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.

June 18, 2018June 18, 2018

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: A Myelin Discovery; Comparing Gilenya and Tecfidera; Measuring a Fall Risk; Smoking, Obesity, and MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Discovery of ‘Fiery’ Cell Death Mechanism May Be MS ‘Game-Changer’ Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a process that may be responsible for destroying ... Read more

June 15, 2018June 13, 2018

Getting Help Paying for Your MRIs

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

It’s not unusual for someone with MS to have an annual MRI exam. Sometimes it’s even semiannual. And it’s not cheap. According to the website Healthcare ... Read more

June 12, 2018June 13, 2018

Is Your MS Ready for a Disaster?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Hurricane season began on June 1 in the Atlantic region. For people living along the coast, as I do, it’s time to plan for moving quickly. ... Read more

June 8, 2018June 6, 2018

My MS Medical Bills: Trust, but Verify the Charges

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

“Trust, but verify” was a key concept during the U.S.-Soviet nuclear negotiations of the 1980s. “Trust,” President Ronald Reagan would say, “but verify” that what’s being ... Read more

June 5, 2018June 1, 2018

Music and MS Are a Duet for This Inspirational Concert Pianist

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

My philosophy about living with MS is written on a plaque hanging on the wall in my home. It reads: “Life isn’t about waiting for the ... Read more

June 4, 2018June 4, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Remyelination, Predicting SPMS, Switching DMTs, MS and a Virus

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Chemical that Stimulates Estrogen Receptors Seen to Promote Myelin Repair Through ‘Good’ Inflammation in Mouse MS Model Caution: This is only a mouse study. However, anything ... Read more

June 1, 2018May 30, 2018

MS Patients Are Getting Caught in an Insurance Deductible Snag

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

MS medications are expensive. Many people with MS are able to afford their high prices only because their insurance covers most of the cost, and what ... Read more

May 29, 2018May 25, 2018

Pressure in the UK Helps Lower MS Therapy Costs. But What About the US?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

In the United States, the government can do very little to control the costs of our expensive MS medications. In the United Kingdom, it’s a different ... Read more

May 25, 2018May 23, 2018

Two MS Medications Appear on FDA’s Shame List

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Two multiple sclerosis medications that are both popular and expensive are on a new list that U.S. regulators hope will increase price competition. The medications are ... Read more

May 22, 2018May 24, 2018

I Have MS and I’m Very Lucky

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

National Nurses Week was earlier this month. I’m a little late saying it, but, “Thank you, nurses.” And doctors. I’m really a lucky guy. Lucky to ... Read more

May 21, 2018May 21, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: PML Treatment, Gilenya for Kids, Rituximab, and an MS trial that is Enrolling

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Complications from Gilenya Treatment Managed Successfully, Case Report Says This wasn’t a minor complication. It was a version of PML, a brain disease that can be ... Read more

May 18, 2018May 16, 2018

A Pediatric MS Medication Gets the OK

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Until about a week ago, no medication was approved in the U.S. to treat patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS). Now there is one. The Food and ... Read more

May 15, 2018May 14, 2018

Healthcare Costs Can Depend on Where You Live

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that healthcare costs in the U.S. are increasing faster than general inflation. As character Private Gomer Pyle used ... Read more

May 14, 2018May 14, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: An MS Program for Young Adults, Rituximab Report, Repairing Myelin, and Reducing Inflammation

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Organizations Join Forces to Launch New Adventure Program for Young MS Patients It seems we too often ignore the needs of younger people who have MS. ... Read more

May 11, 2018May 10, 2018

MS, Walkers, Wheelchairs, and Guns (Part 2)

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A little over a year ago, in this column, I asked if it was safe for someone with MS to handle a gun. I wondered whether ... Read more

May 7, 2018May 7, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Mavenclad Analysis, Ocrevus and Vaccines, an MS Rehab Technique, a Cattle Toxin and MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Mavenclad Effective in Treating Highly Active MS, New CLARITY Analysis Shows Mavenclad isn’t approved for use in the U.S. but it is approved in Canada, Europe, ... Read more

May 4, 2018May 4, 2018

Website Shows How Much Money Your Doctor Gets from Big Pharma

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Biogen, a pharmaceutical company that markets half a dozen MS therapies, is accused of paying doctors to prescribe its medications. A former Biogen employee claimed that ... Read more

May 1, 2018April 27, 2018

Is This a Step Toward Lower Medication Prices?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Here in the U.S., the price we pay for medications is complicated. The usual process is for a pharmaceutical company to set a high price for ... Read more

April 30, 2018April 30, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye This Week: aHSCT Studies, MS Progression in African-Americans, Gilenya for Pediatrics

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

#AAN2018 – Stem Cell Transplant is Effective Treatment for ‘Aggressive’ MS, Study Shows I like the fact that a study shows that stem cell transplant treatment ... Read more

