Multiple Sclerosis

Age is an important factor in the disease burden of multiple sclerosis (MS), as rising age both impacts disease course and brings with it additional risk of comorbidities. However, disease duration may be an even more important factor than age in reaching disability milestones, according to Viktor von Wyl, PhD, project leader, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

FDA recently accepted the Biologics Licensing Application for inebilizumab to treat a rare autoimmune condition, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. The results for inebilizumab were presented at the 35th Annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, taking place in Stockholm, Sweden.

While current therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) that treat focal inflammation are beneficial for many patients, there are other crucial aspects of the disease, including brain volume loss, that are not clearly linked to this inflammation and that demand new therapeutic developments, said Jan Hillert, MD, PhD, professor and senior physician in the department of clinical neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Speakers at a session at ECTRIMS 2019 on long-term outcomes in multiple sclerosis said that better therapies and improved understanding of the effect of comorbidities have improved outcomes. The session was part of the 35th Annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, taking place in Stockholm, Sweden.

Maria Trojano, MD, professor of neurology at the University of Bari, Italy, offered the opening lecture at ECTRIMS 2019, the 35th Annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, taking place in Stockholm, Sweden.

A poster featuring a post-hoc exploratory analysis of measures of thalamic volume from RADIANCE was presented September 11, 2019, at ECTRIMS 2019, the 35th Annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, taking place in Stockholm, Sweden.

Addressing comorbidities plays an important role in the management of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly given their association with hospital admissions. In a study using data from the National Patient Sample, comorbidities were linked with patients’ age, sex, and race and ethnicity, said Deborah Taira, MPA, ScD, professor, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

Some data suggest that pregnancy may be beneficial in the long-term for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but there exist periods that may carry an extra risk of relapse, such as before conception and in the postpartum period, according to Marie D’hooghe, MD, PhD, neurologist at the National MS Center, Melsbroek, in Brussels, Belgium, and consultant neurologist at the University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium.

Using imaging, laboratory testing, and predictive models, the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) is getting closer to predicting the course of MS and, eventually, the best medication for a given patient, said Daniel Kantor, MD, president of Kantor Neurology.

In 2 studies published in The Lancet Neurology, ozanimod was well tolerated and had a lower relapse rate in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

The field of treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) has grown quickly in the last 30 years, but the next new class of therapies probably won’t come to market for at least another year and a half, said Daniel Kantor, MD, president of Kantor Neurology.

A guideline update issued by the American Academy of Neurology states that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) should receive all recommended vaccinations unless contraindicated.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care stories included a huge ruling against one opioid maker and a settlement offer from another; an expert panel calling for broader screening for hepatitis C; a review showing there are more fatal events linked to a multiple sclerosis drug than previously known.

Understanding patient-reported outcomes in disease states enhances our ability to provide patients with better care and an increased quality of life, said Patty Taddei-Allen, PharmD, MBA, BCACP, BCGP, director of outcomes research, WelldyneRx.

Even as more competition entered the market, the prices of self-administered disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) rose steadily from 2006 to 2016, and seniors with Medicare Part D coverage saw a 7.2-fold increase in out-of-pocket costs.

Fatal adverse events (AEs) associated with alemtuzumab for multiple sclerosis (MS) may occur more frequently than previously understood based on past published literature, researchers found.

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centers is unique in that it places physicians and other healthcare professionals on a level playing field while elevating the patient’s voice to be the most important on the team, explained June Halper, MSN, APN-C, MSCN, FAAN, chief executive officer, Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.

While there may be negative connotations attached to the term “palliative care,” this type of care could be called “supportive team care” to better express its potential to educate and care for patients with chronic illnesses such as multiple sclerosis (MS), said June Halper, MSN, APN-C, MSCN, FAAN, chief executive officer, Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.

Chronic active lesions, which are identified by their darkened outer rims, are associated with more aggressive multiple sclerosis and earlier disability, according to new research from the National Institute of Health.

In the 5 years before being diagnosed, patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were less likely to receive vaccinations than comparator groups, according to a new study from the Technical University of Munich and published in Neurology.

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Shared decision making has been taught to clinicians for years, but it is especially crucial when treating multiple sclerosis (MS) due to the importance of treatment adherence, according to June Halper, MSN, APN-C, MSCN, FAAN, chief executive officer, Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.

The brain shrinkage that occurs in patients with multiple sclerosis may be the result of a specific brain cell: When projection neurons are damaged, the brain shrinks.

Encouraging patient adherence to medication is very important to managing the cost of multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies, said Patty Taddei-Allen, PharmD, MBA, BCACP, BCGP, director, outcomes research, WelldyneRx.