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People across England will be joining forces to demonstrate their outrage at Gordon Brown’s failure to act on his promise to abolish prescription charges for people with long-term conditions, by taking part in a simultaneous ‘wake-up phone call’ to No 10…

Fewer African Americans than Caucasians develop multiple sclerosis (MS), statistics show, but their disease progresses more rapidly, and they don’t respond as well to therapies, a new study by neurology researchers at the University at Buffalo has found…

James Gray MP has argued the Risk Sharing Scheme has ‘fatal flaws’ and is ‘hopelessly out of date’. James Gray MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on MS, secured a debate on the Risk Sharing Scheme on Tuesday of this week. The purpose of the debate was to consider whether the Scheme has worked to benefit either people living with MS or the NHS…

A new study reveals that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients enrolled in a seven-month disease therapy management (DTM) program show greater adherence to injectable MS medications and treatment persistence than patients who receive injectable MS medications through a community pharmacy…

Drinking milk during pregnancy may help reduce your baby’s chances of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as an adult, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010…

University of Adelaide researchers in Australia are finding new ways to block the movement of cells in the body which can cause autoimmune diseases and the spread of cancer. Led by Professor of Immunology Shaun McColl, the researchers have identified molecular “receptors” on the surface of cells which are involved in helping cells migrate to sites where they can cause disease…

Researchers who have carried out the first randomized clinical study to determine if people with multiple sclerosis (MS) show signs of narrowing of the veins causing restricted blood flow from the brain have said they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ following the release of preliminary results. The University of Buffalo researchers in New York found that of 280 people with MS, 56…

More than 55 percent of multiple sclerosis patients participating in the initial phase of the first randomized clinical study to determine if persons with MS exhibit narrowing of the extracranial veins, causing restriction of normal outflow of blood from the brain, were found to have the abnormality. The results were reported by neurology researchers at the University at Buffalo…

Recent media reports have covered research announced ahead of the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) Annual Meeting in April which suggested that milk during pregnancy may lower a baby’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life. The theory from the researchers in Boston, announced in an AAN press release, was based on a survey of American mothers…

An article published Online First and in the April edition of The Lancet Neurology reports that add-on daclizumab treatment might reduce multiple sclerosis disease activity more than standard interferon beta treatment alone. The article is the work of Dr John W Rose, Neurovirology Research Laboratory, VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah and University of Utah, USA, and colleagues…

Today the MS Society launches its 2010 Manifesto in a serious and high profile attempt to encourage the next Government to act upon MS inequalities. The document sets 10 powerful calls for the next Government to act upon…

Migraine is seen more frequently in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) than those without, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010…

Highly fit multiple sclerosis patients perform significantly better on tests of cognitive function than similar less-fit patients, a new study shows. In addition, MRI scans of the patients showed that the fitter MS patients showed less damage in parts of the brain that show deterioration as a result of MS, as well as a greater volume of vital gray matter…

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) announced the publication of data from the 15-year clinical study with Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate injection), which is the longest prospective and continuous evaluation ever conducted in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. The data were published in the February issue of the journal Multiple Sclerosis…

A non-pathogenic bacterium is capable of triggering an autoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis in the mouse, the model animal which helps to explain how human diseases work…

Results of a phase II clinical trial on the safety and effectiveness of low dose naltrexone (LDN) as a symptom-relief treatment for people with MS have been published in the journal Annals of Neurology. The results of the study suggest that LDN is safe and may have positive effects on the mental quality of life in people with MS; but no effect on a patient’s physical quality of life…

An innovative scheme piloted in Surrey and Sussex, the first of its kind in the country, has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the lives of people in the area with multiple sclerosis (MS)…

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This finding implicates EBV as a contributory cause to multiple sclerosis…

Peptimmune, Inc. a privately held biotechnology company, announced the grant of US Patent Number 7,655,221 (the ‘221 patent) which protects the target product profile for its PI-2301 peptide copolymer for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, and other autoimmune diseases. The ‘221 patent claims important treatment modalities for PI-2301 and related compounds…

About four out of every 10 cells in the brain are so-called oligodendrocytes. These cells produce the all-important myelin that coats nerve tracts, ensuring fast, energy-efficient transmission of nerve impulses…

Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny “potassium channels” in the fibers are exposed. The chemical compound also might be developed as a treatment for multiple sclerosis…

Researchers in Belgium have suggested that giving birth slows the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The results of their study are published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced it will request research operating grants related to chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) and MS. A recent study released by Dr…

Current research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. The related report by Nichols et al, “Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity,” appears in the December 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology…

News reports this week have detailed the research of Canadian scientists and Dr Paolo Zamboni, who is a professor of medicine at the University of Ferrara in Italy and whose wife has multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr Zamboni claims from his studies of MS literature to have discovered what he believes could be a revolution for the treatment and diagnosis of the life-long condition…

