Latest Conference Coverage

Stephen L. Hauser, MD: Fenebrutinib and BTK Inhibition in Progressive MS

The director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience spoke to the advantages of having agents that can be used across the spectrum of MS, and the role disease progression plays early on.

Low-Dose Rituximab Safe, as Effective as High Dose in MS

In the third year of treatment, both dose cohorts did not experience any contrast-enhancing lesions, and only a small population in the Barcelona center showed new T2 lesions.

Ocrelizumab Shows Range of Benefits for Spectrum of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

The medical director manager of neuroscience at Genentech discussed the swath of data presented on the humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody at MS Virtual.

Early Intensive MS Treatment Yields Better Outcomes Than Escalation Approach

Early intensive treatment was more effective in controlling disability progression over time compared with an escalation therapy approach.

Stephen L. Hauser, MD: Increasing Understanding of Disease Progression in MS

The director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience spoke to the advantages of having agents that can be used across the spectrum of MS, and the role disease progression plays early on.

Fatigue Plays a Key Factor in Multiple Sclerosis Daily Functioning

Patients with lower levels of disability tended to report fatigue as the most impactful symptom in daily life.

Luc Truyen, MD, PhD: Advantages of Ponesimod as an S1P Modulator

The global head of Development and External Affairs-Neuroscience at Janssen Pharmaceutical detailed what makes ponesimod different from other currently FDA-approved treatments.

Ocrelizumab Holds Benefit for Relapsing MS Patients With Prior Suboptimal DMT Response

Treatment with ocrelizumab can improve freedom from individual events in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis regardless of suboptimal DMT response in the past.

The Importance of Patient-Centered Care in Parkinson Disease

The director of the VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers spoke to the importance of patient-focused interventions in PD.

Stephen L. Hauser, MD: Ofatumumab in Treatment-Naïve Patients With MS

The director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience offered his perspective on data presented at MS Virtual suggesting ofatumumab’s benefit in patients with MS who were treatment naïve.

Investigational Drug Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus Shows Promise for Progressive MS

Atara Biotherapeutics’ allogeneic EBV-targeted T-cell therapy, ATA188, is well-tolerated in phase 1, with a dose identified for the randomized placebo-controlled portion of the study.

Progressive and Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Share Similar Fatigue Severity

Future research may help better characterize whether fatigue interventions aimed at one patient population may be effective in the other.

Ocrelizumab Treatment Results in High NEDA Rates, Improvements in MS Symptoms

A pair of datasets from the phase 3b CASTING study of ocrelizumab (Ocrevus; Genentech) suggest that patients treated with the agent experienced high rates of no evidence of disease activity status regardless of prior DMT exposure.

Luc Truyen, MD, PhD: Long-Term Results of Ponesimod in Phase 2b Study

The global head of Development and External Affairs-Neuroscience at Janssen Pharmaceutical discussed the results of a phase 2 core and extension study of ponesimod in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Indu Subramanian, MD: Social Prescribing for Patients With Parkinson Disease

The director of the VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers explained how social prescribing can play a key role in the prevention of social isolation.

Ozanimod Shows Long-Term Safety, Efficacy in Open-Label Extension

Along with being generally well tolerated, ozanimod was able to help most patients become relapse free without disability progression.

Stewart Factor, MD: Long-Term Data on Apomorphine Sublingual Film in Parkinson

The director of the Movement Disorders Program and Vance Lanier Chair of Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine gave his perspective on the interim findings of a long-term safety study of apomorphine sublingual film.

Addressing Loneliness and Social Isolation in Patients With Parkinson Disease

The director of the VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers offered background the inspiration for the study and why loneliness should be addressed in these patients.

Asaff Harel, MD: Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 Infection in Multiple Sclerosis

The neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital detailed the findings of his observational study that looked at patterns of COVID-19 infections in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Satralizumab Reduces Risk of Relapse, Including in Treatment-Naïve NMOSD

Two posters presented at MS 2020 confirm satralizumab’s ability to reduce protocol-defined relapse including in patients with treatment-naïve NMOSD.

Joaquim Ferreira, MD, PhD: Opicapone’s Use in Levodopa-Treated Patients With Parkinson Disease

The head of the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Lisbon gave his perspective on the importance of the study population of this analysis.

Apomorphine Sublingual Film Shows Long-Term Efficacy in OFF Episode Treatment

The recently approved apomorphine sublingual film (Kynmobi; Sunovion) maintained efficacy over the long-term, with at least 74% of patients experiencing full ON within 30 minutes post-dose at each time point.

THN102 Is Safe, Improves Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson Disease

The investigational drug consistently increased the proportion of patients no longer suffering from daytime sleepiness during treatment.

Jakob Dupont, MD: Phase 1 Data on Cell Therapy for Progressive MS

The executive vice president and head of global research and development at Atara Biotherapeutics spoke to the findings of a phase 1 study of the cell therapy ATA188.

Amantadine Shows Treatment Durability for Reducing OFF Time in Parkinson Disease

The percentage of patients reporting no OFF time and no impact of OFF on daily function more than doubled by the first on-treatment visit in this open-label trial.

Indu Subramanian, MD: The Effect of Loneliness on Parkinson Disease Severity

The director of the VA Southwest Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers discussed how loneliness can impact Parkinson disease severity and how holistic approaches to care may help.

Tau Levels May Predict Early Disability, Worse Prognosis in MS

Data show that higher CSF tau levels at diagnosis correlated with worse disability independent of age, though no such associations were identified with amyloid-beta.

Levodopa-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel Superior to Immediate Release Capsules for ON Time Without Dyskinesia

Benefits of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel lasted throughout the day and showed greater benefits of continuous dopaminergic stimulation in disease control than immediate release oral capsules.

Opicapone Improves ON, OFF Time in Levodopa-Treated Patients With Parkinson Disease

The COMT inhibitor, which was approved in April 2020, may be a worthwhile option as a first-line adjunctive treatment for those with Parkinson disease with motor fluctuations.

Levodopa-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel Effective for Dyskinesia in Advanced Parkinson Disease

Improvement in dyskinesia occurred after 2 weeks of treatment with levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel and was sustained throughout the study.