Research

Source Queen Mary University of London: A drug for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been granted a license by the European Commission, following evidence from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) that it improves patients’ quality of life and is safer than previously thought.

Source University of California San Francisco: Researchers at UC San Francisco have identified specific gut microbes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) in human patients, and show that these microbes take part in regulating immune responses in mouse models of the disease.  

Source MS Society: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has licensed cladribine (also known as Mavenclad) to treat people with highly active relapsing MS. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will now decide whether to make it available on the NHS in England and Wales. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) will decide for Scotland. How does it

Source MS Trust: The development of new drugs is a long and difficult process. Fewer than one or two compounds in 10,000 tested actually make it through to being licensed treatments with many being rejected on safety, efficacy or quality grounds.

Source Multiple Sclerosis News Today: A substance that the pancreas secretes can promote the regeneration of the protective nerve-cell coating that is damaged in multiple sclerosis, a mouse study shows.

Source MS Trust: The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for cladribine (Mavenclad)for the treatment of adults with highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis. This follows a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency in June that a licence should be granted.

Source MS Society: Researchers have found that common gut bacteria can suppress MS symptoms in mice.

Source Oxford Brookes University A healthy diet may be a simple, cost effective and safe therapy for improving symptoms experienced in people with MS (pwMS), and thus for increasing quality of life. There is currently no cure for fatigue yet it is one of the most debilitating of symptoms associated with MS.

Source The Guardian Therapies for multiple sclerosis are becoming more effective. But an underfunded NHS is struggling to provide timely diagnosis and make the latest treatments widely available.