Latest news with #MultipleSclerosis
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Travel + Leisure
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
Selma Blair On Traveling With a Service Dog, Accessibility, and Why 'Travel Symbolized Hope' for Her
If anyone knows the transformative power of a good trip, it's actor Selma Blair. As Blair recently explained while on stage at Travel + Leisure's 2025 World's Best Summit, she was officially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, though she likely lived with it undiagnosed for 25 to 30 years, including as a child living with optical neuritis. But throughout it all, she's maintained her signature grace, light, and humor. 'The one thing that got me through childhood was great vacations,' Blair said with a laugh. 'Everyone just feels better on a vacation. So even as a sickly child, that was always the beacon, the north star for me.' Now, Blair explained, she's living relapse-free and back to traveling the world, albeit in a very different fashion with her sidekick, Scout. "Luckily, hotels are really dog friendly, which is a plus and minus," she said. "Because I do allow my service dog to be quite friendly to people. He thinks my job, now that I'm a lot better, is to go out and be a service dog for anyone else that wants him. And he's happy with that. And he still does his job for me." Blair noted that thanks to Scout, she travels with one rather unusual but handy item in her carry-on: a squeegee. "I do carry a squeegee to get the dog hair off the ground," she explained, so she's always ready to clean up any fur from the floor of an Uber or a plane. As for the duo's must-have for any trip, Blair explained she simply must have a beautiful room, preferably one with a view. "I [do] make sure you have a room with a view," she said, explaining that while she may not be able to explore like she used to, she can still enjoy new places this way. " I always make sure that I have a beautiful room." She also noted that hotels could better serve their clients with accessibility needs by ensuring they, too, get a great view. "It would be lovely if there is room and you see someone with a disability coming, and ask yourself, 'Is there a view, is there a way to make this a little more enjoyable?' Because this might be their vacation," she said. Blair was also quick to praise hotels that get it right when it comes to accessibility. 'I was in a hotel in Washington, D.C. that had the most incredible ADA room,' she explained, noting that it had added touches like high-end railings in the showers that were far from the average, low-budget chrome railings in most hotels. 'Disabled people like a little chic too.' She also emphasized the impact of small touches like flowers, blackout curtains, and even a simple deck of cards, which she always has in her bag in case the hotel doesn't provide them. 'Simple things that can be done for a guest to make them feel seen and not like they're a problem that no one knows how to deal with.' Despite the added work that comes with seeing the world with a disability, Blair keeps traveling, and encourages others to do the same, noting it's key to "hit a milestone of something you didn't think you could do." And while, sure, Blair, like the rest of us, loves a little high-end moment, but for her, travel is not about luxury for luxury's sake. It's about both survival and joy. 'Travel to me symbolized vibrance and hope and adventure," she said. 'That is worth a lot.'
