AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine appears to be reasonably safe for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study of its use in the U.K. Vaccine side effects were in line with those experienced by the general population, its researchers said, such as flu-like symptoms and sore arms.
Trial results
Treatment with Mavenclad (clabridine) reduces the frequency of relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), with benefits appearing to be evident two years after patients stopped taking the treatment, new data suggest. These findings were in the study, “Analysis of frequency and severity of relapses…
Treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) significantly reduces the risk of relapse, decreases the proportion of patients experiencing a relapse, and has a better safety profile than Aubagio (teriflunomide) for people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an indirect comparison of clinical trial data.
Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17–22. Go here to read the latest stories from the conference. A majority of the relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients given Mavenclad (cladribine) tablets in the CLARITY Phase 3 trial did…
Interim data from a Phase 2 trial of Immunic Therapeutics’ investigational oral therapy IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients has established a once-daily, 30 mg dose as the most appropriate for future Phase 3 trials. The…
A gene called Mertk has important roles in the repair of myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects neurons and that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were published in Cell Press, in the study “Multiple sclerosis risk gene Mertk is required for…
Treatment with the antioxidant N‐acetyl cysteine is well-tolerated, but failed to outperform a placebo at easing fatigue in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a small clinical trial found. More studies now are needed to determine if oxidative stress contributes to fatigue or clinical progression in MS patients, and…
NurOwn cell therapy led to significant improvements in the physical abilities, vision, and cognition of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a Phase 2 clinical trial, top-line data show. In addition to these positive efficacy results, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, NurOwn’s developer, announced that its cell-based therapy showed…
Injecting rituximab — a cancer therapy sometimes used in multiple sclerosis — into the spinal canal of people with progressive forms of MS did not demonstrably lower inflammation or improve clinical conditions, according to the results of a small trial. “Contrary to the initial high expectations, no clear-cut effect on…
Treatment of up to a year with memantine — an approved therapy for Alzheimer’s disease — failed to prevent cognitive decline and disability, and to significantly reduce fatigue and spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), a review of published studies shows. The therapy, sold under the brand name Namenda, works…
A Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating GeNeuro‘s investigational antibody temelimab as a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) should continue as planned, without modifications. That’s the recommendation of a Drug Safety Monitoring Board, an independent committee of clinical research experts, which was evaluating the trial of the…
Tecfidera Safe and Effective Over Long Term in Children With RRMS, Trial Shows In my view, too little attention has been paid to treating children and teens with MS between the ages of 10 and 18. Though things seem to be improving, only one disease-modifying therapy, Novartis’ Gilenya (fingolimod),…
A medical website’s headline screamed, “Breakthrough Multiple Sclerosis Vaccine Shows Impressive Results In Study.” The New York Daily News joined in, highlighting a potential “breakthrough” vaccine. Other media outlets also were using similar adjectives earlier this month. Unfortunately, it’s normal media hype. I suspect some of it was was…
People with primary progressive MS (PPMS) appeared to show a much stronger response and to be the” driving” force behind a slowing in brain atrophy seen with ibudilast treatment in the SPRINT‐MS trial, a post-hoc study analysis reports. The treatment response observed in brain atrophy was more evident…
A stem cell transplant can prevent disability progression and maintain disease remission over long periods of time in most patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who failed to respond adequately to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study reports. The study, “Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Hematopoietic…
Patient dosing has finished in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing NurOwn, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics’ investigational cell-based therapy for people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The trial’s top-line results are…
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) induces a reduction in relapse rate and physical disability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who respond inadequately to other treatments, a small study suggests. The study, “Selective cognitive dysfunction and physical disability improvement after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation…
Scientists have demonstrated that stem cells derived from the skin cells of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can grow into normal myelin-producing nerve cells, called oligodendrocytes, in a mouse model of MS. These patient-derived cells migrated throughout the brain of myelin-deficient mice, producing myelin — the fatty…
A multiple sclerosis (MS)-specific computerized cognitive rehabilitation (CR) program led to significant improvements in mental skills among MS patients participating in a recent pilot study. These findings suggest that those with MS, and likely other disorders, might gain the greatest benefits from tailored cognitive tests that are specifically adapted…
Studied for the first time, Aubagio (teriflunomide) slowed the loss of cortical grey matter and whole-brain volume in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) during two years of therapy, a study found. The treatment was especially effective in those without brain lesions before treatment.
Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) may be an effective treatment option for patients with early relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who fail to respond adequately to glatiramer acetate, according to a post-hoc analysis of an observational study. The findings were reported in an article, “Effectiveness…
Using a small molecule called TEPP-46 to block the non-metabolic function of the enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in T-helper (Th) immune cells did not lessen disease severity and redirected inflammation and neural damage from the spinal cord to the brain in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis…
A bone marrow transplant may be particularly useful for those with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who, despite treatment with high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), continue to experience relapses or show signs of new lesions, experts say. According to new recommendations from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,…
A non-invasive retina imaging technique known as optical coherence tomography (OCT) provided evidence of the neuroprotective effect of ibudilast (MN-166) — an oral medication designed to reduce the body’s inflammatory responses — in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The data also…
An autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) is more effective than Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) at achieving no evidence of disease activity and preventing relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a real-life study in Sweden reported. Adverse events (side effects) were more frequent with AHSCT over the first three…
Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) was more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) in helping people with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) achieve no evidence of disease activity, a head-to-head study suggested. The study, “BEST-MS: A prospective head-to-head comparative study of natalizumab and fingolimod in active relapsing MS,” was…
Adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) had fewer new and accumulated lesions, and a lower relapse rate than those treated with Gilenya (fingolimod) for 24 weeks, according to…
MD1003, MedDay Pharmaceuticals’ high-dose biotin therapy, failed to significantly improve functional ability or walking speed in people with non-active progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. Besides failing to meet the trial’s goals, the therapy was associated with inaccurate results in…
Oral administration of trehalose — a sugar molecule found in plants and fungi and reported to have neuroprotective effects — eased symptoms and halted disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). These benefits were associated with a restoration of the ability of microglia (the brain’s immune cells) to break down…
Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are similarly effective at lowering the frequency of relapses and delaying disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a real-world study from Switzerland reported. These efficacy measures were also consistent whether patients were new to a disease-modifying therapy (DMT)…