Multiple sclerosis

Word-finding problems affect one in four people with MS and are linked to cognition rather than fatigue or depression, a study suggests. People with cognitive impairment were nearly five times more likely to experience difficulties retrieving words than those without cognitive impairment. The symptom was not associated with fatigue or depression.   “Findings [...]

AI has revealed previously undetectable brain lesions in people with MS, in research that could change how the condition is monitored. Multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS, is a debilitating condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the nervous system. It affects around 150,000 people in the UK. It can cause fatigue, vision problems, [...]

MS affects social life and work for many people, while finances and education are also affected, a nationwide study has found. More than half of participants said the condition affected their social lives, while almost half reported an impact on their work. The findings suggest the effects of the neurological condition extend beyond physical symptoms [...]

The final patient has begun dosing in a trial of a nasal therapy for non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. The phase 2a study is evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of foralumab compared with a placebo, an inactive treatment. Headline results are expected later this year and are planned for presentation at the joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS [...]

The European Commission (EC) has approved Cenrifki for adults with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) who had no relapses in the previous two years. The decision follows a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. Sanofi said Cenrifki, also known as tolebrutinib, is the first disease-targeting therapy approved [...]

The US FDA has cleared PTD802 for a first-in-human trial, allowing Pheno Therapeutics to move the experimental MS treatment into clinical testing. The Investigational New Drug clearance allows the company to proceed with a clinical trial in the US. The first study would assess the safety and tolerability of the treatment in healthy volunteers. [...]

An exercise hormone may ease MS symptoms by protecting nerve cells from damage, early research in mice suggests. Irisin, a hormone released during exercise, appeared to directly shield neurons from damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. An experimental gene therapy raised blood levels of the hormone, reducing clinical disability and limiting nerve cell [...]

MS patients in Wales can face six-hour round trips to England for specialist care, a charity has warned. Research for MS Society Cymru found that a shortage of specialist NHS staff is leading to long waits for treatment. Nearly 7,000 people in Wales live with MS, which affects the central nervous system and can cause [...]

A major trial has found the MS drug ocrelizumab slowed disability progression in primary progressive MS, including older patients and wheelchair users. The international phase III study, a late-stage clinical trial, included more than 1,000 people across 22 countries. It tested ocrelizumab against a placebo, an inactive treatment, in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis [...]

Spinal cord damage once thought irreversible may be reversible, after researchers grew miniature brain and spinal circuits in the lab. The early-stage research suggests nerve fibres connecting the brain and spinal cord may be able to regrow after damage if key biological signals are targeted. The findings could help scientists understand why paralysis and other [...]