Latest Conference Coverage

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.

Ponesimod Linked to Low Levels of Disease Activity in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

No new safety signals were observed in the combined analysis of ponesimod from the phase 2b core study and extension study.

COVID-19 Has Negative Impact on Parkinson Disease Symptom Management

Supporting patient activation of their knowledge, skill, and confidence in managing their health may empower patients in times of stress.

Parkinson Disease Gene Therapy VY-AADC01 Proves Safe With Signs of Efficacy

Three-year data from a phase 1 study of Voyager Therapeutics’ VY-AADC01 suggest it is safe and offers potential benefits for patients with Parkinson disease.

Bilateral Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy Safe, Effective in Essential Tremor

Scores reflective of tremor in each body part and task performance improved by 71% in patients from baseline before first thalamotomy to 6 months after second thalamotomy.

Directional Deep Brain Stimulation Linked to Wider Therapeutic Window in Parkinson Disease

After 3 months of treatment, an overwhelming number of clinicians and patients preferred directional over omnidirectional DBS.

Cannabinoid May Improve Nonmotor Symptoms in Parkinson Disease

Results from a phase 2 pilot study of nabilone in Parkinson disease suggest that the synthetic cannabinoid might hold therapeutic potential for nonmotor symptoms.

Ofatumumab Highly Effective in Treatment-Naïve Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Treatment-naïve patients showed consistent results with the overall study population that was observed in the ASCLEPIOS I and II trials.

Disability, Economic Burden Greater in MS Patients With High Levels of Fatigue

Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis and high levels of fatigue were less likely to be employed full-time than those with MS with low fatigue.

Pitolisant Shows No Cardiac Safety Signals in Narcolepsy

Despite previous literature documenting cardiovascular disease comorbidity in patients with narcolepsy, pitolisant treatment did not demonstrate any cardiac safety signals.

Solriamfetol Improves Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Driving Performance Ability

The FDA-approved agent showed significant impact in decreasing standard deviation of lateral position, a measure used to assess driving performance.

Pitolisant Improves Daytime Sleepiness and Cataplexy in Severely Burdened Patients

Pooled data from 2 clinical trials of the H3-receptor antagonist/inverse agonist show it improved cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy who were most hampered by symptoms.

Marwan Sabbagh, MD: Observations From AAIC 2020

The director of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and neurologist at Cleveland Clinic detailed the state of Alzheimer disease and what research particularly grabbed his attention at AAIC 2020.

Lemborexant Demonstrates Efficacy in Elders

Already FDA approved for the treatment of insomnia in adults, lemborexant’s ability to improve sleep outcomes in the elderly was highlighted in a study presented at SLEEP 2020.

Lemborexant Improves Sleep Outcomes Following Placebo Randomization Switch

Benefit from lemborexant was evident after 1 month of switching from placebo to the active treatment and was sustained through the entirety of the 12-month trial.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Shows Multiple Benefits for Women

Multiple abstracts at SLEEP 2020 show CBT-I’s success in aiding women with insomnia, including those going through pregnancy, and those who are veterans both with and without PTSD.

Katrina Celis, MD: Genetics and Their Role in Alzheimer Research, Clinical Care

The postdoctoral fellow at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine detailed the role that increased APOE ε4 expression can have on future research and clinical care.

Q&A: Genetic Ancestry and Alzheimer Disease Risk

Katrina Celis, MD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, discussed how ancestral genetics can play a key role in Alzheimer disease risk.

Sargramostim Shows Safety and Promise as Potential Alzheimer Treatment

The investigators wrote that the Alzheimer’s Association “Part the Cloud” funded 24-week treatment trial is now warranted after sargramostim showed a safe and tolerable profile.