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Multiple Sclerosis Pipeline Landscape Appears Robust With 75+ Key Pharma Companies Actively Working in the Therapeutics Segment
DelveInsight's, 'Multiple Sclerosis Pipeline Insight 2025' report provides comprehensive insights about 75+ companies and 80+ pipeline drugs in Multiple sclerosis pipeline landscape. It covers the pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and nonclinical stage products. It also covers the therapeutics assessment by product type, stage, route of administration, and molecule type. It further highlights the inactive pipeline products in this space. Explore the comprehensive insights by DelveInsight and stay ahead in understanding the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Landscape. Click here to read more @ Multiple Sclerosis Pipeline Outlook Key Takeaways from the Multiple Sclerosis Pipeline Report In July 2025, Novartis Pharmaceuticals announced a study is divided into a Core Part and Extension Part. The Core Part is a 24-month, double-blind, triple dummy, randomized, 3-arm active-controlled in children/adolescent patients aged 10-17 years old with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The Extension Part is 60-month (5 year) open label (except for first 12 weeks transition which will remain double-blind) treatment for patients who complete the Core Part of the study and meet all inclusion/exclusion criteria. In July 2025, Sanofi conducted a study is to determine the efficacy of frexalimab in delaying the disability progression and the safety up to 36 months double-blind administration of study intervention compared to placebo in male and female participants with nrSPMS (aged 18 to 60 years at the time of enrollment). People diagnosed with nrSPMS are eligible for enrollment as long as they meet all the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. DelveInsight's Multiple Sclerosis pipeline report depicts a robust space with 75+ active players working to develop 80+ pipeline therapies for Multiple Sclerosis treatment. The leading Multiple Sclerosis Companies such as Novartis, Sanofi, Immunic, Biocad, Apimeds, Genentech (Roche), Merck, AB Science, Apurano Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Tiziana Life Sciences, Worg Pharmaceuticals, Antisense Therapeutics, RemeGen, Atara Biotherapeutics, Contineum Therapeutics, Stem Cell Medicine Ltd., Ever Supreme Bio Technology Co., Ltd., and ImCyse and others. Promising Multiple Sclerosis Therapies such as 11C-BMS-986196, ofatumumab, Fingolimod, Siponimod, elezanumab, Alemtuzumab, Tecfidera, and others. Stay informed about the cutting-edge advancements in Multiple Sclerosis treatments. Download for updates and be a part of the revolution in cancer care @ Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Trials Assessment Multiple sclerosis Emerging Drugs Profile IMU-838: Immunic Therapeutics Vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) is a small molecule investigational drug under development as an oral tablet formulation for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS, inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, and other chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Bolstered by excellent clinical data from the phase II EMPhASIS trial, Immunic believed that vidofludimus calcium has the potential to demonstrate medically important advantages compared with other treatments, particularly for the early treatment of RMS patients, due to its placebo like safety profile and its robust anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. BIIB091: Biogen BIIB091 selectively inhibits Burton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates the development and signaling of B cells and myeloid cells hypothesized to contribute to MS pathogenesis. In addition, BTK has been demonstrated to play a key role in the activation of another cell of the immune system, the myeloid cells via another receptor of this cell (Fcγ receptor signaling (FcγRs)). Preclinical studies demonstrated BIB091 to be a high potency molecule with good drug-like properties and a safety/tolerability profile suitable for clinical development as a highly selective, reversible BTKi for treating autoimmune diseases such as MS. Currently, the drug is in the Phase II stage of its development for the treatment of Multiple sclerosis. IMCY-0141: ImCyse IMCY-0141 is the Company's second clinical-stage compound. This Imotope is designed based on MOG (Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein) with the aim to halt the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) by stopping the body's immune system from attacking the central nervous system and disrupting undesirable autoimmune responses that drive the destruction of the myelin sheath protecting the nerves. IMCY-0141 has shown promising results in several MS preclinical models, demonstrating an immune response that supports the proposed mode of action and inducing a memory response so that the treatment effect is long-lasting and requires less frequent dosing regimens. Also, if treatment is begun early enough, it has the potential to allow patients to live with minimal impact from the disease. Currently, the drug is in Phase I/II stage of its clinical trial for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. NeuroVax: Immune Response BioPharma NeuroVax contains a combination of three protein fragments (peptides) which appear on the surface of T-cells