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During the 2016 March is MS Aw …

MediciNova, Inc., the biopharmaceutical company developing ibudilast (MN-166), announced that this investigational medication for progressive forms of MS has received Fast Track designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This designation is intended for drugs under development for treating serious diseases and with the potential to address unmet medical needs for such diseases.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is honored to ring the Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell on Friday, March 11, 2016 at Nasdaq MarketSite in recognition of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. MSAA President & CEO Gina Ross Murdoch will ring the bell to open the market accompanied by members of the MS community.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) recognizes March as MS Awareness Month. For the more than 400,000 Americans living with multiple sclerosis (MS), the support of loved ones, care partners, and organizations such as MSAA are vital to improving their quality of life. MSAA’s Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month campaign will devote each week in March to heightening the understanding of the management of relapses and multiple sclerosis symptoms.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is pleased to announce the launch of the newly redesigned version of its website, mymsaa.org. The new www.mymsaa.org offers essential information and resources for the multiple sclerosis (MS) community in an easy-to-navigate, responsive-design format that is compatible with today’s browsers and mobile devices.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted “Breakthrough Therapy Designation” for ocrelizumab, an experimental medication presently under investigation for the treatment of primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). At this time, no treatments are available for this less-common form of MS. With this designation, the FDA affirms: (1) the medication would be used to treat a serious condition; (2) preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies; and (3) the review process would be expedited to within 60 days.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) announced today that Gina Ross Murdoch has joined the organization as President & CEO. Ms. Murdoch will lead MSAA in all areas including strategic growth, programmatic expansion, and corporate development efforts. Ms. Murdoch brings extensive nonprofit experience, including fundraising expertise, program development, as well as strategic planning, and will continue to advance MSAA’s mission of improving lives today.

MSAA is proud to announce that My MS Journey and the Summer/Fall 2015 issue of The Motivator were selected as Merit Award winners in the 17th annual Digital Health Awards. The Digital Health Awards honor the world’s best digital health resources in categories such as web-based health resources and digital health media and publications.

The entire staff at MSAA is greatly saddened to learn of the recent death of Dr. John F. Kurtzke, a highly accomplished expert in the field of multiple sclerosis research. Dr. Kurtzke was a neuroepidemiologist (a doctor who specializes in researching the development and treatment of neurological diseases) and Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University. He is best known by the MS community for his work in creating the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale, a vital evaluative tool used by neurologists to determine a patient’s physical status and level of ability. This scale is critical in evaluating disease progression over time, as well as determining the effectiveness of approved and experimental treatments for MS.

The annual meeting of ECTRIMS (European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis) 31st congress took place on October 7-10, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. Established in 1984, ECTRIMS is a European professional organization dedicated to understanding the cause and pathophysiology of MS and to the development of new treatments. Each year, ECTRIMS hosts the world’s largest annual international conference devoted to basic and clinical research in multiple sclerosis.