Treatment

Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS), wherein mild electrical impulses are applied to the tibial nerve located near the ankle, may help with sexual dysfunction related to multiple sclerosis (MS) in both men and women, a study suggests. The study, “Tibial nerve stimulation in the management of primary sexual…

Rituximab, which is sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), doubles the risk of hospital-treated infections, but may prevent worsening disability better than some approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a Swedish study finds. Hospital-treated infections were significantly associated with a higher risk of relapse-independent disability worsening among relapsing-remitting…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to Immpact Bio to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial to test IMPT-514, its experimental cell therapy, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). With the investigational new drug (IND) clearance by the FDA, Immpact Bio now…

A potential treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been patented in the European Union based on findings in preclinical studies. Notice of an intent to grant patent EP18722530, titled “Method for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis using arsenic trioxide,” was given by the European Patent…

A Phase 1 clinical trial that’s testing IMP761, an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune conditions, has dosed its first healthy participant, the therapy’s developer has announced. Immutep received regulatory clearance to start the first-in-human trial of IMP761 in the Netherlands about a…

Indapta Therapeutics will launch a Phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S. in the second half of 2024 to explore its cell-based therapy IDP-023 in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The announcement follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) clearance of the company’s investigational…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions who use Mallinckrodt‘s treatment Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) now have a self-injection option, the company said. Acthar Gel Single-Dose Pre-filled SelfJect is available in two dosages — 40 USP units/0.5 ml and 80 USP units/1.0 mL — that…

PIPE-307, an experimental oral therapy that’s currently in Phase 2 testing for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), was shown to promote myelin repair in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The preclinical findings were published in PNAS, in the study “Targeting the muscarinic M1 receptor…

Blocking the activity of a protein called connexin 43 (Cx43) may be an effective strategy to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study in animal models of the disease. A compound called INI-0602, which was designed to inhibit this protein, significantly eased disease severity in mice, including…

Tiziana Life Sciences has received fast track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its intranasal foralumab to treat nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The FDA gives fast track status to experimental medicines that have the potential to fill unmet needs to treat serious…

Iaso Biotherapeutics has received the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start clinical trials of its investigational CAR T-cell therapy equecabtagene autoleucel (eque-cel) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The FDA’s clearance of the company’s investigational new drug (IND) application makes MS the…

Kesimpta (ofatumumab) is more effective than Aubagio (teriflunomide) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) from ethnically diverse groups, including Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, and Asian individuals, according to an analysis of pooled clinical trial data. “Determining whether there are differences in how people respond…

Immutep has been cleared to start a Phase 1 clinical trial in the Netherlands to test IMP761, its experimental antibody therapy for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers. The first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial seeks to assess the safety and pharmacological properties of IMP761.

Treatment with modafinil, a stimulant approved in the U.S. for treating certain sleep-related disorders, significantly reduced fatigue and improved overall quality of life when used in clinical trials for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of published study data. However, its use was linked to…

A disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) is a form of treatment that alters how the disease develops over time. DMTs have the potential to impede the progression of MS and decrease the number of relapses a patient experiences. In MS, the immune system is…

Abata Therapeutics is expected to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial by the end of the year to test ABA-101, its experimental therapy for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), after getting a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA approved Abata’s investigational new drug…

Methylphenidate, a stimulant sometimes used to manage fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS), may also ease oculomotor (eye movement) symptoms and increase how quickly the brain processes visual information, according to a pilot study by Kessler Foundation in New Jersey. “Our findings suggest that methylphenidate could be a beneficial…

The Australian government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has awarded AU$2.9 million (about $1.96 million) to support a project focused on developing artificial intelligence (AI) precision medicine strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS). The project will be conducted by a team of investigators that will include neurologists, neuroradiologists, and data…

Nearly one year of treatment with frexalimab, an antibody being developed by Sanofi, significantly reduced the blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve cell damage that typically is elevated in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from a company-sponsored…

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an investigational new drug application from Synaptogenix, clearing the company to launch a clinical trial to test whether its lead candidate bryostatin-1 can prevent cognitive decline in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT06190912),…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with sleep medications and antidepressants. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Many years ago, it was brought to my attention that I suffer from insomnia and chronic fatigue.

When given a specific set of chemical cues, immune cells called neutrophils are able to take on healing abilities that allow them to help repair damaged nerve fibers, a study by U.S. researchers found. The researchers hope to build on this discovery to create new treatments for multiple sclerosis…

Researchers have identified characteristics of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) — a family of immune cells that help keep harmful immune reactions in check — that could make it easier to develop targeted treatments for autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS). They found that Tregs exist as a common pool that…

Two inverse vaccines from Nykode Therapeutics — developed to teach the immune system not to respond against its own body — worked to reduce disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. This adds to earlier findings that the company’s experimental approach and…

June is a special month for me. Eight years ago I had an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) in Moscow to treat my multiple sclerosis (MS). On June 22, I celebrated my eighth stem cell birthday! A stem cell transplant, or “stemmie day,” is when patients…

The European Commission has approved a subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) to treat adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval makes the new formulation available in the European Union for the same indications as the original intravenous (into-the-vein) formulation, which is available to people with relapsing…

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has awarded a $2.9 million, five-year grant to a research project that aims to advance a new technology that could improve stem cell therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders. “The work we plan to undertake has significant implications…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with high-dose steroids to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. My first experience treating an MS relapse with intravenous steroids was interesting.

Switching to one of the anti-CD20 targeting therapies Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or rituximab may be an effective strategy for discontinuing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), according to a systematic review. The study, “Switching from natalizumab to an…

Most patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who took foralumab nasal spray for at least six months saw a decrease in microglial activity in their brains, according to its developer Tiziana Life Sciences. The results were gleaned from PET imaging data from 10 nonactive SPMS patients…