treatment

The therapeutic administration of mesenchymal stem cells can improve functional abilities and promote the restoration of lost myelin in rodent models of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of published studies. The findings highlight the potential of these stem cells, but also point to a need for…

I take a bunch of pills every day. Most of them are generics. I’ve used baclofen to treat my leg spasticity, oxybutynin for my bladder, and modafinil to fight fatigue. There’s also atorvastatin to keep my cholesterol in check, and levothyroxine to do the same for my…

First-line treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) leads to a lower rate of relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) than does treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) or injectable immunomodulators, according to an analysis of insurance data from France. “These data will be useful to feed into physician…

Anti-CD20 antibody therapies that target B-cells are highly effective for reducing the risk of relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new analysis confirms. The analysis did not find any significant differences in efficacy or safety among the anti-CD20 therapies currently approved to treat RRMS, though…

Treatment with fesoterodine fumarate — which comes as an extended-release tablet patients can take by mouth — can reduce bladder pressure and improve quality of life in people with bladder impairments due to multiple sclerosis (MS) or spinal cord injuries, new research shows. “A 3‐…

Patients on Anti-CD20 Therapies Urged to Get COVID-19 Vaccine Some people being treated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that reduce their CD20 B-cells have been concerned that their DMTs also reduce the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. According to this study, those DMTs, such as Ocrevus, Kesimpta, and Rituxan, do that.

The U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) has started its COVID-19 vaccine booster program, offering a third shot — preferably with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine — to at-risk populations, including people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision follows a recommendation by the country’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, or…

A committee of the European Medicines Agency is recommending that Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) be approved as an oral treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in the European Union. The opinion, from the agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), will now be sent…

While people with multiple sclerosis (MS) taking anti-CD20 therapies do not mount a robust antibody response after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, the vaccines do strongly activate other parts of the immune system that are likely to be helpful in fighting the virus, a new study shows. “The message…

A class of molecules called positive allosteric modulators, or PAMs, may be useful in treating pain caused by nerve damage — a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) — according to a new study that sheds light on how these molecules work. The international team of researchers behind…

Bladder and bowel problems, which affect more than half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, should be assessed and monitored regularly to better adapt treatment plans and ultimately improve patients’ quality of life. That is among recommendations of Jane Young and Joan Bradley, two nurses with experience in MS care and…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society invested more than $8.7 million over the summer to support 29 new training fellowships, early career research awards, and other initiatives aiming to advance multiple sclerosis (MS) research and care. Awarded research projects align with the society’s Pathways to Cures Roadmap: stopping disease activity and…

  An extended-release formulation of amantadine, ADS-5102 was significantly more effective than a placebo at increasing walking speed in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who had difficulty with this, particularly younger patients with a shorter disease course, the INROADS Phase 3 trial demonstrated. Further clinical work on this investigative…

A new service, Bionews Clinical is seeking to bring more patients into relevant clinical trials by helping all involved — scientists, pharmaceutical companies, people with diseases — regard these studies as part of continuing care. “Today what happens is that the conversation about patients participating in a clinical trial is…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to review ANI Pharmaceuticals’ supplemental new drug application for the approval of Cortrophin Gel to treat people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. Purified Cortrophin Gel (repository corticotropin injection USP) is a purified…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in Sweden have lower rates of worsening disability than those who live in Denmark, likely due to differences in treatment strategies in each country, according to a new study. “This study shows that, for the first time to our knowledge, differences in national…

A real-world study confirmed the effectiveness and safety of interferon beta-1b in treating older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), those over the age of 40. “These findings from a real-world setting are promising and demonstrate the positive benefit-risk ratio for [interferon beta-1b] in this study population of middle-aged and…

Ocrevus Reduces MS Relapse Risk, But Linked to More Hospitalizations As you can see from the first two paragraphs of this story, these hospitalizations occurred most frequently in older people with MS. Yet, as these researchers point out, the criteria for selecting the people who participated in Ocrevus’ clinical…

Landos Biopharma has entered into a research partnership with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine focused on advancing LABP-66 as a potential oral, once-daily therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other disorders, the company announced. LABP-66 is a lab-made molecule that activates NLRX1, a receptor that is key in…

I’ve had pee problems for as long as I’ve had multiple sclerosis. Many folks with MS have issues, including urinary urgency, frequency, or both, bladders that don’t empty completely, or streams that don’t start when you need to go. There are medications to treat these problems. The best known…

Blocking a particular receptor protein of the BMP signaling pathway effectively promoted the maturation of myelin-producing cells and myelin repair in two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. Notably, these benefits, observed even after disease onset, took place in the presence of fibrinogen, a blood clotting…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) reduces relapse risk and slows disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) but also is associated with higher hospitalization rates in older people with relapsing forms of the disease, a new observational study reports. Hospitalizations — which occurred mainly due to urinary tract infections — were more frequent…

Trial Will Test Ocrevus on Arm, Hand Function in PPMS A lot of the focus in MS treatment and clinical trials is placed on walking ability. It seems to me that only recently has attention been paid to above-the-waist disabilities. I know that many people with MS have problems…

NervGen Pharma announced that its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety and pharmacological properties of NVG-291 — its lead therapeutic candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurologic conditions — in healthy volunteers is going according to plan, with early top-line data expected later this year. “The…

Now that a third COVID-19 vaccine shot has been approved in the U.S. for immunocompromised people, and vaccine boosters are expected to be available to the general public sometime after Sept. 20, Walgreens and CVS have lost no time in offering the additional shot to those who qualify.

Sativex (nabiximols), a cannabis-based oral spray approved in the U.K. to ease spasticity — or muscle stiffness and spasms — in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), remains unavailable to many patients there, according to a report by the MS Society UK. Sativex is the only licensed…

PoNS, a non-invasive devise to accompany physical therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with difficulty walking, will be available on the U.S. market early next year, its developer, Helius Medical Technologies, announced in a quarterly financial update. Short for Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator, the PoNS…

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…

Cytocom has joined forces with La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) to discover and develop new immune-modulating therapies targeting toll-like receptors (TLRs) for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), cancer, and infectious and chronic inflammatory conditions. TLRs are an important family of protein receptors found at the surface…

A Phase 3 clinical trial testing the effect of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) on upper limb disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is recruiting participants. The trial, called O’HAND (NCT04035005), expects to enroll approximately 1,000 adults with PPMS, ages 18 to 65, at more than…