MS and Demyelinating Disorders

Catch up on any of the neurology news headlines you may have missed over the course of October 2023, compiled all into one place by the NeurologyLive® team.

The phase 2 EMBOLD study on ATA188, an allogenic T-cell immunotherapy for non-active progressive multiple sclerosis, did not meet its primary endpoint of confirmed disability improvement after 12 months of treatment.

The reported neurofilament light elevation preceding confirmed disability worsening events highlighted the value of NfL as an early biomarker of disability worsening and points to the existence of different windows of dynamic central nervous system pathology.

Dr Bruce Hughes and Dr Robert Naismith recommend assessments to aid physicians in evaluating and maintaining the cognitive health of patients with multiple sclerosis.

The MS experts share strategies to evaluate physical and cognitive disability progression and determine therapy changes in the clinical setting.

A recent systematic review identified that only 5% of disease-modifying therapy trials for patients with multiple sclerosis assessed fatigue as an outcome, with only 28% among 7 trials showing statistically significant results in the measurement.

Patrick Vermersch, MD, PhD, and Krzysztof Selmaj, MD, PhD, provide an overview of the BTKi that are currently under investigation for MS, and Gavin Giovannoni, MBBCh, PhD, FCP, FRCP, FRCPath, discusses what in vivo and in vitro preclinical work in models of MS have shown.

Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCPC, provides an overview of the history of BTKi’s as well as what makes this class of drug a promising target for relapsing and remitting forms of MS.

Here's some of what is coming soon to NeurologyLive® this week.

AI could revolutionize patient advocacy by bridging communication gaps between patients and providers, and the synergy of medicine and AI offers a promising avenue for enhanced patient care and operational efficiency.

Test your neurology knowledge with NeurologyLive®'s weekly quiz series, featuring questions on a variety of clinical and historical neurology topics. This week's topic is narcolepsy.

L. John Greenfield Jr, MD, PhD, “spoke” about the future of artificial intelligence in neurology with ChatGPT-4—one of the largest language modules that have grabbed the field’s interest.

The clinical research director of the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center talked about challenges in accessibility for the 3 approved therapies for NMOSD caused by third-party payor resistance as well as the importance of educating clinicians about the effectiveness of inebilizumab. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

There should be a holistic approach to how the systems in place affect equity: how medicine is practiced and research is conducted, the structure of academic institutions, and how media influence our perceptions of neurologic conditions.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on NeurologyLive®'s highlights from the week ending November 3, 2023.

Dr Bruce Hughes and Dr Robert Naismith discuss how high-efficacy therapies have impacted the understanding of disease progression and multiple sclerosis care.

Dr Robert Naismith describes changes in the understanding of acquired disability in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) over the years, with a particular focus on relapse-associated worsening (RAW) and progression independent of relapse activity (PIRRA).

The vice-chair for research at Cleveland Clinic’s Neurological Institute discussed the way therapies are currently assessed for progressive MS and the need for disease-specific biomarkers. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Jeffrey Cohen, MD; Sarah Anderson, PharmD, NBC-HWC; and Alicyn Magruder, PharmD, BCACP, MSCS, share their final thoughts on the future landscape of clinical MS care in the biosimiliars era. [WATCH TIME: 12 minutes]

Here's some of what is coming soon to NeurologyLive® this week.

The group continues discussion about patient communication needs, and Sarah Anderson, PharmD, shares resources that the National MS Society offers to both patients and providers. [WATCH TIME: 9 minutes]

Test your neurology knowledge with NeurologyLive®'s weekly quiz series, featuring questions on a variety of clinical and historical neurology topics. This week's topic is ataxias.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on NeurologyLive®'s highlights from the week ending October 27, 2023.

Jeff Cohen, MD, and Alicyn Magruder, PharmD, BCACP, MSCS, discuss the best practices when switching to a biosimilar therapy, including patient education and when to consider an insurance appeal. [WATCH TIME: 7 minutes]

If in-person interventions are unavailable, remote forms of telerehabilitation may be considered as a solution with very little cost-effectiveness and an easy option for physiotherapists and patients, even if it is for a short period of time.