Multiple Sclerosis

AAN Panel: Start MS Therapies Early

The Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has issued new practice guidelines for the use of disease-modifying therapies in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The new guidelines include 30 recommendations geared towards initiating disease-modifying therapies, switching therapies if breakthrough disease develops, and stopping therapies.
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The following recommendations were included in the AAN’s statement:

  • Adults with newly diagnosed MS should be counseled about specific treatment options with disease-modifying therapies at a dedicated treatment visit.
  • Preferences for safety, route of administration, lifestyle, cost, efficacy, common adverse effects, and tolerability should be incorporated and reviewed for patients with MS who are being considered for disease-modifying therapy.
  • Clinicians and patients should engage in an ongoing dialogue regarding treatment decisions throughout the course of disease.
  • The importance of therapy adherence should be discussed with MS patients who initiate disease-modifying therapies.
  • Barriers to therapy adherence in MS patients should be identified and evaluated.

The authors of the statement also suggested that future research for the use of disease-modifying therapy in MS should evaluate whether the use of high-potency treatment early in the course of disease, compared with other disease-modifying therapies, is associated with improved long-term outcomes.

To read the full recommendation statement, click here.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Rae-Grant A, Day GS, Marrie RA, et al. Practice guideline recommendations summary: disease-modifying therapies for adults with multiple sclerosis: report of the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology [Published online April 23, 2018]. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000005347

 

SEE ALSO: What Is Multiple Sclerosis? (Podcast)

 

Dr Pavan Bhargava, who is an assistant professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University, explains what multiple sclerosis is and how it is diagnosed in the clinic. 

For more podcasts, click here.