treatment

Long-term treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) safely and effectively reduces the frequency of relapses in children with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to 2.5 years of data from the FOCUS Phase 2 trial and its extension study. These findings are consistent with those previously reported for adult patients, supporting…

Age is a main driver of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) and has a key influence on patients’ therapeutic responses to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Tysabri (natalizumab), a study showed. Given those findings, age should be considered in the risk/benefit assessment that’s used in the decision-making process for…

A stem cell transplant can prevent disability progression and maintain disease remission over long periods of time in most patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who failed to respond adequately to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study reports. The study, “Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Hematopoietic…

Clene Awaits US Patent Covering Gold Nanocrystals’ Use in Treating MS This is a different approach to MS treatment. It uses very tiny crystals to produce a chemical reaction. It is hoped that this reaction will protect neurons and help to generate myelin. So far, there have only been…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not recommend Zeposia (ozanimod) be available at low or no cost through the National Health Service (NHS) to treat adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) living in England and Wales. In a recent draft recommendation, NICE stated that …

Clene Nanomedicine has been notified it will be given a U.S. patent, as requested, covering an invention using the company’s already patented gold nanocrystals for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). A Notice of Allowance was received by the company. These notices are issued by the U.S. Patent…

In addition to significantly reducing subsets of B-cells — its main immune cell target — Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) lessens pro-inflammatory immune T-cells in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a small study shows. Notably, the suppression of immune cell subsets thought to be involved in the abnormal immune responses…

Tonix Pharmaceuticals has filed a patent application with the World Intellectual Property Organization covering the use of TNX-1500 — its third-generation anti-CD154 antibody — for the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), and organ transplant rejection. “There remains a significant need for new treatments with improved…

A thyroid hormone-mimicking compound not only prevented nerve cell damage but promoted the cells’ survival in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). This discovery advances previous research showing that the compound, called sobetirome, can induce the repair of myelin, the protective sheath around nerves. The data suggest…

Silo Pharma has entered into a sponsored research agreement with the University of Maryland to develop and explore the potential of a targeted therapy delivery system for multiple sclerosis (MS). The company and investigators at the Baltimore university will test a targeted therapy delivery approach that…

Open Book Extracts (OBX) and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have partnered to investigate how cannabinoids like CBD affect brain cells, particularly in regard to neuroinflammation, according to an OBX press release. CBD (cannabidiol) and other cannabinoids, such as THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), have attracted interest for…

Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and lower the conversion rate of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a long-term study suggests. The results showed that patients converting to SPMS — in which a person’s disability gets steadily worse — were older,…

Helius Medical Technologies has submitted its response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s request for more information about the company’s application for de novo classification and clearance of its portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) device to help treat walking difficulties in people…

Imatinib, a cancer treatment, stopped an injury response mechanism of the central nervous system (CNS) from activating, damage to which is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), an early study reported. Treatment with imatinib lessened immune cell infiltration and eased disease progression in mouse models of MS. Study researchers…

BioNTech’s experimental non-inflammatory vaccine — designed to dampen the abnormal immune responses seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) against myelin — delayed the onset and lessened the severity of symptoms in a mouse model of MS, a study reports. Importantly, treated mice showed no signs of overall immune suppression,…

Long-term use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has a beneficial cumulative effect compared to shorter treatments, delaying the development of irreversible disability and conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a recent study…

New research in mice suggests that poor recycling of cholesterol in the brain impairs the repair of myelin, the protective coat surrounding nerve cells that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). Pharmacological stimulation of cholesterol synthesis by brain immune cells — called microglia — boosted the regeneration of myelin,…

One of the key considerations when choosing a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is how much it will disrupt your life. It’s one of several factors that need to be evaluated. Unlike shots and pills, infusion treatments can require a significant amount of time. That’s why the U.S. Federal Drug Administration’s December…

Multiple Sclerosis News Today brought you daily coverage of the latest scientific findings, treatment developments, and clinical trials related to multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout 2020, a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to reporting more news to patients, family members, and caregivers dealing with MS during…

The European Commission (EC) has approved a new, intramuscular formulation of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This new mode of administration — in which Plegridy is directly injected into the muscle, rather than under the skin (subcutaneously) — does…

Patient dosing has finished in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing NurOwn, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics’ investigational cell-based therapy for people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The trial’s top-line results are…

Kesimpta (ofatumumab), the first self-administered B-cell therapy to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now available via AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, one of the largest specialty and home delivery pharmacies operating in the U.S., to patients living in the country. The specialty pharmacy — which focuses on serving…

Lesser or stable disability over two years was evident in most progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given a stem cell treatment in a small Phase 1 clinical trial, supporting a larger study now underway, researchers report. These results suggest that a treatment using mesenchymal stem…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a shorter infusion time of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for treating relapsing or primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Infusion refers to the slow delivery of a therapy directly into the bloodstream over a period of time. The decision shortens the twice-yearly infusion…

Two global Phase 3 clinical trials, both comparing Sanofi Genzyme’s investigational tolebrutinib with its approved therapy Aubagio, are enrolling a total of 1,800 people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), the company said. All patients in both studies — dubbed GEMINI 1 and GEMINI 2 — will…

Ublituximab, an investigational anti-CD20 antibody, outperformed Aubagio (teriflunomide) in lowering the frequency of relapses among people with active, relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to top-line data from the Phase 3 ULTIMATE trials. Full results, including data on safety and secondary goals, are expected to be presented…

Adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) are being urged to enroll in a new clinical trial — now recruiting in Washington and Michigan states — that aims to assess the effectiveness of different treatments to counteract the effects of chronic fatigue. The investigators are hopeful that data from this…

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) induces a reduction in relapse rate and physical disability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who respond inadequately to other treatments, a small study suggests. The study, “Selective cognitive dysfunction and physical disability improvement after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation…

Treatment with NG-01 — an approach that uses patients’ own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) — safely and effectively delayed disease progression in people with active, progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to final data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Delivering these cells directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)…

I’ve been tired all day, which is nothing new, as fatigue and multiple sclerosis go hand in hand. It’s been one of my primary symptoms since I was diagnosed in 1980. To counter it, I’ve taken Provigil (modafinil) for many years. Initially, taking 100 mg in the morning helped…