Mark Freedman, MD

2017 Changes to the McDonald Criteria: Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis 

Use of MRI in Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis 

Misdiagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

Cerebrospinal Fluid in Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis

Challenges in Optimally Treating Multiple Sclerosis

 QoL Issues in the Management of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue

TRIUMPHANT-MS Trial: Fatigue in MS

OPTIMUM Phase 3 Trial: Secondary End Point Effect on Fatigue

Strategies for Choosing Initial Therapy in MS

Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibodies for Treatment of RMS

Cladribine for Treatment of RMS

S1P Receptor Modulators for Treatment of RMS

Fumarates for Treatment of RMS

The Future of Managing Multiple Sclerosis

Videos

Fred Lublin, MD; Patricia K. Coyle, MD; Mark Freedman, MD; and Scott D. Newsome, DO, discuss a number of topics pertaining to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, including a focus on fatigue and its impact on quality of life.

Updates in the Management of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

Ofatumumab vs Teriflunomide: ASCLEPIOS I/II RMS Trials

OLKIOS: Looking at Ofatumumab’s Continued Efficacy

OPTIMUM: Ponesimod Superiority in MRI-based Outcomes in RRMS

Rationale for Selected Dosing Regimen of Evobrutinib in Phase 3 Studies 

Takeaways From ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS 2020 Meeting

Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II Open-Label Extension Study: Ofatumumab vs Teriflunomide 

OLKIOS Phase 3b Trial: Pivotal Endpoints and Potential Significance

OPTIMUM Phase 3 Trial: Ponesimod’s Cardiac Safety Data

Ozanimod Compared to Teriflunomide Utilizing Statistical Matching

Key Takeaways from the 8th ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS 2020 Meeting

Ofatumumab vs Teriflunomide: Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II Open-Label Extension Study

Chief Endpoints and Potential Significance: Phase 3b OLIKOS Trial

CLARITY Extension Trial: Disability Improvement With Cladribine

COVID-19 in MS Global Data-Sharing Initiative Anti-CD20 Therapy Results 

Impact of Results From the COVID-19 in MS Global Data-Sharing Initiative 

Experts in multiple sclerosis review top data presented at the 8th joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS meeting. 

Rapid Readout: Expert Perspectives on Multiple Sclerosis - Data from the 8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting 2020

“It’s no longer a [question of] should we think about this as a treatment option? It is a treatment option.”

Stem cell research has been an up-and-coming method to treat not only multiple sclerosis (MS), but a number of other neurological disorders, particularly those of neuromuscular origin. It has garnered so much attention that the 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) started their own trial

 in early January comparing the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of stem cell transplantation to the best available biologic drugs for severe forms of relapsing MS.

Mark Freedman, MD, MSc believes the days of uncertainty surrounding stem cells should be a thing of the past. He explained to 

 that a number of trials have proven they can be a safe and effective treatment option—when done correctly. On the other hand, though, he feels these procedures should only be done by the most experienced, high-level institutions to ensure that efficacy and safety.

Notably, Freedman, who is the director of the MS research unit at Ottawa Hospital, is gearing up for a presentation at the upcoming 

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting

 to provide an update on the current research in stem cell use. In an interview with 

, Freedman provides an update on the current state of stem cell research in MS, as well as who should be the first to be treated with this therapy.

Freedman M. John F. Kurtzke Lecture: Stem Cell Research Update. CMSC 2020; May 29-29, 2020.

The director of the multiple sclerosis research unit at Ottawa Hospital discussed stem cell therapies being explored in multiple sclerosis, and which patients may be eligible for these treatments.

Mark Freedman, MD: An Update on Stem Cell Research in MS

"What was really eye-opening was to follow those patients over the ensuing 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, and 15 years plus, and that little head start continues to show itself as those patients are in the end still doing better than the ones that delayed therapy for a year."

At the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2019 Forum held in Dallas, Texas, Mark Freedman, MD, spoke about the first results from BENEFIT 15 and the long-term clinical outcomes in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) treated with interferon beta-1b.

BENEFIT 15 is a unique cohort with a 15-year follow-up from a clinical study of early or delayed treatment with interferon beta-1b in patients with CIS. Researchers randomly assigned patients with CIS and ≥2 MRI lesions suggestive of MS to receive interferon beta-1b or placebo. After 2 years or conversion to clinically definite MS, those on placebo were offered treatment with interferon beta-1b and 15 years after the initial randomization, all patients from participating study centers were approached to complete a comprehensive clinical and MRI reassessment. The results support a sustained benefit of early intervention with interferon beta-1b treating at or shortly after CIS in order to reduce the risk of conversion to CDMS.

The professor of neurology at the University of Ottawa, a senior scientist at the University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and director of the multiple sclerosis research unit at the Ottawa Hospital general campus, explained that the lesson everybody appreciates today is that treating earlier is better when dealing with a disease that can lead to cumulative damage. To provide additional insight into the early results of BENEFIT 15, Freedman spoke with NeurologyLive in an interview at the meeting. 

The director of the multiple sclerosis research unit at Ottawa Hospital spoke about the results of BENEFIT 15 that support early intervention of interferon beta-1b treatment at or shortly after CIS.

Mark Freedman, MD

Articles

Updates in the Management of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

Rapid Readout: Expert Perspectives on Multiple Sclerosis - Data from the 8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting 2020

Mark Freedman, MD: An Update on Stem Cell Research in MS

Mark Freedman, MD: Early Intervention With Interferon Beta-1b for Patients Presenting With CIS