Multiplesclerosisnewstoday iconMultiplesclerosisnewstodaySep 21, 2026 ~5 min source read

Tiziana signs MOU to test nasal foralumab as add-on for RRMS patients not helped by anti-CD20 therapy

A tripartite collaboration will evaluate intranasal foralumab alongside anti-CD20 drugs in people with relapsing-remitting MS whose disease remains active despite B-cell–depleting treatment.

Tiziana inks deal for clinical trial testing its experimental treatment in RRMS

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Tiziana Life Sciences, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), and the Foundation for Neurologic Diseases signed an MOU to support a clinical trial of intranasal foralumab in RRMS.

The trial will test foralumab as an add-on to anti-CD20 therapies for patients showing inadequate responses to those drugs alone.

Company CEO Ivor Elrifi framed the MOU as a step toward international collaboration in neuroimmunology and said the RRMS program will not change the blinded na-SPMS trial timeline, with results expected in October.

# What happened

Tiziana Life Sciences signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) in Saudi Arabia and the U.S.-based Foundation for Neurologic Diseases to support a clinical trial testing intranasal foralumab in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

# Who's involved

  • Tiziana Life Sciences: developer of foralumab.
  • KAIMRC: clinical and research partner in Saudi Arabia.
  • Foundation for Neurologic Diseases: U.S. research organization focused on neurological conditions, including MS.

Tiziana CEO Ivor Elrifi is quoted in the company release describing the MOU as an important step toward international scientific collaboration in neuroimmunology and immunomodulation research.

# What the trial will test

The planned study will evaluate foralumab given intranasally as an add-on to anti-CD20 therapy in RRMS patients who continue to show disease activity despite anti-CD20 treatment. Anti-CD20 drugs cited in the report include Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), Kesimpta (ofatumumab), and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab).

# How foralumab is positioned

Foralumab is an antibody-based therapy delivered nasally in this program. Tiziana positions it as a modulator of T-cell and microglial activity rather than a B-cell–targeting agent. The company is pursuing multiple MS programs for foralumab: the RRMS add-on program described in the MOU and a separate program for non-active secondary progressive MS (na-SPMS).

Tiziana noted the RRMS program "represents an additional Multiple Sclerosis type beyond our ongoing non-active Secondary Progressive MS (na-SPMS) program," and said it will not affect the blinded Phase 2 na-SPMS trial, where dosing of the last patient was completed in June and results were expected in October.

# Why this matters for patients

Anti-CD20 therapies reduce relapse risk for many people with RRMS, but some patients still experience notable disease activity. For those patients, an add-on that targets different immune mechanisms could reduce inflammation that anti-CD20 treatment does not control. The MOU signals a coordinated effort to test that idea clinically.

# Immediate next steps and timelines

The announcement describes the MOU and that partners will support a planned clinical trial. The article does not provide trial design details, enrollment targets, start dates, or regulatory milestones for the RRMS study. Separately, the na-SPMS Phase 2 study (INFORM-MS, NCT06292923) remains blinded with results anticipated in October, according to Tiziana.

# Bottom line

Tiziana is moving forward with a collaborative clinical program to test intranasal foralumab as an add-on for RRMS patients who do not fully respond to anti-CD20 therapies. The collaboration brings international partners into the effort, and foralumab remains under evaluation in a separate na-SPMS trial that is blinded and nearing reported results.

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