April 27, 2018April 26, 2018

New DMT Guidelines Are Good for MS Patients

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has just released some new guidelines about when to begin, change, and end disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that are used to ... Read more

April 24, 2018May 2, 2018

Research Reveals Another Possible Epstein-Barr Virus Link to MS

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

For years researchers have believed a link exists between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis. But scientists have had a hard time finding a precise association. ... Read more

April 23, 2018April 23, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Ocrevus Experiences, Early MS Treatment Study, Cognitive Decline

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

5 MS Patients Across US Talk About How Ocrevus Has Changed Their Lives There’s high interest in Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), one of two disease-modifying therapies that have ... Read more

April 20, 2018April 18, 2018

Is This the Key that Unlocks Stem Cell Treatments for MS?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Americans who want to treat their MS with a stem cell transplant have a tough road to follow. They’re forced to travel to Russia, Mexico, or ... Read more

April 17, 2018April 16, 2018

I Hope My MS Treatments Are Done for Good

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe, quoth the Lemmie, “Nevermore.” As I write this, the final brown bag of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) has just begun to drip ... Read more

April 16, 2018April 16, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New Lemtrada Side Effect, MS Cooling Vests, and Drug Infection Risks

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis Linked to Lemtrada Use in RRMS Patients, FDA Reports The makers of Lemtrada have added the possibility of another serious side effect to ... Read more

April 13, 2018April 11, 2018

MS Forums Section Added to MS News Today: Join Our Conversation

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Do you have a question or comment about MS? Can you answer someone else’s question? We’ve just created an MS Forums section on Multiple Sclerosis News ... Read more

April 10, 2018April 9, 2018

Lemtrada Round 2: My Drip Stops Here

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

As you read this, I likely will be in the middle of, or finished with, my second round of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab). Hopefully, this will be the ... Read more

April 9, 2018April 8, 2018

MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Online Meditation, Coordination of MS Care, a Walking Drug Test, Stopping Your DMT

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Online Meditation Course Seen to Help MS Patients Manage Symptoms in Clinical Trial Can someone use a website to learn how to meditate, and then do ... Read more

April 6, 2018April 5, 2018

Do Online Medical Records Make You Worry?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

A few weeks ago I warned of the dangers that are possible when people turn to social media for information about their MS. But there’s another ... Read more

March 27, 2018March 26, 2018

Is MS Keeping Me from Smelling the Roses?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

For years, my wife and I have disagreed about smells. She smells something and I don’t. I tell her that her nose is too sensitive. She ... Read more

March 26, 2018March 26, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cells, Sense of Smell, Cannabis Guide

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Blood Stem Cell Transplants Improve RRMS Patients’ Disability, Phase 3 Trial Shows Here’s yet another study that shows the benefits of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or ... Read more

March 23, 2018May 21, 2018

It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Get Our MS Medications

Columns, Lemtrada, Ocrevus, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I got a phone call from my MS One to One nurse, Lynn, today. One to One is the patient support service provided by Sanofi Genzyme ... Read more

March 20, 2018March 19, 2018

These Bills Could Help You Save Money on Prescription Medications

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

As we all know, the cost of prescription medications can be outrageous. Disease-modifying therapies aside, even with insurance, the medications we get from a pharmacy can ... Read more

March 19, 2018March 19, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: PPMS Treatments, Myelin Repair, the Blood-brain Barrier, Sunlight

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

New Spherix Report Finds PPMS Treatment Increased Significantly in Past Year Primary progressive MS has, in some eyes, been the stepchild of the disease-modifying therapies. PPMS ... Read more

March 16, 2018March 15, 2018

Too Much Buzz over that Study About Eating Fish and MS?

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

I’m not a fish eater. I never have been. Unless the seafood is lobster, shrimp, clams, or crab cakes (pickin’ the crabs is too much work), ... Read more

March 13, 2018March 12, 2018

MS Can Be a Kids’ Disease, Too (Part 2)

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

After I wrote about pediatric MS earlier this month, a reader commented: “I think it would behoove your editorship to follow up to address to audiences…symptoms ... Read more

March 12, 2018March 12, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Zinbryta, Fish Oil, MS Associate Certification, Blood-brain Barrier

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Biogen and AbbVie Voluntarily Withdraw Marketing Authorizations for MS Therapy Zinbryta You may have heard about this already, so forgive me if it’s not new to ... Read more

March 9, 2018March 8, 2018

Getting Cash Back for Choosing Medical Services

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

You know about credit cards that offer you cash back for the items you buy. How about getting cash back for selecting specific healthcare service providers ... Read more

March 6, 2018March 6, 2018

MS Can Be a Kids’ Disease, Too

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

The age at which a person is diagnosed with MS is usually between 20 and 50, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. But it can ... Read more

March 5, 2018March 5, 2018

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr Virus, Gilenya, Naltrexone, Medical Marijuana

Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias

Epstein-Barr Virus Found in Brain Cells of Many MS Patients, Study Reports This study is yet another of several over the years that have suggested that ... Read more