involved in the immune response in MS. Studies suggested that treatment with NeuroVax stimulates production of certain regulatory T-cells, which in turn decrease the levels of other T-cells which attack myelin. NeuroVax is a Once a Month Dosing injection, safe, tolerable, enhances FOXP3+ Tregs & Regulates Pathogenic T Cells in MS Patients, a first in class disease modifying Multiple Sclerosis Vaccine. NeuroVax IR has been shown to stimulate strong, disease-specific cell-mediated immunity in nearly all treated patients. NeuroVax appears to work in part by enhancing levels of Foxp3+ Tregs, which may help regulate expression of pathogenic T cells in MS patients. The three TCR peptides combined in it correspond to one or more TCR gene families which are over expressed in 90% of MS patients. The Multiple Sclerosis Pipeline Report Provides Insights into The report provides detailed insights about companies that are developing therapies for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis with aggregate therapies developed by each company for the same. It accesses the Different therapeutic candidates segmented into early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage of development for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment. Multiple Sclerosis Companies are involved in targeted therapeutics development with respective active and inactive (dormant or discontinued) projects. Multiple Sclerosis Drugs under development based on the stage of development, route of administration, target receptor, monotherapy or combination therapy, a different Multiple Sclerosis mechanism of action, and molecular type. Detailed analysis of collaborations (company-company collaborations and company-academia collaborations), licensing agreement and financing details for future advancement of the Multiple Sclerosis market Learn more about Multiple Sclerosis Drugs opportunities in our groundbreaking Multiple Sclerosis research and development projects @ Multiple Sclerosis Unmet Needs Multiple Sclerosis Companies Novartis, Sanofi, Immunic, Biocad, Apimeds, Genentech (Roche), Merck, AB Science, Apurano Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Tiziana Life Sciences, Worg Pharmaceuticals, Antisense Therapeutics, RemeGen, Atara Biotherapeutics, Contineum Therapeutics, Stem Cell Medicine Ltd., Ever Supreme Bio Technology Co., Ltd., and ImCyse and others. Multiple sclerosis pipeline report provides the therapeutic assessment of the pipeline drugs by the Route of Administration. Products have been categorized under various ROAs such as Oral Intravenous Subcutaneous Parenteral Topical Multiple Sclerosis Products have been categorized under various Molecule types such as Recombinant fusion proteins Small molecule Monoclonal antibody Peptide Polymer Gene therapy Discover the latest advancements in Multiple Sclerosis treatment by visiting our website. Stay informed about how we're transforming the future of neurology @ Multiple Sclerosis Market Drivers and Barriers, and Future Perspectives Scope of the Multiple Sclerosis Pipeline Report Coverage- Global Multiple Sclerosis Companies- Novartis, Sanofi, Immunic, Biocad, Apimeds, Genentech (Roche), Merck, AB Science, Apurano Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Tiziana Life Sciences, Worg Pharmaceuticals, Antisense Therapeutics, RemeGen, Atara Biotherapeutics, Contineum Therapeutics, Stem Cell Medicine Ltd., Ever Supreme Bio Technology Co., Ltd., and ImCyse and others. Multiple Sclerosis Therapies- 11C-BMS-986196, ofatumumab, Fingolimod, Siponimod, elezanumab, Alemtuzumab, Tecfidera, and others. Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutic Assessment by Product Type: Mono, Combination, Mono/Combination Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutic Assessment by Clinical Stages: Discovery, Pre-clinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III For a detailed overview of our latest research findings and future plans, read the full details of Multiple Sclerosis Pipeline on our website @ Multiple Sclerosis Emerging Drugs and Companies Table of Content Introduction Executive Summary Multiple sclerosis: Overview Pipeline Therapeutics Therapeutic Assessment Multiple sclerosis – DelveInsight's Analytical Perspective Late Stage Products (Phase III) IMU-838: Immunic Therapeutics Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Mid Stage Products (Phase II) BIIB091: Biogen Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Early Stage Products (Phase I) NeuroVax: Immune Response BioPharma Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Preclinical and Discovery Stage Products Drug name: Company name Drug profiles in the detailed report….. Inactive Products Multiple sclerosis Key Companies Multiple sclerosis Key Products Multiple sclerosis- Unmet Needs Multiple sclerosis- Market Drivers and Barriers Multiple sclerosis- Future Perspectives and Conclusion Multiple sclerosis Analyst Views Multiple sclerosis Key Companies Appendix About Us DelveInsight is a leading healthcare-focused market research and consulting firm that provides clients with high-quality market intelligence and analysis to support informed business decisions. With a team of experienced industry experts and a deep understanding of the life sciences and healthcare sectors, we offer customized research solutions and insights to clients across the globe. Connect with us to get high-quality, accurate, and real-time intelligence to stay ahead of the growth curve.
