For many years the only drugs licensed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) were administered by injection (interferon beta, glatiramer and ▼natalizumab). Recently, three oral drugs have become available. We have previously reviewed the use of ▼fingolimod for highly active relapsing-remitting MS1 and ▼teriflunomide for the management of relapsing-remitting MS in adults.2 Here, we review...

Alemtuzumab, a highly effective treatment for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), induces lymphopenia especially of CD4+ T cells. Here, we report the atypical CD4+ T population behaviour of two patients with persistent disease activity despite repeated alemtuzumab treatments. Whereas lymphocytes count decreased and fluctuated accordingly to alemtuzumab administration, their CD4+ cell...

In patients with either relapsing-remitting or secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis, there were fewer new lesions/patient with natalizumab (0.7 and 1.1 with natalizumab 3 and 6 mg/kg every 28 days, respectively) than in the placebo group (9.6 new lesions/patient) over 6 months. There were also fewer relapses in the natalizumab groups than the placebo group. However, there were no changes in...

Raphael Schneider, MD Nathalie Arbour, PhD The topic of this Journal Club is a study by Bielekova et al.,1 who assessed whether daclizumab monotherapy reduces contrast-enhancing lesions (CEL) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Furthermore, they evaluated the effects of daclizumab on clinical outcome measures and on NK cell populations in the CSF and blood of treated...

Raphael Schneider, MD Nathalie Arbour, PhD The topic of this Journal Club is a study by Bielekova et al.,1 who assessed whether daclizumab monotherapy reduces contrast-enhancing lesions (CEL) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Furthermore, they evaluated the effects of daclizumab on clinical outcome measures and on NK cell populations in the CSF and blood of treated...

Background: Identifying the transition from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) can be challenging for clinicians. Little previous research has explored how professionals experience working with patients during this specific stage of the disease. We explored the experiences of a group of multidisciplinary professionals who support patients in the transition to...

The Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Working Group (CMSWG) developed practical recommendations in 2004 to assist clinicians in optimizing the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMT) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis. The CMSWG convened to review how disease activity is assessed, propose a more current approach for assessing suboptimal response, and to suggest a scheme for switching or e...