Breastfeeding While Taking MS Monoclonal Antibody Drugs Appears Safe
Exposure to multiple sclerosis (MS) monoclonal antibody treatment during breastfeeding appeared to have no negative effect on the early development or health of infants, registry data in Germany showed. Over the first 3 years of follow-up, no links emerged between exposure to monoclonal antibody drugs and annual hospitalization (rate ratio [RR] 1.23, P=0.473), annual systemic […]
Long COVID May Be Difficult to Identify in MS
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – People with multiple sclerosis (MS) appeared to have a low risk of developing long COVID, but lingering complaints after SARS-CoV-2 infection were difficult to untangle from MS symptoms, registry analyses showed. In studies presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, Robert Fox, MD, […]
Obesity Associated With Faster MS Disease Progression
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Obesity in multiple sclerosis (MS) was tied to faster worsening of disability and an increased risk of physical, psychological, and cognitive decline, a prospective cohort study showed. Compared with normal weight, obesity was associated with a faster increase in scores on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), which ranges from […]
Progression Independent of Relapse Activity in Pediatric-Onset MS
Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) even when they were relatively young, a prospective cohort study found. Confirmed PIRA events within 48 weeks of baseline occurred in 40.4% of pediatric-onset MS patients and were more frequent in older-onset groups, reported Maria Pia Amato, MD, of the University of Florence […]
Clinical Challenges: Determining When to Stop MS Therapy as Patients Age
Stopping multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment as patients age can be a fraught decision, but there are some signposts to help guide the way. This neurological disease of inflammatory damage to the brain most commonly starts in the second or third decade of life, and then by the fifth decade patients see declines in the frequency […]
Path to Multiple Sclerosis Cure on the Horizon
MILAN — A path to a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS) may be on the horizon, a top MS researcher suggested. The field faces a great opportunity to advance from suppressing the disease to curing it, said Stephen Hauser, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, in the keynote speech at the joint meeting […]
FDA Staff Voice Serious Concerns About Investigational ALS Cell Therapy
FDA reviewers voiced serious concerns about the investigational amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment debamestrocel — mesenchymal stromal cells secreting neurotrophic factors, also known as MSC-NTF, or NurOwn — from BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics ahead of an advisory committee meeting this week. When the FDA first received the drug’s application for approval, it determined the submission was […]
First Multiple Sclerosis Biosimilar Approved
The first biosimilar for multiple sclerosis (MS) was approved, the FDA announced late Thursday. Natalizumab-sztn (Tyruko) was approved as a biosimilar to natalizumab (Tysabri) injection to treat clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, and active secondary progressive MS, the agency said. Like its reference biologic, natalizumab-sztn (previously called PB006) also was approved to treat certain adult […]
Stem Cell Medical Tourism Leads to Meningitis in MS Patient
A woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had intrathecal injections of umbilical cord stem cells in Mexico ended up with a severe Mycobacterium abscessus infection that took weeks to identify and treat, according to a case study. In October 2022, the woman in her 30s traveled to Baja California, Mexico, and received two lumbar punctures […]
Omega-3 fatty acids linked to slower decline in ALS
People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who eat more foods high in certain omega-3 fatty acids like flaxseed oil, walnuts, canola oil and pumpkin seeds may have a slower physical decline from the disease and may have a slightly extended survival. The study, which looked at the survival of people with ALS over the course […]