treatment

The presence of chronic active lesions in the brain may provide a clue as to how quickly multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms will progress. Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) call these lesions “smoldering inflammation.” Their study, just published in JAMA Neurology, indicates that the more lesions…

Medications for treating certain rare and chronic conditions,  including multiple sclerosis (MS), are now available from the specialty and home delivery pharmacy AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, the company announced. The newly included specialty medications are all limited distribution drugs (LDDs), which means the drug manufacturers have signed agreements giving very…

MMJ International Holdings, a pharmaceutical company whose focus is plant-derived cannabis products for therapeutic purposes, has requested permission to ship tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) from Canada to the U.S. to be used in upcoming clinical trials for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease. MMJ-001…

A draft guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), a U.K. advisory board, and a review by England’s National Health Service (NHS) call for more research into medical cannabis for multiple sclerosis and other conditions. NICE also recommended against prescribing Sativex as a treatment for…

If you’re using marijuana and have surgery scheduled, take heed. In Colorado, where medical marijuana was legalized in 2000 and recreational use in 2012, medical personnel are discovering that weed may complicate the surgical process. The concern, according to an article in Kaiser Health News, is that marijuana…

Though known mainly for killing tumor and virally infected cells, a T-cell subtype may restrain immune responses and be protective in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research. The study, “Opposing T cell responses in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis,” was published recently in…

I am quite outspoken. I have no problem voicing my opinion or needs — or so I thought. An exchange this morning left me speechless. While my head was swimming with semi-intelligible responses, I was rendered mute. Let me just say that I have been on pain medication for…

Medical cannabis products, jointly developed by GB Sciences Louisiana (GBSL) and the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center‘s (LSU AgCenter) Therapeutic Cannabis Program, are now available for purchase by qualified patients with illnesses that include multiple sclerosis (MS) at nine state-licensed pharmacies. The decision, announced by the Louisiana Department…

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) may develop additional (secondary) autoimmune reactions. Anti-CD20 therapies, including rituximab or Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), are a potential treatment for Lemtrada-associated autoimmune complications in patients who fail to respond to other conventional immunotherapies, according to a case report about two women in…

A Phase 1 clinical trial found T20K, Cyxone’s investigational plant protein-derived treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), to be safe and well-tolerated in healthy men, and raising the possibility that it might work at low doses, the company announced. A next step is to develop an oral formulation for the…

Valeritas Holdings‘ proprietary h-Patch device can be used to administer cannabidiol by an under-the-skin (subcutaneous) infusion, prolonging the time the medication remains in circulation in the body and maximizing its therapeutic effects, a preclinical study has found. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabis-derived, purified liquid formulation that has…

The development of new medicines to treat myelin-related neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), has been given a boost by a €2.9 million (about $3.2 million) research grant awarded to the Belgian biotech company Rewind Therapeutics by…

Rutgers Health is leading the Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Diseases Program, the only program in the state of New Jersey designed specifically to support children with multiple sclerosis (MS). The support program seeks to promote children’s access to cutting-edge therapies and clinical trials, and to educate…

Fewer and less severe gastrointestinal (GI) side effects were evident in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients taking the investigational oral treatment Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) twice a day compared to those using Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), topline data from the EVOLVE-MS-2 trial show. Vumerity is a fumarate compound being developed…

No excessive relapse risk appears to exist for people with multiple sclerosis who undergo surgery that requires anesthesia, researchers report, challenging long-held assumptions associated with MS and surgery. Their single-site study, “Multiple sclerosis relapse risk in the postoperative period: Effects of…

A new diagnostic method for multiple sclerosis (MS) that uses 3D analysis of a patient’s brain may be able to tell physicians which lesions there are more likely to heal with time and which are not, and as such could be a game-changer in treating the disease, according to the…

Routine screening through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict long-term disease progression — leading to more certainty and informing better treatment choices, a 15-year study reported. The study, titled “Early imaging predictors of long-term…

Janssen has announced positive, top-line results from its Phase 3 OPTIMUM study, testing the effectiveness and safety of ponesimod tablets, compared to Sanofi‘s Aubagio (teriflunomide), in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study met its primary goal — a reduction in the…

Early and continuous treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) in young  people — those ages 30 years or younger — with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) decreases the risk of disability progression, and lowers annual relapse rates and brain lesions, new analysis from the FREEDOMS and FREEDOMS II trials show. The…

The nerve cell circuit, stretching from the skin to the spinal cord, that is likely responsible for the persistent itching sensation  that can afflict people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions was identified in a study.

A first healthy volunteer has enrolled in a randomized, double-blind Phase 1 study to compare the gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability and safety of oral Tecfidera to Bafiertam, an oral bioequivalent in treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), Banner Life Sciences…

Scientists identified and “fingerprinted” a group of T-helper cells that are unusually numerous in the blood and central nervous system of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and may be the reason behind the neuroinflammation seen in these patients. This T-cell population carries specific markers involved in the transmission…

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a problem for a significant number of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). As many as three in 10 may wind up needing treatment for one. So, I was concerned when I read a New York Times article reporting that UTIs are becoming harder…

An antiviral medication called amantadine and ondansetron, which treats chronic nausea, both work to reduce fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but amantadine may be more effective, a single-site trial in Iran reports. The study, “Comparison of the effects of amantadine and ondansetron in treatment…

Gilenya (fingolimod) has been approved in China as a disease-modifying therapy to treat adults and children, ages 10 and older, with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Gilenya, marketed by Novartis, is an oral disease-modifying treatment for relapsing MS. It acts by binding and modulating receptors…

Gut microbes prime immune cells called microglia to protect the brain and nervous system from neurological damage due to viral infections, according to new research in mice. The findings suggest that maintaining a healthy and diverse microbiota — the population of bacteria, fungi, and viruses within the body, especially the…

Obesity may increase the risk for the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and teens, and it may prevent first-line MS therapies from working. Those findings were reported in the study “Association of Obesity With Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Response to First-line Disease…

Convelo Therapeutics has announced a collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to work toward the development of new remyelination therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other myelin disorders. “We are excited to be working with Genentech to…

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) contains elevated levels of specific fatty molecules that disrupt the energy “powerhouses” of nerve cells, and appear to underlie the neurodegeneration seen on brain scans of these patients, a study reveals. The research, which compared the CSF…

Treating people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) with opicinumab and Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for 72 weeks did not lead to a dose-dependent reduction in disability,  results of a Phase 2 trial show. However, an ongoing study is evaluating opicinumab in a subgroup with better clinical responses.