The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) and National Disability Institute (NDI) are collaborating on a series of four free webinars designed to assist the MS community in learning about strategies to protect and improve their financial well-being.

On August 24, 2011, Allergan, Inc. announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox® (onabotulinumtoxinA) injection for the treatment of urinary incontinence. Specifically, the approval is for adults who experience “detrusor over-activity” resulting from a neurological condition, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and who either do not respond adequately or are intolerant of anticholinergic medications.

Overview: Much attention has been focused on an article appearing in the July 26 issue of Neurology (vol. 77, pages 355-363) titled, “Cost-effectiveness of disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis.” This article presents the results of a study that looks at several factors in an effort to estimate the overall 10-year expense versus benefit associated with the long-term treatments for MS, in combination with other costs and lost wages.

An informative article on primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) appears in the summer 2011 issue of the International Journal of MS Care. “Meeting the Needs of People with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Their Families, and the Health-Care Community” is part of a collaborative project between the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) to recognize the needs of this specific population and to create programs to help answer these needs.

Cladribine Tablets were expected to be one of the next approved disease-modifying therapies to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Merck Serono announced on June 22, 2011 that they will no longer seek global approval for the drug.

My MS Manager is the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America’s new mobile phone application, provided free of charge to individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) or their care partner to use on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Developed in conjunction with Ringful Health, My MS Manager is available now for download in the Apple iTunes Store.

We are proud to announce the launch of the Multiple Sclerosis Emerging Therapies Collaborative. The Collaborative – which includes the members of the MS Coalition, the American Academy of Neurology, and the VA Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence East and West – has as its mission: To develop and disseminate timely, evidence-based resources to persons affected by multiple sclerosis and health care professionals, in order to  promote optimal, individualized treatment of the disease by facilitating effective communication and medical decision-making.

EMD Serono, Inc., makers of Cladribine Tablets (an oral formulation of cladribine), announced today that they received a complete response letter (CRL) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA issues a CRL when it has completed the review of an application. However, in this situation, the FDA was not able to approve the application without additional information. The announcement was disappointing to members of the MS community, who were hoping to see another option added to the list of available disease-modifying therapies for the long-term treatment of MS.