Category: Latest News

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.

On Tuesday October 27, Wines ‘Til Sold Out (WTSO.com) will hold an online wine sale from 8 AM – 8 PM ET where $1 from every bottle sold will go to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA). The donation is in support of the many free programs and services provided to the multiple sclerosis (MS) community.

Genentech announced today that ocrelizumab, an investigational medicine for the long-term treatment of relapsing forms of MS, has also shown positive study results in their Phase III ORATORIO study with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). This is the first medication to show positive effects on disability with this form of the disease, which affects approximately 10 percent of the MS population.

On September 25, 2015, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Betaconnect, an electronic autoinjector for use with Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b), an approved disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Although other autoinjectors are available to help with the administration of self-injected medications, this is the first electronic autoinjector to be approved by the FDA for a medication used in the long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

MSAA’s free mobile phone app, My MS Manager™ has been recognized as one of the top multiple sclerosis iPhone and Android apps of 2015 by Healthline.com. Healthline’s editors selected this year’s winners based on quality, usability, and contribution to the MS community.

MSAA’s My Health Insurance Guide was selected as a Merit Award winner in the 17th annual Digital Health Awards. This program honors the world’s best digital health resources. My Health Insurance Guide is a dedicated section of MSAA’s website that provides comprehensive information on today’s health insurance topics specifically for the multiple sclerosis community.