Medscape
5 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Balancing Act: MS Care for Women Considering Pregnancy
This transcript has been edited for clarity. My name is Dr Patricia K. Coyle. I'm professor of neurology and director of the Stony Brook Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York. I'm going to be talking about the treatment of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) from the ages of 18-40 years. Now, that really defines the prototypic MS patient— a young woman of childbearing age. Pregnancy is a key issue. In fact, expert consensus and treatment guidelines indicate that it's mandated to discuss family planning in appropriate, newly diagnosed and diagnosed MS individuals. That's very, very important. The healthcare provider, in discussing family planning, should indicate to the prototypic patient that pregnancy in MS is not considered a high-risk pregnancy. In fact, MS has very little impact on pregnancy. There is no negative impact. Fertility is not affected. There's no increase in spontaneous abortions. There's no increase in birth defects. You can do any sort of anesthesia or delivery. MS is really not a key factor in that. Now, one of the things that we do want is a planned pregnancy. We don't want a surprise pregnancy in someone with MS where we haven't thought things out. That should be discussed with the individual. In addition, it's interesting that the majority of pregnant women [in studies] have relapsing MS and do not have any significant disability. We can speak very confidently about what happens in relapsing MS with little-to-no disability with regard to pregnancy, but there's a lack in understanding of more disabled MS individuals and particularly progressive MS. In fact, in pregnancy cohorts, 87%-97% are relapsing MS, not progressive. We really need to have more studies in progressive MS and more disabled [individuals with] MS. Often when we're making the diagnosis of MS, that young individual, when we discuss family planning, may really say that they want to plan to have a child right away. Well, expert consensus indicates that we should counsel against that. In fact, expert consensus says that the best pathway in a newly diagnosed MS individual is to treat them for at least 1-2 years in more active or more concerning MS before the planned pregnancy occurs. Why is that? Data are accumulating, showing that there's a window of opportunity early in the MS disease process to optimally control the damage process. You want to treat early, you don't want patients to wait a couple of years as they try to get pregnant and have a child. They would be better off investing in controlling their MS disease process and then electively going ahead with the pregnancy. What would we counsel in the pre-pregnancy period? First, we need to know about disease activity. There was a famous PRIMS study published in the late 1990s that mapped the annualized relapse rate in French women, largely relapsing MS, and they found it was stable in the pre-pregnancy period. It went down during pregnancy, went further down so that the third trimester had the lowest relapse rate, and then temporarily rebounded after giving birth for a several-month period before ultimately settling down to the pre-pregnancy baseline. Now, why is that? Well, there are immune changes and hormonal changes during pregnancy that could be considered treatments for MS disease activity. You see the disease activity go down during pregnancy. There's really an immune tolerance going on [whereby the mother doesn't attack] the foreign fetus. There's a switch from T helper 1 cytokines, which would enhance cell-mediated immunity, which is more prominent in MS, to T helper 2, where you have more humoral antibody immunity that's favorable to MS. Actually, MS disease activity goes down during the pregnancy. If we're going to have planned pregnancy, we have to discuss contraception. Any contraception can be used in MS, but there should be a discussion in family planning around what the patient is doing to avoid becoming pregnant. We should put a word in to our patients for long-acting, reversible contraception, which is clearly the most effective. The failure rate is less than 1%. This is using an [intrauterine device] or an implantable rod that is the most effective contraception, and we should actually speak favorably about that to our patients. Another issue is genetics. Many patients will ask, 'Can I pass MS onto my child?' Some may not ask that, but it's a worry for almost everybody. That should be formally discussed. We know there are about 233 or more genes that control risk susceptibility, and then there are probably disease severity genes and disease protection genes. You don't