Category: Latest News

Lemtrada™ (alemtuzumab, formerly Campath) did not receive approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today that it had received a Complete Response Letter from the FDA, informing them that the application for their drug is “not ready for approval.”

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) announces a national call for entries for the Swim for MS – Why I Swim campaign, through a collaborative sponsorship with Genzyme, a Sanofi company. Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) who currently swim or participate in water-based exercise programs are encouraged to visit SwimForMS.org and share their personal story about how water activities have impacted their lives.

On November 13, 2013, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a meeting to discuss Lemtrada® (alemtuzumab, also known as Campath), a new treatment that has been submitted for approval to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite concerns over the drug’s safety as well as study design, the FDA’s committee voted to recommend the drug for approval.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) will hold a live webinar on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for individuals with multiple sclerosis on November 19, 2013 at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time. Titled The New Insurance Marketplace and MS, this one-hour webinar will provide an understandable explanation of the new health insurance Marketplace with specific information on key areas that will significantly impact the multiple sclerosis community.

This year’s 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) was held in Copenhagen, Denmark in October, 2013. Each year, ECTRIMS hosts the world’s largest annual international meeting devoted entirely to research and care in multiple sclerosis (MS). More than 1,500 abstracts and posters were presented at this year’s conference, providing the latest findings in MS research, treatments, symptom management, and patient care to an estimated audience of nearly 7,000 MS professionals from around the world.

On October 30, 2013, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) debuts a new mobile website (accessed at mymsaa.org via a mobile device) to meet the growing needs of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their care partners. The mobile website allows users to have on-the-go access to many of the resources currently available on MSAA’s desktop website. The mobile website is another example of how MSAA continues to develop initiatives to improve lives today for the entire MS community.

Please read this USA Today article about organizations that help people with obtaining information in regard to the new health exchanges.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is pleased to announce new website additions including an MS Relapse Resource Center and chat feature to its award-winning website, mymsaa.org. As a leading resource for the entire multiple sclerosis (MS) community, MSAA developed these additions to provide easier access to vital information and assistance to individuals with MS, their care partners, and healthcare professionals.

MSAA is pleased to announce that Healthline.com has named MSAA’s My MS Manager™ mobile phone app as one of the top smartphone and tablet applications for the iPhone and Android platforms. Healthline selected the best MS apps based on the potential to assist individuals and their loved ones in a number of ways.

Two reports of adverse events have appeared in the media recently. Each referred to an individual with MS who had been taking an MS disease-modifying therapy (DMT) and later became ill or died.