Tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory medication used off-label for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), can help prevent relapses (flare-ups) and ease disability while being generally safe, according to a meta-analysis. The study, “Tocilizumab treatment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: Updated meta-analysis of efficacy and safety,” was published in the journal…
relapse prevention
Nearly two in 10 neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients develop new asymptomatic brain and spinal cord lesions during the period of disease remission, but these do not appear to increase risk of relapse, according to a study in Argentina. Asymptomatic, or silent, lesions are those that can be…
Long-term use of the approved therapy Soliris (eculizumab) safely and effectively prevents relapses in the real world in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and antibodies against the AQP4 protein. That’s according to two-year interim data from an observational study in Japan, where Soliris was approved in…
The rate of disease onset or relapse of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) after a SARS-CoV-2 infection — the virus that causes COVID-19 — is extremely low, at about 1 in 50 million, according to a worldwide review study. The occurrence of NMOSD was even lower, at 1 in…
Starting treatment with off-label rituximab soon after neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) symptoms begin may prevent long-term disability worsening, a South Korean study suggests. This approach was particularly true for patients who were younger than 50, female, and for those with a severe level of disability before starting rituximab,…
Ultomiris (ravulizumab) has been approved by authorities in Japan to prevent relapses in adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) positive for antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4). The decision from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare comes shortly after a similar approval by the European Commission,…
In a racially diverse group of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), rituximab worked better to prevent relapses than did oral immunosuppressive therapies, a single-center U.S. study showed. This result was particularly relevant for Black patients — who are usually underrepresented in NMOSD clinical trials but who, the…
Up to 4.6 years of treatment with Enspryng (satralizumab) continues to safely reduce relapse rates and prevent disability progression for people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who are positive for antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4). That’s according to pooled data from the Phase 3 SAkuraSky (NCT02028884) and…
Uplizna (inebilizumab) reduces the formation of asymptomatic lesions in the nerves that connect the eyes to the brain in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a new data analysis from the Phase 2/3 N-MOmentum trial. Asymptomatic, or subclinical, lesions are those that don’t lead to…
Ofatumumab, a medication approved for multiple sclerosis (MS), effectively prevented relapses and disability progression in a 67-year old woman with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who failed to respond to rituximab, a Chinese case report described. Both ofatumumab and rituximab — often used off-label in NMOSD — promote the…