have any gene that can pass on MS. MS is not considered an inherited disease, so that's important to emphasize to individuals with MS. DMT Management 'What about disease modifying therapy (DMT) washouts as a person is preparing for their pregnancy? What DMTs do not need to be washed out?' With glatiramer acetate (GA) and interferon beta, there have been thousands of human pregnancy exposures and no negative data. They need no washout. They can be stopped once the person documents that they're pregnant. By expert consensus, it's the same with the fumarates. The half-life of these agents is an hour or less. It's washed out within a day, and there are no human pregnancy data suggesting harm from the fumarates. By expert consensus, it's accepted that you would take a fumarate until you got pregnant and then discontinue it. Most recently, the anti-CD20 agents— at least the ones that we have a long history with, such as ocrelizumab, ofatumumab, and rituximab— the Association of British Neurologists in the United Kingdom has published that they believe that you could try to get pregnant immediately after an anti-CD20 infusion. [The guidelines also recommended that women taking ocrelizumab should preferably wait 3 months before trying to conceive.] Why is that the drug labels continue to indicate waiting 6 months? Well, it's very hard to change labels. It takes a great deal of time and effort to do that. An anti-CD20 is an immunoglobulin G antibody. This is not a toxic chemical. It's also passed by the placenta, but the half-life is such that if you were to stop the anti-CD20 at the time of pregnancy, it would be largely washed out before there would be any concern about exposure of the fetus. Really, you don't need to wash out the anti-CD20s, and I explain that to patients. What about pregnancy counseling? Could you use a DMT during pregnancy? It's accepted. GA, yes, there are several hundred cases. Interferon beta, yes, but many people would prefer not to be on a disease-modifying therapy that they might not need. In addition, believe it or not, natalizumab is typically used during pregnancy. Why? Well, because stopping it can result in rebound relapses in a pregnant individual, which leaves them with disability. It's very common to continue using extended dosing of the natalizumab every 6 weeks, up to about weeks 30-34, then discontinuing it and arranging to have the baby delivered by 40 weeks. Suppose there's a rare relapse during pregnancy. Can you do an MRI scan? Absolutely. MRIs are safe during pregnancy. We don't want you to use gadolinium-based contrast agents. The fetus can be exposed to gadolinium, so you would not use gadolinium unless it was absolutely vital to the medical question that you were asking. Could you treat a relapse during pregnancy? Yes, you could use steroids. You would certainly not use dexamethasone. You would use methylprednisolone or prednisone, and you would use it short term, the typical treatment for an acute relapse. Some people might not like to use that in the first trimester. There's old literature that suggests an increased risk of cleft lip or palate, but the newer data don't suggest that that is a real risk. Depending on the severity of the relapse, you could go ahead and use steroids as necessary. What about postpartum counseling? First of all, we have to counsel that there's an increased risk of MS activity and breakthrough relapses in MRI scans in the several months after they deliver the baby. The World Health Organization has recommended breastfeeding for 6 months after giving birth. It appears that breastfeeding is somewhat protective, that MS disease activity goes down with breastfeeding, and it seems as though exclusive breastfeeding is more important. Do you want to know what the good news is? Monoclonal antibodies can be used in breastfeeding individuals, so you can reinstitute the monoclonal antibody DMT without concern, and certainly GA and interferon beta can be resumed. You have very little detectable DMT in the breast milk and the baby's gut will 'chew it up' anyway. The only DMTs that you don't want to use in breastfeeding are the oral agents because there's not enough data about the exposure there. MS and Fertility Issues Now let me move to one final point. I want to speak about fertility issues, assisted reproduction technology and in vitro fertilization (IVF). I think every neurologist should be aware of oocyte cryopreservation. Women are born with about 1-2 million eggs. By puberty, they have 300,000 eggs left. By menopause, there are [a limited number of] eggs left and the eggs age. You can collect eggs — it should be done before the age of 37 — and cryopreserve them for a later pregnancy if that is a concern. I finally