treatment

A Phase 2 clinical trial into the safety and tolerability of higher-dose temelimab as a potential therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is now complete, and top-line data is expected by late March, its developer, GeNeuro, announced. The ProTEct-MS Phase 2 trial (NCT04480307), conducted at the Karolinska…

ANI Pharmaceuticals has announced the full U.S. commercial availability of Cortrophin Gel (repository corticotropin injection), an injectable therapy approved for managing acute relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders. “Patients with certain chronic autoimmune conditions often need additional treatment options,” Mary Pao Seideman, MD,…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with weak immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines are more likely to respond successfully to the booster shot if they are receiving an anti-CD20 therapy compared with those on Gilenya (fingolimod), according to a small study in Norway. These early findings suggest that booster shots…

“Hey, man, I’m alive. I’m taking each day and night at a time/ I’m feeling like a Monday but someday I’ll be Saturday night.” — Bon Jovi Multiple sclerosis (MS) medications can generally be separated into two categories: disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and those that help to manage symptoms. While…

Tevogen Bio is planning to make use of its virus-fighting immune cell technology and turn it against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus thought to greatly increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). The technology employs off-the-shelf cytotoxic T-cells — a type of white blood cell that can…

Similarities between an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein and a brain protein called GlialCAM may explain why EBV infection increases the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), results from a new study show. Due to the structural resemblance of the two proteins, B-cells — a type of immune cell that is critical…

Imaging Brain Metabolites May Help Diagnose, Monitor MS Have you ever heard of magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, or MRSI? I hadn’t until I read this story. It’s a technique that in concept allows a radiologist to see metabolites in the brain. Metabolites are small molecules that are produced during…

You may have heard about the research that’s just been published about the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS). The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study reports that being infected by EBV raises the risk of developing MS by 32 times. This isn’t a small or…

Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) appears to have similar benefits to Gilenya (fingolimod) in preventing relapses and the loss of motor function and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study with real-world data found. The two medications also led to similar findings on MRI scans, including in…

Exergames — playing video games that involve physical exercise — may be more effective at improving balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than conventional rehabilitation, a review of current studies suggested. The study, “Efficacy of Virtual Reality and Exergaming in Improving Balance in Patients With…

Cyxone will work with a European organization to scale up production of the active ingredient in T20K, its experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The collaboration, which will cover the development of a new manufacturing method and later the…

Differences in the physical architecture of the brain may explain why some people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but not others, experience a placebo effect, according to a new study. The results suggest that MS itself may make some individuals unable to experience the benefits of a placebo. “Our findings…

Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) may be useful for managing disease relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who fail to respond to treatment with corticosteroids, according to results from a small clinical trial. The study, “Results from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study…

Long-term treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) in routine clinical practice is safe and effective for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a five-year study in Germany of more than 4,000 patients reported. Over time, relapses in the majority of study patients who continued with Gilenya became less common and less severe,…

Epstein-Barr Virus May be Leading Cause of MS, Raising Risk by 32 Times Several studies over the past few years have suggested a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), but this one is huge, both in the number of participants and in the length…

The ENSURE-2 Phase 3 clinical trial, evaluating Immunic Therapeutics’ experimental oral therapy IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), has enrolled its first patient. The milestone, announced in an email to Multiple Sclerosis News Today, follows the recruitment of the first RRMS patient in…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has gotten to be a real pain in the back. In the past couple years, I’ve developed pain in a few areas of my body, especially my butt and back. Last winter, I tried physical therapy, but relief lasted only a short while. So, I think I’ll…

Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals will soon begin enrollment in a Phase 2a clinical trial investigating its cannabidiol-derived therapy EHP-101 in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial (NCT04909502) aims to recruit 50 patients, ages 18-55, with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS).

In this installment of our “Expert Voices” series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Allen C. Bowling, MD, PhD, to answer some of your questions related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Bowling is an internationally recognized neurologist and integrative medicine pioneer with…

Among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease type and the use of anti-CD20 therapies — such as ocrelizumab and rituximab — were associated with an increased risk of death from COVID-19, a new meta-analysis revealed. “We hope that these findings … may help neurologists in optimizing…

Atara Biotherapeutics has partnered with Imeka to use its proprietary biomarker imaging technology in the ongoing EMBOLD Phase 2 clinical trial, which is investigating ATA188 for the treatment of progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The imaging technology will be used to determine if Atara’s ATA188…

Following promising data from the first participant in a special access program that’s testing foralumab nasal spray for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a second patient has been enrolled in the ongoing evaluation. The first patient in the study, by Tiziana Life Sciences, the nasal spray’s developer, was halfway through…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have high levels of toxic compounds made by gut bacteria in the fluid around their brain and spinal cord, a study found. “This work not only furthers our understanding of the role of gut-brain communication in neurodegenerative disease progression, but also provides a potential…

AB Science OK’d to Start Masitinib Phase 3 Trial for Progressive MS Many of us with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been waiting for another treatment for progressive forms of MS. I hope this brings us another step closer to one. Masitinib is an oral medication that works by blocking…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abbott’s request to expand the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility with its Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulation system with Octrode leads, which is used to manage chronic pain. The decision lifts previous restrictions for Octrode lead tip location and…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) may be more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) at preventing relapse in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who recently transitioned from Tysabri (natalizumab), according to a new study. Ocrevus is “potentially a better exit strategy than [Gilenya] after [Tysabri] cessation, with an impressive reduction [in] risk…

A Phase 1 clinical trial investigating the safety and tolerability of Anokion‘s ANK-700 in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has begun enrolling patients for its multiple ascending dose part. This opening of the study’s second part follows positive safety signs in patients given the one of two doses of…

A decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld the validity of a patent for dosing Novartis’ oral multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment Gilenya (fingolimod), the medication’s manufacturer announced. “With this decision, Novartis confirms that it expects no generic versions of Gilenya in the…

The French Health Authority has approved AB Science’s request to launch a Phase 3 clinical trial to confirm the safety and effectiveness of its lead candidate masitinib in adults with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and nonactive secondary progressive MS (SPMS). “We are very excited to initiate…

Other autoimmune conditions, particularly those characterized by the presence of anti-TPO antibodies, should not preclude patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) from receiving treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), according to an analysis of pooled data from clinical trials and post-market data. The study, “Autoimmunity and long-term safety and efficacy…