treatment

Processes related to metabolism in brain cells known as astrocytes may be at the origin of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly underlying the inflammation and damage to the nervous system seen in progressive disease, a study in mice found.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers appear to be just as satisfied with a video evaluation given by a neurologist using telemedicine as they have been with those done through an in-person visit, a review from the American Academy of Neurology reports. The review, “Teleneurology is neurology,”…

FDA Approves Three Generic Versions of Novartis’ Gilenya for Treating Relapsing MS It’s always nice to hear about generics becoming available to replace expensive multiple sclerosis treatments. But I wonder whether these generics will cost less than the brand-name medication. Will their availability help to drive down the price…

Atlas Biotechnologies will fund and provide support to three research projects at the University of Alberta to possibly identify cannabis component(s) that could help people with neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The cannabis plant produces hundreds of biological compounds, the best-known being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the psychoactive compound primarily…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved three generic versions of Gilenya (fingolimod) for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). A generic is a nearly identical, lower-priced version of an original brand medication. The three generic applications approved Thursday by the…

A signaling protein (Smad7) that usually blocks the activity of a molecule called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) appears to be overactive in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to the activation and migration of immune cells from the intestine to the central nervous system, a study reports. The study,…

TD Bank Group has donated $1 million to the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada to support research projects aiming to use artificial intelligence to create tools enabling better use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. MS Society will channel these funds into its Acts of Greatness campaign,…

A small RNA molecule found in high levels in the gut of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could be used to develop a new therapy for MS in the future, an early research study reports. Orally giving this microRNA — called miR-30d — to mouse models of…

Mount Sinai Medical Center has joined with BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to explore the safety and efficacy of NurOwn as a potential treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in an ongoing Phase 2 trial. The New York center is the fourth clinical site participating in the trial, in addition…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the protein coating that protects nerve fibers from damage. It is unknown what triggers the immune system’s attack, but many MS treatments are targeted at reducing inflammation to curb the activity of the immune system.

Prices for new multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies in the United States are decided most by competitors’ prices, and continual increases in the cost of existing treatments by concerns for company profits and future growth, a study based on”confidential” interviews with four biotech executives with experience in the MS field reports. U.S.

GeNeuro is collaborating with clinical researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Academic Specialist Center (ASC) in Stockholm to open a new clinical trial of temelimab in people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is progressing in the absence of relapses. Fredrik Piehl, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at…

I was bruised, broken, and in pain. I had been struggling with Rebif (interferon beta-1a) side effects for over a year, ever since my diagnosis. It was the first multiple sclerosis medication doctors put me on, and it did not work…

Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) carries fewer and less severe gastrointestinal side effects compared to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), new data from a Phase 3 trial directly comparing the GI tolerability of these two relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) treatments show. These results were presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Charcot Foundation,…

Immunoadsorption May Be Superior to Plasma Exchange in Treating Steroid-resistant Relapses in MS Steroids may be an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis relapses, but they have negative side effects. Many people report a metallic taste, while others find it hard to sleep. And long-term use can affect bone…

A DNA analysis to identify changes in the gut microbiome in people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — who have yet to begin using disease-modifying therapies — showed that all, regardless of ethnic background, have an abundance of the bacteria group Clostridia compared to people…

A protein involved in cell metabolism, called PKM2, was found to be central to switching ‘on’ immune cells that play critical roles in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), an early study reports. Blocking the activity of PKM2 (pyruvate kinase M2) eased MS-like symptoms…

Genentech‘s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continues to be the most prescribed medication to reduce inflammatory disease in people with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) among U.S. neurologists, even though Novartis’ Mayzent (siponimod) and EMD Serono’s Mavenclad (cladribine) were approved in March to treat this same MS…

A blood-cleansing process known as immunoadsorption appears to be superior to plasma exchange in treating relapses that don’t respond to conventional steroid therapy in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a study reports. These findings were reported in “Safety and efficacy of immunoadsorption…

There is a sizable gap between advancements in treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and their regulatory approval, which is a circumstance that necessitates increased  advocacy on a global scale. This concern was a major topic of conversation recently at the XXIV World Congress of Neurology (WCN 2019)…

Stopping the migration of immune B-cells through the blood-brain barrier by blocking ALCAM, a molecule linked to the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), lessened disease severity in an MS mouse model, a new study shows. Details of the discovery were reported…

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics received a $495,330 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society  to support biomarker studies in its ongoing clinical trial testing the cell therapy NurOwn in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). NurOwn is a treatment based on the patients’ own bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem…

CHMP Favors Mayzent as Oral Treatment Specifically for Active SPMS Patients in EU Mayzent (siponimod) is one of the newest disease-modifying treatments (DMT). I’m pleased that the Committee for Medicinal Products of Human Use (CHMP), which reviews treatments in the European Union, has recommended that the DMT be approved…

Novartis’s Mayzent (siponimod) has been approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), making it the first therapy to be approved for this use in Australia. SPMS is a form of MS that develops after the onset of…

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued an opinion supporting Mayzent (siponimod) as an oral treatment specifically for adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the European Union. Opinions released by CHMP, an arm of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), carry weight and are…

Three academic research institutions launched the Weill Neurohub initiative, an effort to speed the discovery and development of therapies for neurological diseases that include multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and for psychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. The initiative unites three West Coast…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “Do We Need a Personalized Approach to Treating MS?” from May 23,…

I remember a time without televised ads promoting medication. We had access to information through our physician or a card catalog. Pharmaceuticals are now a mainstay on our airwaves. And although prevalent, these ads previously had been inapplicable to me. Until now. An ad for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) aired a…

A single dose of CD45-ADC, an investigational targeted therapy being developed to treat different types of autoimmune diseases, is enough to reset the normal function of the body’s immune system in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and to delay onset of the disease. Those findings…

The cannabis sativa plant extract Sativex is a cost-effective therapy for spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be offered to patients in England needing it on at least a monthlong trial basis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said in issuing a final…