Help MSAA by Shopping At MACY's
From now until October 1, 2007, anyone who gives a gift of $5 or more will be sent an official MACY’S “Shop for a Cause” day card.  This card can be used on October 13, 2007, and will give you 20% off any purchases for that day.  This is a win-win situation.  You will be helping enrich the quality of life for individuals with Multiple Scleroses, and in return, you can treat yourself to a shopping trip at MACY’S store!!
Read More...

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Receives A Telly Award
The Silver Telly was awarded to MSAA and VCS, a video production company located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, for the web video “A Closer Look At Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms, Part 1.” This video is the first in a series titled “A Closer Look,” which is part of MSAA’s Multiple Sclerosis Information (MSi) Program. The MSi Program provides viewers with an extensive resource guide on multiple sclerosis (MS) and helps clients acquire the support they need while coping with the challenges of MS.
Read More...

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Wins Two APEX Awards
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) was honored twice in the 2007 APEX Awards competition. Mommy’s Story, MSAA’s children’s booklet, received the APEX Grand Award for One-of-a-Kind Publication.  MSAA also earned a Publication Excellence Award for their quarterly magazine, The Motivator. This was the first time MSAA entered the APEX Award competition.
Read More...

EMD Serono Offers a New Patient Assistance Program for Rebif®
.As a way to expand access to therapy, a new patient assistance program titled MS LifeLines® Access Made Simple was launched on July 2, 2007 by EMD Serono. According to EMD Serono, "The program provides simplified and affordable access to therapy for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who have either been newly prescribed Rebif (interferon beta-1a) by their physician or who have restarted Rebif therapy after having discontinued for more than 90 days." All eligible patients will receive a supply of Rebif up to one year, regardless of income, with no more than a $50 co-payment.  After one year, patients who are still unable to obtain full insurance coverage for Rebif can apply to the MS LifeLines Patient Assistance Program (PAP), which provides financial support to people who cannot otherwise afford therapy.
Read More...

Summer 2007 MS Research Updat, Part One
Numerous trials are currently being conducted to determine the safety and effectiveness of medications for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Trials include FDA-approved drugs, experimental drugs (such as oral medications, monoclonal antibodies, and other treatments), as well as various combinations of drugs and doses. This first of four updates provides a few research highlights on each of the FDA-approved drugs for MS.
Read More...

Multiple Sclerosis Association of Publishes A Monograph about Clinical Trials
.The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has produced a monograph titled, The Confusing World of Clinical Trials. The monograph serves as a resource on clinical trials for both patients and families affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the second monograph MSAA has published through a grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. The first monograph Thinking about Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and this second monograph are dedicated  to Dr. Jacks Burks, MSAA’s chief medical officer for his work with the multiple sclerosis community.
Read More...

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Debuts MSi Program
A new web video initiative titled MSi (Multiple Sclerosis Information) has been launched by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA). Targeted to individuals with MS, the video series A Closer Look can be accessed on MSAA’s website. The first video, A Closer Look at Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms – Part 1, is divided into four segments: Effective MS Symptom Management featuring Jack Burks, MD; Understanding Depression and MS featuring Allison Shadday, LCSW; Learning about Involuntary Emotional Expression Disorder featuring Daniel Wynn, MD; and Managing Spasticity featuring Donald Barone, DO.
Read More...

Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Update
Historically, primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) has seemingly taken a back seat to other types of multiple sclerosis (MS). By far, the largest amount of information published about research and treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been in reference to relapsing-remitting and secondary-progressive forms of MS (RRMS and SPMS respectively).
Read More...

Join the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America in Recognizing March as MS Awareness Month
Join friends, family and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) in raising awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS) during the month of March. MSAA will be hosting various events designed to expand knowledge, understanding, and support of individuals whose lives are affected by multiple sclerosis.
Read More...

New Program for Patients Seeking Financial Assistance for Betaseron®
Berlex is establishing a new Patient Assistance Program (PAP) for Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b). The new program will go into effect January 1, 2007 and will replace The Betaseron Foundation. The Betaseron PAP will be governed by Berlex and will help ensure that Betaseron is still available to people with MS who cannot otherwise afford it. All current participants from The Betaseron Foundation who continue to be eligible under the Foundation criteria will be transitioned into this program.
Read More..

News Briefs from the ECTRIMS Meeting
The 22nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) was recently held in Madrid, Spain. Taking place from September 27th through September 30th, this annual meeting provides the latest in MS information to neurologists and other medical professionals from around the world. MSAA’s Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jack Burks was in attendance. He returned to MSAA with much news about currently approved MS medications, as well as investigative drugs showing potential in clinical studies
Read More..

