The MS Wire – A Column by Ed Tobias

Ed Tobias is a retired broadcast journalist.  Most of his 40+ year career was spent as a manager with the Associated Press in Washington, DC.  Tobias was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1980 but he continued to work, full-time, meeting interesting people and traveling to interesting places, until retiring at the end of 2012.

In his weekly column The MS Wire, Ed covers a wide range of topics related to the disease, seeking to bring to light patient perspectives on the latest science, research and disease management news, as well as connecting with fellow MS patients about their own personal experiences in coping with the disease.

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Report on Ocrevus Use, Cognitive Decline in MS, Gold Nanocrystals and Remyelination Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Ocrevus Use Rises Among New Starters with RRMS, Loses Ground to Other Therapies in PPMS Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) bolted out of the starting gate after it was approved for use ... Read more

February 14, 2020February 12, 2020

Smoking and MS: Not a Good Match

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Some interesting statistics about people with multiple sclerosis in the U.K. have been released by Public Health England. The numbers are intended to help health commissioners and providers assess ... Read more

February 10, 2020February 10, 2020

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Methionine, MSCT, Spinal Fluid, and BTK Blocker Studies

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Dietary Changes May Delay Development and Progression of MS, Study Finds Methionine is an amino acid found in meat, eggs, and dairy. It’s absorbed by T-cells that are part ... Read more

February 7, 2020February 5, 2020

Bladder Problems Keep Many of Us Looking for the Loo

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Are you frequently up at night for bathroom trips? When you’re outside, are you always looking for a loo? You’re not alone. A recent study confirms that the vast ... Read more

February 3, 2020February 3, 2020

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr, UTI Factors, New Myelin Imaging Agent, Nerve Impulses and Demyelination

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Epstein-Barr Virus and Certain Genes Interact in Ways That Can Promote MS, Study Finds Much has been written over the years about a possible connection between the Epstein-Barr virus ... Read more

January 31, 2020February 6, 2020

Rising MS Medication Costs Mean Some Patients Are Skipping Doses

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Forced by medication costs to choose between regularly taking their medications or buying groceries, some people with multiple sclerosis are choosing the groceries. Some are skipping doses and others ... Read more

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Mayzent for SPMS Approved in EU, Memory Training, Trial of Music-based Product to Improve Walking

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Mayzent Helps Regulate the Immune System in SPMS, Study Shows Mayzent (siponimod) is one of several disease-modifying treatments that target specific T-cells and B-cells involved in damage to the ... Read more

January 24, 2020January 22, 2020

April Hester Is Lacing Up Her MS Hiking Boots Again

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

When I wrote about April Hester two years ago, she and her husband, Bernie, had just finished hiking the 500 miles of South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail. That’s no small ... Read more

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: High Cost of MS Meds; MS Progression, Relapse, and DMT Timing; Remyelinating Therapy Trial; Myelin Regeneration Mouse Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Almost Half of MS Patients Change or Stop DMT Due to High Financial Burden, Survey Shows I frequently see reports of this on multiple sclerosis patient websites. People with ... Read more

January 17, 2020January 16, 2020

Stem Cells Versus DMTs: MS Treatments Go Head to Head

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

People with multiple sclerosis have been waiting for this: A full-scale clinical trial testing the effectiveness of stem cell transplantation as an MS treatment. The trial is being conducted ... Read more

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: AHSCT Trial Enlisting, Interferon-beta and Pregnancy, Probiotics, Language and Brain Health

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

New Trial Compares Stem Cell Treatment to Available Therapies for Severe Relapsing MS This is a biggie. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is conducting a head to head ... Read more

January 10, 2020January 8, 2020

I Was Seconds Away from Calling the Medics

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

My nose started running about a week before the sledgehammer hit. Then came a chesty cough, not yet as serious as the one that had my wife wheezing, but ... Read more

December 20, 2019January 8, 2020

Who’s Willing to Accept More DMT Risk, You or Your Neuro?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

As more high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are being made available, people with multiple sclerosis have to decide how much risk they’re willing to accept in exchange for the treatment’s ... Read more

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: US Patent for Remyelination Therapy, Tysabri and Inflammation, Canada Funding Mavenclad

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MetP Pharma Awarded US Patent for Potential Remyelination Therapy Mention remyelination and the reaction from most of us with multiple sclerosis is probably, “How soon?” This announcement makes me ... Read more

December 13, 2019December 11, 2019

Have You Joined the Conversations in Our MS Forums?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

About a year and a half ago, Multiple Sclerosis News Today introduced a forums section. It’s a great place to post a question or comment about MS, or to ... Read more

December 9, 2019December 9, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Gilenya Generics, MS Pain and Fatigue Toolkit, Profit Drives MS Meds Prices, MS and Sugar Link

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

FDA Approves Three Generic Versions of Novartis’ Gilenya for Treating Relapsing MS It’s always nice to hear about generics becoming available to replace expensive multiple sclerosis treatments. But I ... Read more

December 6, 2019December 4, 2019

I’ve Had Success with the Bioness L300 Go This Time Around

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I used the Bioness L300, a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device, for about seven years to counter my left foot drop. I strapped it to my leg just below ... Read more

November 25, 2019November 25, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Immunoadsorption, MS Therapies Approval, Cannabis-based Capsules for Study, Pregnancy and MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Immunoadsorption May Be Superior to Plasma Exchange in Treating Steroid-resistant Relapses in MS Steroids may be an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis relapses, but they have negative side effects. ... Read more

November 22, 2019November 19, 2019

It’s Freezing and I’m Stuck on My Scooter

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

It happened on the coldest day of the season. It was 16 degrees F with wind chill. I was outside, using my electric scooter to take Joey, our cocker ... Read more