want to make a point about how dependent we are on getting new information so that we can give the latest updates when counseling our MS individuals. There were several, a total of five, small-scale studies over several years that indicated that MS individuals who went through IVF and failed to get pregnant had breakthrough MS activity for about a 3-month period. They were very small-scale studies, but we actually counseled patients about this. In the last few years, we've had major studies with much larger numbers of MS individuals who went through IVF, and it turns out that was false. They could not document any increase in relapses whatsoever. In general, there was a tendency to maintain their disease-modifying therapy right up to, and even through, the IVF technique. Therefore, we've changed our counseling. It turned out, in studies with a larger number of participants, IVF is quite safe for MS individuals. I want to thank you very much for listening.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Aussie cricket star reveals how she deals with the knowledge 'she could end up in a wheelchair'
Aussie cricket star Jemma Barsby has opened up on how she is 'cracking on with life,' despite being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) when she was 19. The inspirational South Australia women's cricket captain adds that her diagnosis has helped her become a more resilient person and revealed to The Advertiser how she continues to play, despite experiencing symptoms related to the autoimmune disorder. MS affects one in 1,000 Australians and is more common in women than men. The illness is caused after the protective layer surrounding a person's nerves is damaged, preventing signals moving from one's brain to their body. Symptoms include a loss of control over one's muscles, fatigue and issues with vision. Barsby, a two-time WBBL champion with the Strikers, explained how she found out she had MS, thinking initially that she had a shoulder injury. Instead, her team's doctor informed her she had the autoimmune disorder - a condition that she did not know much about at the time. She returned home and began to Google the illness. 'Of course, I did the Dr Google as soon as I got home and that probably wasn't the smartest because the first thing that comes up is: 'You're going to be in a wheelchair',' Barsby told The Advisor. She returned to training and admitted her 'eyes were puffy' after having been in tears upon reading the results of her Google search. The cricket star kept the news of her diagnosis quiet, as her team-mates asked her if she was doing OK. 'Your world just gets thrown up in the air,' Barsby said. 'You're like, What if this happens? What if that happens? What does tomorrow look like? It was definitely a rough couple of months.' Following that, Barsby, who is now 29, would undergo frequent MRI scans to ascertain the extent of her illness. She would, though, continue to play cricket at the top level. But alongside performing on the cricket field, she now has to manage multiple symptoms, for example, when temperatures rise, Barsby experiences blurred vision or pins and needles in her hands, legs and back. Barsby (left) is an MS Research ambassador, and admits when she looks back at her career, she'll remember being announced as the SA captain as one of her finest moments Barsby, who is the daughter of Queensland great Trevor Barsby, can bowl with both hands and has showcased a sensational ability to switch-hit while batting Staying cool is key, so she revealed that she drinks a lot of slushies to help regulate her body temperature. 'The diagnosis definitely shaped the person I am. It has made me resilient and I know it is important to be in the moment,' she explained. 'I had to say to myself: 'I can still live my life, so let's just crack on the best I can".' Barsby is now also taking medication to alleviate the symptoms and spends a lot of time 'listening to her body' in order to ensure she can be on top of her game at all times. The MS Research Ambassador also added that when she looks back at her glittering career, she will remember being handed the captaincy for South Australia as one of the most special moments on her cricketing journey. 'It's pretty surreal, to be honest, to say that I am captain in the state of South Australia,' she explained. 'It wasn't an aspiration of mine and I remember (the then) SA women's coach, Luke Williams, having to convince me to do it. I just didn't think I was capable.' Barsby, who is the daughter of Queensland great Trevor Barsby, can bowl with both hands and has showcased a sensational ability to switch-hit while batting. During her stellar career, she's struck 1,417 runs in List A matches, taking 147 wickets.