Seattle Resident Jilladair Carlson Embarks on a National Fundrasing Project
This holiday season join Jilladair Carlson, a music producer from Seattle, Washington and Erik Kjelland, a singer and songwriter from Madison, Wisconsin, in a unique fundraising opportunity benefiting the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA). Kjelland and Carlson have joined forces to write, sing, and produce Everybody Falls, a CD compiled to inspire not only individuals in the multiple sclerosis (MS) community, but all who listen.
Read More..

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Wins Two Gold and Two Silver Awards in 2006 National Health Information Awards Program
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) recently received four awards in four different categories in the 13th annual National Health Information Awards competition. This program recognizes the nation's best consumer health information programs and materials.
Read More...

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Receives the Berlex Award at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers
Honored for the poster presentation ìA Needs Assessment Survey of MS Patients and Care Partners,î the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) received the Berlex Award for the Best Poster in Patient and Family Education in Multiple Sclerosis, a t the 20th Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in Scottsdale, Arizona, June 1st ñ3rd. As t he winner of the Berlex Award, MSAA will receive free meeting registration to attend next year's CMSC Annual Meeting.
Read More...

Tysabri Returns to Marketplace
On June 5, 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an application for Tysabri® (natalizumab) to return to the marketplace. This is the sixth drug approved for the long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) in this country, and is specifically approved for the treatment of the relapsing forms of MS
Read More...

FDA Advisory Committee Supports Tysabri’s Return to Marketplace
Following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee Meeting on March 7 and 8, 2006, members of the Committee decided that Tysabri’s effectiveness outweighs the potential for serious adverse events, recommending its return to the marketplace for treating individuals with the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Read More...

Tysabri® Update: Trials Resume; Drug Remains off Market; FDA Holds Advisory Committee Meeting

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, makers of Tysabri® (natalizumab), report that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the clinical hold on this drug for studies with multiple sclerosis (MS). This allows the companies to resume their clinical trials using Tysabri as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the FDA’s press release dated February 16, 2006, “ The removal of the clinical hold allows patients with MS who were previously treated with the drug under an investigational (IND) study to resume treatment in an IND study following discussion with their physicians about the potential risks and potential benefits of treatment.”

Read More...

Flu Vaccines, MS, and General Flu and
Cold Information
Individuals with MS need to pay extra attention to staying healthy and avoiding illness during the flu and cold season. MSAA's Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Jack Burks, MD, advises everyone with MS to consult his or her physician about getting a flu shot. With the shortage of vaccines, individuals with MS qualify as a group which should get priority for receiving a flu shot. Other steps may be taken to reduce one's risk of getting the flu, and this is important for both individuals with MS and others in the household. For those who catch the flu virus or who get a cold, this writing explains how the viruses are transmitted, what the symptoms are, and what treatments are available. Additional warnings about supplements, antibiotics, saunas, and smoking are included
Read More...

Medicare Part D Information
Members of the MS community may already be aware of the highly publicized Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program, which officially begins on January 1, 2006. Hopefully all individuals who qualify for this program are learning about their options so they may choose a plan that best fits their needs.
Read More...

Educational Event for the Hispanic Community on October 1
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America will be hosting Dr. Carlos Ramirez, a recognized expert in Multiple Sclerosis to discuss current treatments, symptom management, and overall healthcare for the MS patient and their care partner in Coral Gables, FL
Read More...

Interim Results From Campath® (Alemtuzumab) Trial Announced

On September 16, 2005, Genzyme Corporation and Schering AG Germany announced the interim results of a phase II trial comparing Campath® (alemtuzumab) with Rebif® (interferon beta-1a). These results came from an efficacy (looking at effectiveness) and safety interim analysis, following the completion of one year of treatment in a planned three-year trial.

Read More...

Revised Tysabri Update: Hope for Return to the Marketplace; Risks Continue

Good News for Patients Previously on Tysabri… No new cases of PML. Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, makers of Tysabri® (natalizumab), have conducted a safety evaluation of patients who previously took Tysabri. Any unusual responses to the drug are being investigated and reported to the FDA. Three cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have resulted in two deaths so far in patients on Tysabri. PML is an often-fatal brain disorder thought to be caused by the activation of a virus known as the “JC Virus.”

Read More...

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Hosts a National Teleconference for the Hispanic Community on July 14
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America will be hosting a national teleconference featuring Dr. Victor M. Rivera, M.D., FAAN, Professor of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Rivera, a recognized expert in multiple sclerosis will answer the questions you have regarding the current treatments, symptom management and overall healthcare for the MS patient and their care partner.
Read More...

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America Marks 35 Years of Service
On Thursday, May 19, 2005, the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) will mark its 35th anniversary in style at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. During the gala, MSAA will honor Dr. Jack Burks for his dedicated service to MSAA and the MS community. The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America will also be honoring MSAA volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty.
Read More...