treatment

Health Canada has approved Kesimpta (ofatumumab) for the treatment of adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have active disease, as defined by clinical and imaging features. In contrast with other B-cell-targeting therapies used in MS, patients can self-administer a precise dose of Kesimpta at home using the Sensoready…

Treatment of up to a year with memantine — an approved therapy for Alzheimer’s disease — failed to prevent cognitive decline and disability, and to significantly reduce fatigue and spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), a review of published studies shows. The therapy, sold under the brand name Namenda, works…

The degeneration of nerve cells in the retina of the eye is more pronounced in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking interferon-beta than in patients treated with more efficacious disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study finds. As the loss of such cells,…

NeurologyLive, CMSC Launch Expert Video Series ‘Cure Connections’ This series of 13 videos, designed for healthcare professionals, focuses on diagnosing MS, its psychological impact, managing symptoms, and treatments. Quality-of-life issues, fatigue, and patient support networks also will be discussed. I hope general neurologists will watch it, not just MS…

Treatment with oral Ampyra (dalfampridine) improves walking ability, finger dexterity, and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an analysis of nine randomized clinical trials shows. But the investigators caution the therapy should be taken only under expert medical guidance, due to its higher rate of potential side effects. The…

A decline in the activity of the GPR17 gene is responsible for age-related brain deterioration caused by the loss of myelin, a fatty substance that surrounds nerve cells like a sheath, a mouse study discovered. Researchers identified a small molecule that rejuvenated…

An anti-inflammatory molecule — taken from a venomous fish and named TnP — with the potential to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) proved safe, without signs of cardiac or neurological problems in a recent zebrafish study, and also was found to be able to enter the brain. The findings open…

NeurologyLive and the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) have launched a new video series called Cure Connections, designed to provide healthcare professionals with expert news and insights about multiple sclerosis (MS). “These past several months our partnership with the CMSC has escalated to producing and disseminating extremely…

Pipeline Therapeutics has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial to investigate PIPE-307, its lead treatment candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers. The trial (NCT04725175) will assess the compound’s safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics, or how the drug moves through the body. Up to 72 people, ages…

A Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating GeNeuro‘s investigational antibody temelimab as a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) should continue as planned, without modifications. That’s the recommendation of a Drug Safety Monitoring Board, an independent committee of clinical research experts, which was evaluating the trial of the…

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…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25–27. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. Clinical characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, including their response to therapies, vary based on race and ethnicity,…

Imcyse has raised €21.3 million ($25.8 million) in funding to advance its innovative immunotherapy platform for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other severe autoimmune diseases. The funding was a result of a series B financing round featuring existing investors such as Biogenosis, Société Fédérale de Participations et…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25–27. Go here to see all the latest stories from the conference. At the ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Rhonda Voskuhl, MD, a neurology professor at the University…

GeNeuro has completed patient enrollment in its ProTEct-MS Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating temelimab as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The study (NCT04480307), taking place at the Karolinska Institutet’s Academic Specialist Center (ASC) in Stockholm, Sweden, has enrolled 42 people with relapsing MS whose…

The MS Society in the U.K. is hoping to raise £3.7 million ($5.2 million) to fund research aimed at developing new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). The funds will support research at the Society’s Centers of Excellence in Edinburgh and Cambridge over five years. “Our top priority…

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) switching from Tysabri (natalizumab) to moderate-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are at a higher risk of showing signs of MS activity and experiencing disability progression than those switching to high-efficacy DMTs, a real-world study found. Based on these findings, the researchers are arguing that,…

New Zealand will expand patient access to a list of funded treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), starting on March 1. The government health agency, PHARMAC, will extend eligibility criteria to include MS patients with expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores ranging from zero to six. EDSS is a validated…

Two global Phase 3 clinical trials testing the investigational oral medication evobrutinib are recruiting participants with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The two identically-designed trials — EVOLUTION RMS 1 (NCT04338022) and EVOLUTION RMS 2 (…

Pipeline Therapeutics announced that it has raised $80 million in investor financing to develop neuroregenerative therapies for neurological disorders, including those like multiple sclerosis (MS) that are marked by the loss of myelin. The money will support the research and development of several candidate therapies, with three aimed at promoting and…

Proteins called PSGs suppress the pro-inflammatory activity of immune Th17 cells during pregnancy, potentially playing a protective role against complications and miscarriage, a study finds.  The impaired regulation of Th17 is associated with pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia and preterm delivery — and also with the development…

Childhood trauma can affect disease progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and treatment in adulthood, a study in mice suggests. The study shows that mice that experienced early-life trauma were more likely to develop an autoimmune condition and less likely to respond to common treatment with interferon beta. The study,…

Making clinical trials more comparable, consistent, and focused on the biological mechanisms underlying the onset and development of multiple sclerosis (MS) are all key to more quickly realizing new treatments for progressive MS, according to the International Progressive MS Alliance. To attain these goals, the Alliance, a worldwide…

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has approved Zeposia (ozanimod) for the treatment of active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Zeposia is sold as a tablet, to be taken by mouth once daily. The SMC has recommended that Zeposia be prescribed for people with RRMS who experience relapses or have evidence of…

An estrogen-based therapy, called indazole chloride (IndCl), was shown to protect against optic nerve damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. IndCl may help to improve vision in people with the disease, but…

Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada have given CA$400,000 (about $312,500) to support a pilot clinical trial investigating the potential of metformin, a common diabetes therapy, to treat children and young adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Phase 1/2 feasibility trial (NCT04121468) is recruiting up to 30…

A novel medication targeting the protein folate receptor-beta (FR-beta) decreased inflammation and brain damage in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, in the study “Efficacy and tolerability of folate-aminopterin therapy in a rat focal model of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an intramuscular injection formulation of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This formulation, for injection directly into muscle, is what is typically used to deliver the flu shot. According to Biogen, Plegridy’s…

Teams of scientists at the University of Toronto are sharing a nearly CA$21 million (about $16.36 million) award into research that might lead to self-repair treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders, the university announced in a press release. Eleven teams at the university and its…

A branch of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended that Kesimpta (ofatumumab) be approved and made available to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults with active disease. A final decision from the European Commission (EC) is expected in about two months. Typically, the EC follows…