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.

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

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.