RealTalk MS

Last week, more than 9,000 MS research scientists, physicians, and pharmaceutical industry experts attended ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS, the largest annual international MS research conference in the world. And we're devoting this week's podcast episode to talking about what they were talking about! Welcome to the RealTalk MS ECTRIMS Round-Up!

We've got the news, views, interviews & breakthroughs that are important to you. So...are you ready for RealTalk MS?

This week, we're talking about MS Activism with the former mayor of Sacramento, California and current MS Activist, Heather Fargo. In last week's podcast, we talked about the prescription drug price transparency bill that was recently signed into law in California. Heather played an important role in the passage of that law, and we'll be talking to her about why that law is so important to the MS community. We're also going to talk about why it's important to use your power as an MS Activist, and how you can become an MS Activist, if you aren't one already. The ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS joint conference starts tomorrow in Paris. It's the largest annual international MS research conference in the world, and the National MS Society and the International Progressive MS Alliance are hosting a webcast that you won't want to miss. We'll give you all the details and let you know how you can register for the webcast. We're also talking about a newly announced national MS Registry that you and your neurologist can participate in. And we'll look at a new Lemtrada study that produced some really encouraging results. We've got the news, views, interviews & breakthroughs that are important to you. So...are you ready for RealTalk MS?

This week, we're talking about MS Activism with the former mayor of Sacramento, California and current MS Activist, Heather Fargo. In last week's podcast, we talked about the prescription drug price transparency bill that was recently signed into law in California. Heather played an important role in the passage of that law, and we'll be talking to her about why that law is so important to the MS community, and why activism plays a vital role in advocating on behalf of families living with MS.

This week, RealTalk MS is all about MS research. We often hear about some of the important outcomes of MS research. New drugs, like Ocrevus, are introduced. New information, like the connection between gut bacteria and MS, is published. But how and where does an MS research project get its start? How does it get funded? How much multiple sclerosis research is actively taking place today? Jon's guest this week is Dr. Bruce Bebo, Executive Vice President of Research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Since its inception, the National MS Society has invested more than $900 million dollars in MS research. Jon and Bruce discuss the key research priorities that the MS Society has identified, and then take you on a step-by-step "behind the scenes" look at exactly how the National MS Society evaluates and funds MS research. We'll also be talking about a new law in California that represents a giant leap forward in creating transparency in prescription drug prices. Over the past decade, the cost of prescription drugs for treating MS has risen at a sharply alarming rate. This new law may serve as a blueprint for other states to follow. And we'll give you a heads-up on an upcoming live webcast from ECTRIMS in Paris (the largest conference in the world dedicated to the understanding and treatment of MS), where you'll be updated by a group of amazing researchers leading breakthrough Progressive MS research. We've got the news, views, interviews & breakthroughs that are important to you. So...are you ready for RealTalk MS?

This week, RealTalk MS is all about MS research. Jon's guest is Dr. Bruce Bebo, Executive Vice President of Research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Since its inception, the National MS Society has invested more than $900 million dollars in MS research. Jon and Bruce discuss the key research priorities that the MS Society has identified, and then take you on a step-by-step "behind the scenes" look at exactly how the National MS Society evaluates and funds MS research.

This week's episode focuses on some of the cutting edge research being done in the Progressive MS arena. Jon's guest, Dr. Tim Coetzee, Chief Advocacy, Services & Research Officer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, takes us through the work of the International Progressive MS Alliance.

Jon and Tim also talk about Ocrevus -- the very first drug to receive FDA approval for the treatment of Progressive MS, and what that means for future Progressive MS drug therapy.

We'll also be talking about a new research study at Duke University that will be taking full advantage of your iPhone to capture your individualized data, and we'll be letting you know how you can register for that study.

And last week, the FDA approved a higher dosage generic version of Copaxone. Generic Copaxone isn't really new...but the higher dosage is, and we'll be talking about why that might be good news for the thousands of people currently using Copaxone.

We've got news, views, interviews & breakthroughs in the MS world. Are you ready for RealTalk MS?

This week's episode focuses on some of the cutting edge research being done in the Progressive MS arena. Jon's guest, Dr. Tim Coetzee, Chief Advocacy, Services & Research Officer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, takes us through the work of the International Progressive MS Alliance.

Tim and Jon also talk about Ocrevus -- the very first drug to receive FDA approval for the treatment of Progressive MS, and what that means for future Progressive MS drug therapy.

Are you ready for RealTalk MS?

In this week's podcast, we're talking to Dr. Lilyana Amezcua, the lead investigator in a new research study that looks at how genetics and culture can impact the severity of MS among Hispanic-Americans.

We'll also talk about how -- without much fanfare -- the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the RAISE Family Caregivers Act last week.

We'll look at a new $10.6 million dollar study that's getting underway at the University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals in England, and a team from the Cleveland Clinic.

We'll find out what happened when investigators at the University of Munster in Germany looked at 47 published MS research studies and drew some conclusions about differences in cognitive impairment in people with relapsing-remitting MS and people with progressive MS.

Have researchers found a way to stop progression and even reverse progression in progressive MS? We'll talk about the encouraging initial results of a small study that's being expanded into a much larger study.

There's a lot to talk about this week on RealTalk MS!

MS news, interviews & breakthroughs.

In this week's podcast, we're talking to Dr. Lilyana Amezcua, the lead investigator in a new research study that looks at how genetics and culture can impact the severity of MS among Hispanic-Americans.

We'll also talk about how -- without much fanfare -- the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the RAISE Family Caregivers Act last week. And we'll talk about research that may point toward a treatment that will stop and even reverse progression in progressive MS.

Join host Jon Strum as he talks about the serious threat that the Cassidy-Graham healthcare bill poses to the MS community. Jon is joined by former Representative Donna Edwards, who worked to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and then found herself diagnosed with MS in 2016.

We'll also be discussing the passage of an important piece of legislation in California which may end up leading the way for other states to create greater transparency in prescription drug pricing.

We'll talk about new MS research that is just getting underway, and we'll give you the latest about some exciting research results that are going to impact people dealing with progressive MS.

Get ready for some Real Talk about MS!