Two of three groups — one composed of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and the other comprising healthy volunteers — have been fully enrolled in a Phase 1b clinical trial that’s testing a new anti-inflammatory drug being developed by Contineum Therapeutics. The Phase 1b…
treatment
Older men with multiple sclerosis (MS) who use medicines that reduce the levels of androgens, or male sex hormones, experience sustained or increased disease activity instead of the expected decreases that typically happen with advancing age, a small study suggests. According to the team, such disease activity was “particularly”…
A new low-cost version of Tecfidera, a widely used oral therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now available in the U.S. for a fraction of the typical cost. Launched by Civicascript, this generic form of dimethyl fumarate is expected to significantly improve access to…
More than 90% of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who received Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium have not experienced confirmed disability worsening after nearly three years. That’s according to new data from the EMPhASIS Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03846219) and its open-label extension (OLE)…
For years, the date of June 22 marked the anniversary of an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) that gave me back a kind of life I never thought I’d taste again. The date marked a milestone I clung to like a ribbon at the finish line, a sign I’d…
A ketogenic diet — a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet — rich in long-chain, saturated fatty acids like those in butter and fatty red meat didn’t reduce optic nerve damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Instead, feeding mice this type of diet before the…
A multicenter Phase 2a clinical trial testing foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) has begun dosing patients at Weill Cornell Medicine Multiple Sclerosis Center in New York. The Phase 2a study (NCT06292923) is assessing the safety and efficacy of Tiziana Life Sciences‘ therapy,…
Hormone therapies used in gender-affirming care for transgender people may affect disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), a small new study reports, although its researchers cautioned that more research is are needed to more comprehensively assess its impact in MS. The study, “Gender-affirming interventions and prognosis…
An experimental medicine, 2-D08, boosts motor function in mice and primate models of multiple sclerosis (MS) by repairing the myelin sheath, the protective coating on nerve fibers that’s damaged in people with the neurodegenerative condition, a study showed. 2-D08 also outperformed the approved therapy dalfampridine, sold as Ampyra…
Aetna Healthcare has agreed to reimburse Helius Medical Technologies’ PoNS device, short for Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator, which uses electrical stimulation to improve walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The policy covers PoNS at an out-of-network negotiated price of $18,350, making Aetna, one of the largest private health…
Enrollment is now complete in the twin Phase 3 clinical trials testing Immunic Therapeutics‘ oral small molecule vidofludimus calcium in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). ENSURE-1 (NCT05134441) has enrolled 1,121 patients and ENSURE-2 (NCT05201638) has enrolled 1,100 patients at more than 100…
Task-oriented training may help balance issues for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly when combined with conventional physiotherapy, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. But the study came with a note of caution. “These findings suggest inconsistent outcomes and highlight the need for cautious interpretation and further research,”…
Body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight, does not seem to affect responses to stem cell transplant in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. While the efficacy of an autologous transplant — one that…
Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) appears to be safe and effective for children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from Kuwait. After about 15 months of treatment, more than 90% of patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS) remained free of relapses, and most also showed no new…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have chronic lower body pain show distinct changes in how they walk, including significantly slower gait speed, than those without pain, a study reports. Those with chronic lower body pain also took fewer and shorter steps, had longer step durations, and had…
Almost two years of treatment with fenebrutinib — an investigational oral tablet for multiple sclerosis (MS) — helped patients with relapsing forms of the disease remain nearly free of relapses and disability progression. That’s according to new data from the open-label extension of FENopta (NCT05119569), a Phase…
Alvotech, a developer of biosimilar medicines, is expanding its partnership with Advanz Pharma to commercialize three new products in Europe — one of them a biosimilar of Kesimpta (ofatumumab), a drug used for treating multiple sclerosis (MS). Biosimilars are therapies that have no clinically meaningful differences…
Pro-inflammatory signaling molecules that have been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS) cause problems with the growth and development of myelin-making cells in the brain, according to a study done in cell models. The findings may have implications for treating MS, as promoting the growth of myelin-making cells could be…
The use of B-cell depleting therapies does not increase the risk of an infection with COVID-19 among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have been vaccinated, according to the findings of a new study by U.S. researchers. While such treatments did compromise the body’s ability to develop antibodies against…
As a whole, disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to reduce the risk of stroke among patients, though their impact varies depending on the type of medication that’s taken. Those are the findings of a new analysis of published studies by scientists in Europe, who noted…
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) — a well-established risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) — is able to alter the movements of infected immune cells, a new study reveals. The findings shed new light on how EBV may set the stage for MS to develop, and could potentially form…
Quantum Biopharma has signed an agreement with a global pharmaceutical contract research organization to continue advancing Lucid-21-302, its experimental therapy for promoting myelin repair with multiple sclerosis (MS). The collaboration will help the company put together an investigational new drug (IND) application for the therapy, which is also…
Stem cells from donated placentas appear safe and may help reduce symptoms of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small, open-label Phase 1 clinical trial involving five patients. “Our results suggest possible neuroprotective effects” from these stem cells, researchers wrote in “Cell therapy with placenta-derived mesenchymal…
Supervised, noninvasive at-home neural stimulation helped women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) decrease their cannabis intake and reduce withdrawal, a study suggests. Overall symptoms of MS also tended to ease with four weeks of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) plus mindfulness training. “This pilot [randomized…
Tysabri (natalizumab), an approved treatment for forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), can be safely used during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, a study showed. “The findings of our observational study offer … relevant insight into the safety profile of [Tysabri] therapy not only during pregnancy but also during breastfeeding,”…
Treatment with masitinib, an experimental therapy being developed by AB Science for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), reduced markers of nerve damage and inflammation and slowed disease progression in a mouse model of MS. “This study is the first to demonstrate that masitinib can lower serum NfL…
The use of high-efficacy disease modifying therapies (DMTs) among relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients may aid their capacity to work on the economy — and put them at a lower risk of needing protected employment programs — than those on moderate-efficacy DMTs, according to a new study from Denmark.
United Healthcare will reimburse the cost of the PoNS device, which uses electrical stimulation to improve walking, for its insured members with multiple sclerosis (MS). The reimbursement covers $18,100 for the device and its controller, including patient copayment. This represents the device’s approximate list price adjusted for…
Quantum Biopharma intends to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year for permission to start a Phase 2 clinical trial testing Lucid-21-302, its novel therapy for promoting myelin repair, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The company announced that it has completed dosing in a…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new generic form of glatiramer acetate injection, a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that was originally approved under the brand name Copaxone. The generic was developed by Zydus Lifesciences in collaboration with Chemi S.p.A.,…