nerve fibers’ myelin coating, which is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS), a cell-based study shows. The results demonstrated how lipid (fat) nanocapsules that contain medicines can access the brain and treat the two…

Interleukin-3 (IL-3), an inflammatory signaling protein, seems to coordinate the recruitment of immune cells from the blood into the brain, leading to worsening inflammation and symptoms related to multiple sclerosis (MS), a study revealed. Targeting IL-3-mediated communication may be an effective therapeutic strategy for MS and other brain disorders,…

Surgical procedures to treat trigeminal neuralgia — a type of nerve damage that causes facial pain — may be successful for some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who fail to respond to medications, a new study found. A more invasive procedure called microvascular decompression, or MVD, had slightly…

Attaching a kind of molecule backpack to myeloid cells — a type of immune cells involved in the inflammatory attack that drives multiple sclerosis (MS) — may help to halt inflammation and damage in the brain in MS by modulating immune cell activity, a study…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is collaborating with Novartis and the Chronic Health Improvement Research Program (CHIRP) at Dartmouth Health to establish a multicenter learning health network for providers to drive better outcomes for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Called the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network…

A newly developed laboratory model using tadpoles can help determine the remyelinating potential of new multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies via specific changes in behavior and vision tests, a new study suggests. The model may help accelerate the discovery of potential MS remyelinating therapies, and reduce the use of resources…

Tysabri (natalizumab) is generally safe and effectively lowers disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a real-world study of patients over a 13-year period in Denmark. “Most patients treated with [Tysabri] are clinically stable with few adverse events,” researchers wrote. In more recent years, doctors…

The recently approved CD20 inhibitor Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) has received a permanent insurance reimbursement code that will simplify claims submissions and documentation processes for adults in the U.S. with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis who are prescribed it. Issued by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the…

Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Today I’ll focus on stories from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2023 Annual Meeting, held April 22-27 in Boston. Here’s a look at…

Nearly half of the people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) treated early with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in Phase 3 clinical trials showed no evidence of disease activity after up to nine years on the therapy, data show. In contrast, about one-quarter of enrolled patients who started on…

There was no evidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity for at least two years in patients who underwent an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) at a center in Mexico. And by the most recent follow-up — a median of about seven years after the procedure —…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have my 13th infusion of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). I’ve been approved for the fast infusion rate, so…

Treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) significantly reduces the risk that adults with radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) will develop symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), new clinical trial data show. This is the second trial showing that approved disease-modifying therapies can delay the development of MS in people who have…

About 2.5 years of treatment with tolebrutinib was associated with low relapse rates and stable disability levels among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data in an ongoing, open-label extension of a Phase 2b trial. The oral treatment also continued to show a “favorable”…

Use of the cell therapy MSC-NP failed to show a significant effect on overall disability scores among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Results, however, indicated that MSC-NP improved walking ability for people with more advanced disease —…

Damage to the myelin sheath, a hallmark feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), leads to increased levels of fatty molecules called VLCFAs, which are converted by brain cells into an inflammation-driving signaling molecule called S1P, a study suggests. The discovery of this novel molecular pathway may open up new avenues…

Pipeline Therapeutics is collaborating with a branch of Janssen Pharmaceuticals to advance PIPE-307, a potential oral treatment of nervous system conditions that is expected to enter a clinical trial in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The compound previously was found to be safe and tolerable in…

A novel formulation of ibudilast, delivered into the nose, was able to reduce inflammation and prevent nerve damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. The nasal formulation also improved regeneration of myelin, the protective sheath around nerve fibers that is progressively lost…

Scientists have developed new skin patches that could offer a more convenient and less painful way to administer antibody-based medicines to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other disorders. “The developed [skin] patch is minimally invasive, self-administrable, and designed to be fully embedded into the skin with a short…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a partial clinical hold on ongoing trials of evobrutinib, Merck KGaA’s experimental BTK inhibitor for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision was based on two cases of patients in Phase 3 clinical trials of evobrutinib who were…

Training of the pelvic muscles, provided alongside lifestyle advice via telerehabilitation — tailored exercise instruction delivered via an online video call — significantly reduced urinary symptoms in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), a controlled study showed. The use of pelvic floor muscle training or PFMT, which are exercises…

The benefits of Mavenclad (cladribine) were sustained for up to 15 years after its last treatment course in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from the CLASSIC-MS study. More than half of those who received the oral therapy in the clinical trials that supported…

One year of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) significantly improved cognitive abilities, particularly with processing speed, and eased depression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a small real-world study reported. Most of the 39 patients (92%) evaluated after that treatment year showed either stable or improved…

OCH, a molecule designed to have beneficial effects on immune regulation in multiple sclerosis (MS), led to increases in regulatory immune cell subsets and immunomodulatory gene activity in healthy volunteers and MS patients. That’s according to data from a first-in-human study of the compound, which also found the immune…

OCS-05, a neuroprotective treatment candidate being developed by Oculis for multiple sclerosis (MS) or other causes of optic nerve inflammation, demonstrated a favorable safety and pharmacological profile in healthy volunteers, according to Phase 1 trial data. A Phase 2 trial (NCT04762017), called ACUITY, is now evaluating OCS-05’s…