The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Florida, MS biomarker, Lemtrada, nasal spray

Diagnosed with MS at age 32 in 1980, Ed has written the “MS Wire” column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today since August 2016. He presents timely information on MS, blended with personal experiences. Before retiring from full-time work in 2012, Tobias spent more than four decades in broadcast and on-line newsrooms as a manager, reporter, and radio news anchor. Heā€™s won several national broadcast awards. As an MS patient communicator, Ed consults with healthcare and social media companies. Heā€™s the author of ā€œWeā€™re Not Drunk, We Have MS: A tool kit for people living with multiple sclerosis.ā€ Ed and his wife split time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Floridaā€™s Gulf Coast.

MS News Notes: COVID-19, Gut Bacteria, Remyelination, Stem Cells

Welcome to ā€œMS News Notes,ā€ where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Hereā€™s a look at whatā€™s been happening: Could COVID-19 trigger MS? Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been scattered reports of people who’ve developed neurological disorders,…

MS News Notes: PoNS Online, Foralumab, Masitinib, Gaslighting

Welcome to ā€œMS News Notes,ā€ where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Hereā€™s a look at whatā€™s been happening: Tongue stimulator now easier to obtain A Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) is a mouthpiece that mildly stimulates nerves in the tongue that…

FDA Approval of Ublituximab, Now Briumvi, Is Good News

The new year is bringing a new disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to the multiple sclerosis (MS) arsenal. Shortly after Christmas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Briumvi (ublituximab), which joins a small group of DMTs that aim to halt MS progression by knocking out certain…

MS News Notes: Brain Stimulation, Bright Light, ABA-101, Foralumab

Welcome to ā€œMS News Notes,ā€ where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Hereā€™s a look at whatā€™s been happening: Possible nonmedicinal treatment for fatigue, spasticity, pain Wouldn’t it be nice to find a treatment that helps people with MS handle three…

MS News Notes: DMT Costs, Copaxone, EBV, Rituximab

Welcome to ā€œMS News Notes,ā€ where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Hereā€™s a look at whatā€™s been happening: Is cost a factor when deciding DMT use? Cost may be the elephant in the room when people with MS are…

‘Time Is Brain’: Managing Brain Atrophy With MS

This is one of my “nobody ever told me that” columns. I was amazed when I read a comment from one of my “MS Wire” readers recently about brain shrinkage. “I’ve had MS since 2011. I had no idea about brain shrinkage,” she wrote. I guess I shouldn’t have…

Are the MS Stages Still Useful in a Diagnosis?

What’s in a name? Does it really matter if your multiple sclerosis (MS) is called relapsing or progressive, or secondary rather than primary? I’ve never thought so, and the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS agrees with me. The panel is calling for new methods…

MS News Notes: Climate Change, MS Progression, Brain Shrinkage

Welcome to ā€œMS News Notes,ā€ where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Hereā€™s a look at whatā€™s happening: Study reports climate change makes MS symptoms worse Climate change may lead to more perils than rising oceans, harsher storms, and melting ice…

Dr. Amazon Takes a Third Jab at Medical Care

For the past few years, the company that brings us everything from books to basketballs has been experimenting with doing the same with medical care. Of course, it’s Amazon. In 2018, the company launched a project called Haven in partnership with a pair of financial giants, with the goal…

MS News Notes: Stem Cell Therapy, EBV Vaccine, Diabetes, Diets

Welcome to ā€œMS News Notes,ā€ where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s happening: Understanding stem cell therapy Researchers in Zurich wanted to understand what happens to the immune system of a person with MS undergoing a…

MS News Notes: Foralumab, ATA188, Precision Care, PoNS Trial

Welcome to ā€œMS News Notes,ā€ where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s happening: Could a nasal spray join the MS treatment arsenal? Shots, pills, and infusions are approved in the U.S. as disease-modifying therapies for MS,…

My New Set of Wheels Is More Accommodating to MS Needs

I’ve been feeling like a soccer mom the past month or so, even though I’m a 74-year-old guy. My wife and I are leasing a minivan, the go-to wheels of after-school sports parents. It also seems to be a great vehicle for someone with a disability like multiple sclerosis…

Do Doctors Discriminate Against People With Disabilities?

“I Am Not The Doctor For You” is the title of a shocking new study published earlier this month in the journal Health Affairs. It reports that a number of doctors acknowledged being uncomfortable with treating people with a disability. The study was conceived of by Lisa Iezzoni,…

Time for COVID-19 Boosters and Seasonal Flu Shots

It’s the time of the season. Every year around this time, I get a seasonal flu shot. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember, certainly all of my adult life. But this year is a little different. There are now three flu vaccines preferentially recommended…