From the multiple sclerosis specialist working in a dedicated MS center, to the rural clinician with the occasional MS patient, there is little debate that infusible disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have transformed care for this patient population.

A new analysis of the North American Registry for Care and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (NARCRMS), a physician-based longitudinal registry, underscores discrepancies in care between Whites and Blacks and Hispanics. The research also found that Blacks and Hispanics with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience more severe disease and are less likely than Whites to initiate disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).

The Food and Drug Administration has approved once-daily oral ponesimod (Ponvory, Janssen) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults. Results from a pivotal phase 3 clinical trial show the drug was associated with nearly a third fewer annual relapses, compared with the MS drug teriflunomide.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) shows promise for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), but prospective clinical trials need to be done to confirm findings. The treatment could best be applied to patients aged under 50 years with disease duration less than 10 years, who are ineligible for disease-modifying therapies, or who have breakthrough symptoms with these treatments, such as clinical relapses or new inflammatory central nervous system lesions.

Two experimental therapies being investigated for multiple sclerosis (MS) by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, may hold promise as eventual treatments for the disease.

Promotion of hookworm infection may be an innovative future approach to improving immune response in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the results of a phase 2, randomized clinical trial.

Comorbidities are common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), can impact treatment decisions, and require a multidisciplinary approach to management, including careful attention to lifestyle issues, said Patricia Melville, RN, MSN, NP-C, MSCN, in a presentation at the virtual annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC).

A number of emerging MRI measures with which to diagnose and stage multiple sclerosis (MS) are in development and nearly ready for expanded clinical use, according to a recent review article in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal

Reasons for not adhering to treatment among patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS) involve psychological factors just as much as concerns about treatment effectiveness or side effects, according to recent research published in the International Journal of MS Care.

Researchers seeking simple and sensitive ways to detect walking balance impairments early on – before such impairments become clinically apparent in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) – have reported success in the lab with the use of a virtual reality–based system that assesses one’s responses to subtle visual perturbations while walking.

Major federally funded studies are underway to help neurologists better assess a growing array of multiple sclerosis treatments, including competing tablets.
But in the near term, physicians and people with MS will continue to have to make certain educated guesses when choosing medications.

The central vein sign detected on 3T MRI had a high sensitivity and moderate specificity in identifying cases of multiple sclerosis and differentiating them from other, similar-looking conditions, according to a recent study in JAMA Neurology.

Nearly one in five patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) was found to be misdiagnosed upon further evaluation at specialized academic centers, according to a retrospective study published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

Specialists urge continued use of MRI with GBCAs to detect otherwise hidden signs of progression

Vitamin D supplements are safe, but there’s not enough high-quality evidence that vitamin D is effective for slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis, a Cochrane analysis recently concluded. The results from ongoing prospective studies may provide the answers that address vitamin D’s role for MS patients.

Amidst the fast-changing landscape of medical cannabis, there lie both glimmers of hope and notes of caution for patients with multiple sclerosis.