People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) feel more than twice as much withheld anger as the general population and this could have an adverse effect on their relationships and health, according to a study published in the December issue of the European Journal of Neurology…

New findings from an international team of researchers probing the nerve-insulating myelin sheath were bolstered by the work of Boston College biologists, who used x-rays to uncover how mutations affect the structure of myelin, a focal point of research in multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders…

Limitations in therapy induced by adverse effects due to unselective drug availability and therefore the use of potentially too high doses are a common problem. One prominent example for this dilemma are inflammatory diseases…

The MS Society was invited in to the House of Commons this week to share the views of people affected by MS with the Health Select Committee as part of their inquiry into the future of the social care system. The inquiry follows the Government’s Green Paper published earlier this year on which the Society provided extensive feedback…

Merck KGaA announced that its US affiliate received a refuse to file letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the New Drug Application (NDA) for Cladribine Tablets, Merck Serono’s proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine, as a therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS)…

A study led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist describes a new, highly pragmatic approach to the identification of molecules that prevent a specific type of immune cells from attacking their host. The findings add a powerful new tool to the ongoing search for potential treatments for autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as blood cancers, such as myeloid leukemia…

Best-practice recommendations for the selection and management of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who may benefit from, or are receiving treatment with TYSABRI® (natalizumab) were published recently in a supplement to the medical journal Multiple Sclerosis. The panel provided recommendations focusing on appropriate patient selection and patient management…

In 2002 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) ruled that certain drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) were not cost effective. In response, the Department of Health (DH) set up an observational study called the Risk Sharing Scheme…

Glial cells, which help neurons communicate with each other, can leave the central nervous system and cross into the peripheral nervous system to compensate for missing cells, according to new research in the Dec. 2 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience…

Cannabis can reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Neurology, found that five out six randomized controlled trials reported a reduction in spasticity and an improvement in mobility…

Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) today announced that its oral compound BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) achieved key milestones in clinical trials for multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)…

The Department of Neurology at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience has been awarded a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the creation of a center of excellence to study autoimmune diseases from basic science research to its translation into clinical applications…

Researchers in the US studying people with chronic diseases found that physical activity may reduce depression and fatigue by increasing self-efficacy, or the belief that one can master physical goals and attain a sense of accomplishment from applying oneself…

Scottish scientists have discovered that babies born during April are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life. The results of the study, reported in the Sunday Times Scotland, suggest that mothers pregnant during the dark autumn and winter months were most likely to give birth to those who would develop the condition…

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (AMEX: AEN), a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the awareness, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of zinc deficiency and chronic copper toxicity in the mature population, announced that the ongoing clinical trial of its Trimesta™ (oral estriol) drug candidate being conducted by Dr…

Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) today announced that its oral compound BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) achieved key milestones in clinical trials for multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)…

Cannabis can reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Neurology, found that five out six randomized controlled trials reported a reduction in spasticity and an improvement in mobility…

Merck KGaA announced that its US affiliate received a refuse to file letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the New Drug Application (NDA) for Cladribine Tablets, Merck Serono’s proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine, as a therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS)…

A study led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist describes a new, highly pragmatic approach to the identification of molecules that prevent a specific type of immune cells from attacking their host. The findings add a powerful new tool to the ongoing search for potential treatments for autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as blood cancers, such as myeloid leukemia…

Best-practice recommendations for the selection and management of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who may benefit from, or are receiving treatment with TYSABRI® (natalizumab) were published recently in a supplement to the medical journal Multiple Sclerosis. The panel provided recommendations focusing on appropriate patient selection and patient management…

In 2002 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) ruled that certain drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) were not cost effective. In response, the Department of Health (DH) set up an observational study called the Risk Sharing Scheme…

Glial cells, which help neurons communicate with each other, can leave the central nervous system and cross into the peripheral nervous system to compensate for missing cells, according to new research in the Dec. 2 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience…

People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) feel more than twice as much withheld anger as the general population and this could have an adverse effect on their relationships and health, according to a study published in the December issue of the European Journal of Neurology. Italian researchers assessed 195 patients with MS, using a range of scales that measure anger, depression and anxiety, and then compared them with the general population.

New findings from an international team of researchers probing the nerve-insulating myelin sheath were bolstered by the work of Boston College biologists, who used x-rays to uncover how mutations affect the structure of myelin, a focal point of research in multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.

Limitations in therapy induced by adverse effects due to unselective drug availability and therefore the use of potentially too high doses are a common problem. One prominent example for this dilemma are inflammatory diseases. The therapeutic drawback can be overcome using nanocarrier-based drug targeting strategies which improve the selective delivery of drugs to the site of action, the so called drug targeting.