New study inviting participants to investigate interplay across MS, DMTs and COVID-19

There is a great deal of confusion and concern amongst patients and practitioners alike regarding the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MS Academy has been working hard to address the many nuanced questions and queries from professional and patient perspectives via our webinars, a number of which have either been dedicated to, or addressed this area, during the course of their sessions.

We are also supporting a study, led by Dr Nikos Evangelou and Prof Richard Nicholas via the MS Register, investigating the risks of, and interplay, between coronavirus, DMTs and MS.

The more data gathered, the stronger the picture gleaned, and so practitioners are being asked to encourage their patients to join UK MS Register and take part in the survey available at: ukmsregister.org/coronavirus

Ways to get involved:

1. Report anonymously any confirmed COVID-19 positive MS cases using the very brief Case Report Form here.
   • Any MS nurse, doctor, pharmacist, OT, MS coordinator or other healthcare professional can fill it in if they come across a confirmed MS COVID-19 case.
2. Encourage patients by:
   • mentioning the survey during any telephone consultations
   • adding a supporting statement in your letters, encouraging patients to register to the study.

More information

To listen back to some of the relevant webinars covering DMTs, and AHSCT, and MS during the coronavirus pandemic, visit MS Academy’s website here.

• Webinar with Prof Richard Nicholas on behalf of UK MS Register: Update of COVID-19 and MS – Morbidity and mortality figures
• A high volume of the Question and Answer sessions including the most recent, on 22nd April, have dealt with DMT-related queries, all available here.
• Debate: Should ocrelizumab & cladribine be treated in the same way as alemtuzumab in terms of COVID-19 risk? with Prof Klaus Schmierer & Prof David Baker
• AHSCT for highly active and rapidly evolving severe MS during the COVID-19 pandemic with Prof Basil Sharrack & Prof John Snowden
• Managing MS remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic with Prof Gavin Giovannoni

Please note the dates given for each webinar, as information emerging over time has meant that some of the advice given in earlier webinars is now superseded by that in later ones.