Multiple Sclerosis Advancements On The Horizon
Posted on Thu, Jan 07, 2010 @ 09:41 AM
At
MidAmerica Neuroscience Institute, multiple sclerosis is a passion and an area of focus we have dedicated ourselves to with a wealth of resources that are available to people with MS. What is unique about our clinic is that our providers are focused on MS care and spend a majority of their time with people with MS as well as learning about the newest advances in MS.
For example:
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Our Physical Therapists aren't spending their time rehabbing patients who have had hip or knee replacement surgery. They spend a large percentage of their time with patients with MS and specifically with the common problems they experience with walking and balance. By being focused on this area, it makes them more of an expert on MS than the average physical therapist in any clinic in a hospital or on Main Street.
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We also have a
research department here that conducts research into a variety of neurological conditions but a majority of these are in the field of MS. This allows our patients access to treatments and care that they would not otherwise have and options that they cannot get elsewhere.
- Currently we're involved an investigational study evaluating a weekly oral dosing of MS medication. Just about everyone I talk to who is currently on the shots is looking forward this becoming widely available - and we're thrilled to be a part of this advancement.
The field of treating MS has undergone a revolution in the past decade and a half and is going to continue to evolve - and probably at a very quick pace. We've gone from having no available treatments that treat the underlying disease of MS in
1992, to having three proven medicines. When I started working in the field of MS we called them the ABC drugs; Avonex, Betaserone and Copaxone. Now it has expanded to six proven treatments that are FDA approved for MS and we have a whole wealth of other treatments that can be used in clinical trials that are experimental or investigational drugs. So we have gone from having no treatments to the ABC drugs to where we are facing an "alphabet" of options for patients with MS. Besides the six FDA approved drugs currently available, many of the drugs that are in clinical trials now are likely to come on the market and be approved by the FDA for broader use in the next several years.
This is going to be an interesting time. It is going to offer a lot more options and choices that will be more convenient or work better than choices we have now. It also going to be more challenging because of all those choices and trying to fit the right treatment to the right patients. Weighing the proven benefits of all these treatments against the cost and risks and possible side effects makes the future of dealing with MS both exciting and challenging at the same time.
by Doug Schell, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurse