treatment

An altered metabolism and signaling is associated with the ability of a subset of immune T helper 17 (Th17) cells to induce neuroinflammation, according to a new study of mice. The findings may lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic inflammatory diseases, the scientists said.

Unusually high levels of a transcription factor called paired related homeobox protein 1 (PRRX1) in human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells hinders their ability to respond to the loss of myelin and to transform into mature, myelin-producing oligodendrocytes, a new study shows. These findings suggest a new potential way of treating …

Multiple Sclerosis News Today brought you daily coverage of key findings, treatment developments, and clinical trials related to multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout 2018. We look forward to reporting more news to patients, family members, and caregivers dealing with MS during 2019. Here are the top 10 most-read articles of…

  There are more than a dozen disease-modifying therapies available to treat MS. Some are shots, some are infusions, and some are pills. Some are more effective than others. The marketing intelligence company Spherix Global Insights regularly surveys which of these treatments are being used by neurologists and…

Treatment with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) led to a sustained decrease in disability and almost no clinical relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who had failed to respond to prior immunosuppressive therapies, an Australian Phase 2 trial shows. Trial findings were published in the study, “Prospective phase…

OWC Pharmaceutical Research is planning new clinical studies to evaluate the activity and safety of its cannabinoid-enriched sublingual soluble tablet. The company announced that an Institutional Review Board (IRB) in Israel approved its request to conduct a safety and tolerability trial there. The company also is asking to amend the…

Treatment with Ampyra (dalfampridine) for 24 weeks leads to sustained and clinically meaningful improvements in walking ability as reported by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with gait difficulties, according to a study analyzing results from a Phase 3 trial. The study, “Assessment of Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Self-Reported…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics‘ request to open a Phase 2 clinical trial testing the safety and effectiveness of its proprietary NurOwn mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The request was in the form of Investigational New Drug…

The L300, made by Bioness, is a functional electronic stimulator. It’s a cuff that I wear just below my left knee. It stimulates a nerve that lifts my foot and helps keep it from dragging. When I first got my L300 in 2012, it was a blessing.

Alkermes filed a request for the approval of diroximel fumarate (BIIB098) to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If approved, diroximel fumarate will be marketed by Biogen in the U.S., likely under the brand name Vumerity. Alkermes and Biogen are working…

Pretreating multiple sclerosis patients with antihistamines more extensively and with hydration can significantly reduce — by 60% — the likelihood of infusion-associated reactions that are the most common side effect of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) use, a pilot study reported. Data also found that older and male MS patients are less likely to have…

Inactivation of S1PR2, a cell surface protein, helps improve clinical disability and reduce demyelination in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), a condition similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans, a study shows. This finding suggests that therapies blocking S1PR2 could have the potential to treat MS. The…

Usually, I have an idea of what I’m going to write. Today, all I feel is a bit meeeeugh … Which is more a sound of ennui than a recognizable word. In these days of multimedia, I suppose I should record it and insert the clip into the text, but…

Many years ago a woman I know who has multiple sclerosis (MS) became pregnant. After her child was born her MS became significantly worse. There have been many studies on the impact of pregnancy on someone with MS, with most concluding that the number of MS relapses are…

Researchers at the Ural Federal University (UrFU) in Russia have developed a neuro-electrostimulation system that has the potential to treat different types of brain disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The system allows physicians to treat patients by remotely controlling the delivered electric pulse through a smartphone or tablet. Details…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who have been relapse-free while using an interferon-beta (IFN-β) therapy but switch to another IFN-β are significantly more like to start experiencing flares than patients who remain on their initial interferon treatment, a real-world study reports. Its results support letting patients remain on a current IFN-β medication…

As debate continues about the effects of medical marijuana on multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases, cannabis company GB Sciences and Louisiana State University (LSU) have agreed on a cannabinoid research and development project. This collaboration between a public and a private enterprise is a first in the therapeutic cannabis…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab, by Genentech) is now available through the National Health System (NHS) of Scotland to treat patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The decision by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to approve Ocrevus’ inclusion for this patient group follows the recommendation made earlier by the U.K.’s…

Living in the U.S., where disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) seem to be prescribed as a matter of course to people with multiple sclerosis (MS), I was surprised that it doesn’t seem to be the case across the pond in the U.K. An article just published on the Multiple…

Pendopharm’s Glatect (glatiramer acetate) — a treatment for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) — has been added to the public drug plan in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and is now the only glatiramer-based treatment for RRMS patients there using the plan. After Copaxone…

Use of Hospital Palliative Care by MS Patients in US Rose 30-fold Between 2005-14, Study Finds Palliative care emphasizes prevention and relief of a patient’s suffering. Its goal is to improve the quality of life of that patient and his or her family. It’s usually thought of…

With a renowned researcher and her team chosen to lead it, work can now begin on the first project of its kind in Canada designed to shed more light on multiple sclerosis progression, and better ways of diagnosing and treating it. Leading the pioneering $7 million project — the Canadian…

There’s a joy in going on a long journey in which I get the luxury of sleeping through the whole thing. It’s practically magical. Or scientifically, like teleportation. I was there and now I’m here without any effort! I’ll never be able to afford a first-class bed on a…

Patients want to be more involved in their healthcare, but it’s not an easy process. I’ve written before about the hurdles we have to overcome to get some healthcare providers to communicate with us, to listen to what we have to say about our medical problems, and even…

Tysabri (natalizumab) was found to be superior to interferon beta (IFN-β) in a small, 12-month study with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, significantly decreasing their disability levels, its researchers report. A vast majority — 90 percent — of Tysabri-treated patients experienced no relapses during the study period,…

When I first met Stephanie in March, she was like any healthy 28-year-old coming in to see me for a nutrition consult. Her positive attitude and bright smile filled the room as she told me about her job as a grade school teacher and the new apartment she…

Aubagio (teriflunomide) has become the first once-a-day, oral disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) to be approved for use in India. Sanofi Genzyme’s therapy is indicated for first-line treatment of relapsing MS. It should be taken each day with or without food, and patients in India will have…

Non-viral vehicles, called niosomes, can deliver DNA to glial cells in the central nervous system, a new study shows. The findings open new avenues for gene therapy and the treatment of neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The study “Non-viral vectors based on cationic niosomes as efficient gene delivery…

Palliative care in a hospital setting rose 30 fold among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S. from 2005 to 2014, and was associated with longer hospital stays and greater numbers of in-hospital deaths but also lower overall costs, according to a large data study. Increased reliance on such care…

Aspirin, administered orally at low doses, was sufficient to suppress multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in a mouse model of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and chronic MS, a study reports. The clinical benefits of aspirin were linked to an increase in the number of regulatory T-cells, those responsible for shutting…