This article from Medscape reports on recent advances in understanding the pathology of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and its overlap with Long COVID, highlighting that these conditions may involve interconnected dysfunctions across the immune, nervous, autonomic, circulatory, endocrine, and energy‐metabolism systems—particularly neuroinflammation and immune dysregulation.
Miriam E. Tucker, Medscape
Read the article in full on Medscape – search Google using ‘Medscape – Research ME/CFS pathology treatments'
MEA Comment
This is a report from the recent IACFS (International Association for CFS/ME) conference on various treatments that are currently being assessed for use in ME/CFS, and possibly for Long Covid, in clinical trials.
Treatments and locations covered include:
- Daratumumab (Norway – Fluge et al)
- Immunoabsorption (Germany – Sheibenbogen et al)
- Inebilizumab and ublitizumab (Germany – Sheibenbogen et al)
- Low dose naltrexone/LDN (Australia – Gradsnik-Marshall et al and Canada – Nacul et al)
- Oxaloacetate (USA – Vernon et al)
- Rituximab (Japan – Sato et al)
Please note that none of these drugs have reached the stage where we can confidently state that any of them are a safe and effective form of treatment for ME/CFS.
Consequently, it is highly unlikely that a UK doctor would be willing to prescribe any of them on the NHS in our present state of knowledge.
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS
Further Information
- The ME Association Booklet: Treating ME/CFS: Including research into new and experimental approaches
- The ME Association: Leading UK Charity invests in Canadian trial of drug treatment for ME/CFS and Long Covid | April 2, 2025
- Research: Autoantibody targeting therapies in post COVID syndrome and ME/CFS (Sheibenbogen et al) | April 15 2025