Metro
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
90s TV Magician Wayne Dobson dies aged 68 after long battle
Wayne Dobson, a beloved musician best known for his 80s TV series, Wayne Dobson – A Kind of Magic, has died after a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. The star marked his 68th birthday just two days before he died on July 7, with his family and friends announcing the sad news on social media. Dobson's brother, Phil Dobson, announced on Facebook: 'It's with a broken heart I share the news that my Brother Wayne Dobson sadly passed away today. 'He was my best friend and I miss him already. RIP legend.' Mike Sullivan, Dobson's long-time business partner, also posted: 'It is with a broken heart that my buddy, business partner & mentor Wayne Dobson passed away peacefully today at 12:03. 'I will, of course, be adding more later, but for now.' Dobson became the youngest ever member of the Leicester Magic Circle at the age of just 16, after developing an interest in magic when he was just a child. He appeared on Blue Peter and performed semi-professionally as a magician when he was young, and at 21 became a full-time magician. In the 80s, his fame found him performing as an opening act for the likes of Dame Shirley Bassey and Englebert Humperdinck and notably performed at the 1989 Royal Variety Performance. In the 90s, he earned his own TV series called Wayne Dobson – A Kind of Magic. The series raked in millions of viewers every Saturday night. In 1988, the star was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and became an advocate and ambassador for various charities supporting those with the disease. MS prevented him from performing later in his career, but he continued working in magic as a lecturer and mentor to those in the industry. His last TV appearance was in 2018 when he appeared in Channel 5's Greatest TV Moments of the 1980s to discuss his Royal Variety Performance. Per the NHS website, Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. It cannot currently be cured, but treatment can often help manage it. Some of the most common symptoms include: feeling extremely tired (fatigue) problems with your eyes or your vision, such as blurred vision or eye pain numbness or a tingling feeling in different parts of the body feeling off balance, dizzy or clumsy (uncoordinated) muscle cramps, spasms and stiffness needing to pee more often or not being able to control when you pee problems with memory or concentration sexual problems, including a dry vagina or erection problems Symptoms may come (called 'flare-ups' or 'relapses') and go (called 'remissions'), and may get worse over time. Dobson was married twice in his life. He married Karen Dobson in 1999, and the couple was together for several years, living together in Camberley in Surrey. The couple later split, and Dobson went on to marry Marianne Gomma, who would become his carer as his illness progressed. Marianne and Dobson divorced in 2016 after claims that Marianne had an affair with Dobson's close friend Bobby Davro. Dobson told The Mirror at the time: 'The divorce has been one of the most stressful things to deal with because it just dragged on. But I am over it now and just focused on work. 'I've not heard from Bobby for a long time, but it's probably for the best. Marianne and I are over. 'Magic has been my medicine. I don't want a girlfriend. I feel most at home with magicians – they're like my family.' Very sorry to learn of the passing of Wayne Dobson. I remember watching A Kind of Magic and he was a very delightful magician who deserved so much more from his TV career, had multiple sclerosis not hampered his ability to perform. May he rest in peace. — Davey Davey (@DaveyDavey360) July 7, 2025 Fellow magician Shaun Ames paid tribute to the late star with a heartfelt post on Facebook: 'Still trying to process the news that my dear friend Wayne Dobson passed away today. 'Wayne wasn't just a legendary magician — he was one of the funniest, sharpest, most generous people I've ever known. He made millions laugh on TV and inspired generations of magicians, but to me, he was just Wayne — my mate who always had a wicked sense of humour and time for a chat. More Trending 'Our last message yesterday had him laughing so hard he literally pissed himself — and I say that with love because he would've been howling at that being the final punchline. that was our last moment, I'm beyond grateful it was full of laughter. We always laughed. 'It's been overwhelming seeing so much love pouring out for him today across Facebook. He touched so many lives — on stage and off. 'Rest easy, Wayne. You were one of a kind, and I'll miss you terribly.' View More » Keelan Leyser said: 'I'm sad today. My friend and idol passed away. Going to really miss him. Wayne Dobson was a huge inspiration to me, as a child from the magic side but more importantly as an adult for not letting the most awful disease stop him from doing anything. Thank you for all the advice, the laughs and the magic.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Noel Gallagher's ex Meg Mathews explains why she left Oasis' comeback gig early MORE: 'Disaster struck when I went to see Oasis perform 16 years ago' MORE: Geri Halliwell only Spice Girl to snub Mel B's wedding to Rory McPhee