November 18, 2019November 18, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Mayzent in EU for SPMS; Depression, Fatigue, and Quality of Life; Acthar Gel; Soothie Cushion

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

CHMP Favors Mayzent as Oral Treatment Specifically for Active SPMS Patients in EU Mayzent (siponimod) is one of the newest disease-modifying treatments (DMT). I’m pleased that the Committee for ... Read more

November 15, 2019November 13, 2019

Is It Good that Google Is Crunching Our Healthcare Data?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Google has quietly teamed up with Ascension, one of the largest healthcare organizations in the United States, to process the medical records of millions of people. According to The ... Read more

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: EU Lemtrada Safety Guidance, Targeted Treatment Project, SPMS Patients Unaware of Diagnosis

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

EMA Safety Group Advises Lemtrada Be Limited to ‘Highly Active’ RRMS Patients at Hospitals with ICUs I’m highlighting this report because, like several Europe-based doctors I know, I think ... Read more

November 8, 2019November 6, 2019

Top MS Worries Highlight the Need for a Comprehensive Care Program

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

What worries you most about living with multiple sclerosis? I’m catching up with a small survey by Can Do MS, an organization that promotes health and wellness education programs. ... Read more

November 4, 2019November 4, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Vumerity Approval, Low Antibody Levels in MS Patients, GA Depot Trial, Tecfidera Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Vumerity Approved in US as Treatment for RRMS and Active SPMS By my count, Vumerity is the 18th disease-modifying therapy (DMT) that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ... Read more

November 1, 2019October 30, 2019

My Lemtrada Journey: Observations at 18 Months After Round 2

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

It’s time for another update on how I’ve been doing with my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) treatments. The bottom line is that I’m doing well. Lemtrada is a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) ... Read more

October 28, 2019October 28, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Cognitive Impairment, Genetic Variant Risk Factor, Protein Biomarkers, Gilenya Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Higher Intellectual Ability, Early-life Physical Activity May Protect Against Cognitive Impairment in MS, Study Suggests The finding that physical activity provides a protective effect for cognitive abilities makes sense ... Read more

October 25, 2019October 22, 2019

Am I Too Old for Aggressive MS Treatment?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A question raised by neurologist Gavin Giovannoni on the Barts-MS blog lit up my radar recently. Dr. G asked whether “elderly” people with MS should be treated differently than ... Read more

October 21, 2019October 21, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Injectable DMTs, Ofatumumab ‘Success Story,’ MS and Night Shift Work, MS Biomarker Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

#ECTRIMS2019 – Are Injectables Inappropriate for Active Relapsing MS Treatment? Injectable disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have been around for a long time. I took part in a Phase 3 clinical ... Read more

October 18, 2019October 17, 2019

Pushing to Put a Symbol for Invisible Disabilities on Driver’s Licenses

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

This is not the week to tell me how good I look … even if I look and feel good. The week of Oct. 13 is Invisible Disabilities Week. ... Read more

October 14, 2019October 14, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Mavenclad and Ocrevus Use Rising in EU, Ampyra Patent Appeal Denied, Exercise and MS Pilot Study

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Mavenclad, Ocrevus Use Rising in EU as Injectables and Tysabri Decline, Spherix Reports I’m not surprised at reports that the use of Mavenclad (cladribine) and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is increasing ... Read more

October 11, 2019February 10, 2020

It’s Not All in Your Head

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Several days ago, the headline “It’s All in Your Head” jumped out at me. The author of the Journal of the American Medical Association article, Matthew Burke, is a ... Read more

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Rituximab vs. Ocrevus

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

In this week’s column, I’ve changed the format a little to focus on one subject: rituximab. This is an approved cancer medication that some U.S. neurologists use as an ... Read more

October 4, 2019October 1, 2019

My Fortuitous Footwear Discovery: I Found the Right MS Shoes

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The other night, I had an MS dream. In it, I was able to lift my left leg as well as I can my right one, regardless of my ... Read more

September 27, 2019September 25, 2019

Taking Vitamin D for Your MS? Use It Wisely

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) use vitamin D supplements. I’ve been popping a 2,000 IU tablet of vitamin D3 each morning for many years. And with good reason. ... Read more

September 23, 2019September 20, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Ozanimod, Achtar Gel, Onset Age Progression Link, Glial Cells Could Differentiate MS Types

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

In this column, I take a look at more exciting research from the ECTRIMS2019 conference this month. #ECTRIMS2019 – Ozanimod’s ‘Key Advantages’ May Lead to New First-line MS Therapy: ... Read more

September 20, 2019October 23, 2019

Neuros Say that Flu Shots and Other Vaccines Are OK for Those with MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

This is the time of year when my wife and I start thinking about getting our flu shots. We’ve already had the pneumonia and the older shingles vaccine and ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Transplants, Remyelination Agent, Tecfidera Study, Plasma Exchange and Tysabri-linked PML

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

It’s been a big week for interesting stories, as the annual meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) has just concluded. The conference ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 18, 2019

Stem Cell Program That Treated Selma Blair Closes Its Doors

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Richard Burt, MD, the chief of Northwestern Medicine’s immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases division, is taking a sabbatical, and the stem cell program he has headed for many years, which ... Read more

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Cancer Medication Slows MS, Vitamin D and Myelin, Targeting ‘Helper’ T-cells, Vaccination Guidelines

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Ofatumumab Better at Easing Relapse Rates and Slowing MS Progression Than Aubagio, Phase 3 Data Show Ofatumumab isn’t approved as a multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. It’s a cancer medication ... Read more

September 6, 2019September 4, 2019

Social Cognition: Does It Impact MS Symptoms?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Feeling tired, depressed, or anxious? Maybe it has to do with your social cognition. Social cognition involves empathy and recognizing the emotions that are revealed by someone’s facial expression. ... Read more