Multiple sclerosis

The findings from two studies published in JAMA show the benefits of initial disease-modifying therapy and nonmyeloablative haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in delaying conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Rituximab treatment may reduce and delay disability progression in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, show findings from a comprehensive real-world cohort study.

The benefits of medicinal cannabinoids for the treatment of spasticity, pain and bladder dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis may be limited, suggests a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Adolescents with multiple sclerosis may experience fewer relapses if they take fingolimod versus interferon beta-1a, suggest findings from the phase III PARADIGMS trial.

Ibudilast may slow brain atrophy in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis, show findings from a phase II study.

Researchers have discovered a new subtype of multiple sclerosis that features neuronal loss but not demyelination of the brain’s white matter.

Superimposed relapses are associated with a lower risk of confirmed disability progression among individuals with progressive-onset multiple sclerosis, suggest the results of an observational cohort study published in JAMA Neurology.

Researchers suggest that alemtuzumab is comparable to natalizumab for controlling multiple sclerosis activity and superior to fingolimod and interferon beta.

High-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation can induce long-term remission for patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, show findings from the HALT-MS trial.

Researchers have highlighted the occurrence of severely exacerbated central nervous system inflammation in two patients taking alemtuzumab for multiple sclerosis.

Phase 3 trial results have shown the benefits of ocrelizumab for reducing disability progression in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and disease activity in patients with the relapsing–remitting disease subtype.

Babies born with low levels of vitamin D may be at increased risk for multiple sclerosis in later life, suggests research.

Alemtuzumab improves pre-existing disability in multiple sclerosis patients rather than just slowing its progression, shows analysis of the CARE-MS II trial.

Exercise does not reduce women’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis, an analysis of data on more than 193,000 women shows.

Amiselimod shows potential for the treatment of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, without the cardiac side effects associated with other sphingosine 1-phosphate 1 receptor modulators, phase II study findings show.

The 11-year follow-up results of the BENEFIT trial emphasize the importance of initiating treatment early in individuals exhibiting the signs of multiple sclerosis onset, say researchers who observed long-lasting improvements in disease progression and disability.

Researchers believe that, when diagnosing multiple sclerosis, lesions in the symptomatic region should not be excluded, as stated in the McDonald dissemination in space criteria.

Rituximab may be an attractive treatment option for patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, suggest phase II study findings showing its efficacy in controlling inflammatory activity.

Intensifying current transplant conditioning to remove rather than suppress immune cells ahead of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation may result in long-term remission of multiple sclerosis, phase II trial findings show.

Human leukocyte antigen alleles not only increase susceptibility to multiple sclerosis, but also influence the course of the disease, suggests research.