RealTalk MS

Scientists are expanding our understanding of MS at an unprecedented pace. This week, Dr. Leorah Freeman discusses why, as new discoveries and medications enter clinical practice, neurologists and MS specialists should ask themselves 3 important questions when considering a patient's treatment plan. Dr. Freeman is the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also leads the MS and Neuroimmunology fellowship program and the MS Imaging and Outcomes Research Laboratory.  We'll also tell you about study results that reveal two distinct biologically-informed MS subtypes. We're explaining some of the confusing background to the FDA's decision not to approve a disease-modifying therapy that achieved positive results in its Phase 3 clinical trial. And did we really need a study to tell us that people living with MS fear experiencing a relapse or disease progression? Well, yes. We'll explain why. We're also reminding you to mail your insurance premium payments and other important documents earlier than you have in the past.  And we're sharing details about the two clinical trials that received $4.1 million in funding as part of the International Progressive MS Alliance Experimental Medicine Trial Awards. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: 3 questions your neurologist should be asking themselves  :22 Public Service Announcement: How the new rule about postmarks could affect your healthcare  1:16 FDA says it's not ready to approve Tolebrutinib  3:16 Study identifies two biologically-informed MS subtypes  6:29 Study results remind us that people with MS fear relapse and progression  10:09 The International Progressive MS Alliance invests $4.1 million in two clinical trials  14:04 Dr. Leorah Freeman discusses why neurologists need to ask themselves 3 important questions when considering a patient's treatment plan  17:18 Share this episode  33:16 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/436 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com The Multiple Sclerosis Insider https://themultiplesclerosisinsider.substack.com STUDY: Combined Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum Analysis Reveals Distinct Multiple Sclerosis Types https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/148/12/4578/8321558 STUDY: Fear of Disease Progression and Relapse in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Scoping Review https://frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1680781/full JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 436 Guests: Dr. Leorah Freeman Privacy Policy

We're closing out the year by revisiting the most listened-to episode of RealTalk MS in 2025. And it shouldn't come as a major surprise that this year's most listened-to episode was our review of the largest MS research conference in the world, ECTRIMS.   This episode features the annual conversation that I have with Dr. Bruce Bebo, right outside of the conference center, just minutes after ECTRIMS adjourns. Dr. Bebo is the Executive Vice President of Research at the National MS Society, and each year, he very generously closes out 3 days of nonstop meetings, presentations, and research reviews by sharing his initial thoughts on the announcements and presentations that caught his eye during the conference.   When I produced this episode last September, I also wanted to capture a patient's perspective on what can easily become an overwhelming 3 days of presentations, news, and announcements. Kristine Werner Ozug, a member of the RealTalk MS team who lives with MS, joined me right after the conference to share her perspective on ECTRIMS 2025. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: ECTRIMS 2025   :22 Dr. Bruce Bebo shares his first impressions of the news and research presented at ECTRIMS 2025  1:22 Kristine Werner Ozug weighs in with an MS patient's perspective on the news and research presented at ECTRIMS 2025  10:35 Share this episode  22:45 Next week on RealTalk MS  23:06 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/435 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com RealTalk MS at ECTRIMS 2025 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLATxgj1uHpxNoXakZif9TEkKT6mQSwX_9 Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 435 Guests: Dr. Bruce Bebo and Kristine Werner Ozug Privacy Policy

The holiday season gives me the opportunity to indulge in what's become a RealTalk MS tradition. I reserve the last two episodes in December to revisit the most popular conversations that I've had over the past year.  Women represent two-thirds of the MS population.  Yet, surprisingly, there isn't nearly enough data related to women's health issues and MS. With an estimated 300,000 women living with MS in the United States who are currently in peri- or post-menopause, researchers have started to focus on how menopause and MS interact, and the best ways to treat symptoms of each.    This brings me to a conversation I had last March about managing menopause while managing MS with Dr. Riley Bove.    Dr. Bove is a neurologist and the founding director of the Sex and Gender-Enriched (SAGE) Neurology Program at the University of California, San Francisco, and she's considered one of the world's foremost experts on women's health issues and MS. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Managing menopause while you're managing MS   :22 Dr. Riley Bove discusses some of the issues facing the estimated 30% of the MS population who are currently in peri- or post-menopause  1:53 Share this episode  20:30 Next week on RealTalk MS  20:51 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/434 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com RealTalk MS at ECTRIMS 2025 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLATxgj1uHpxNoXakZif9TEkKT6mQSwX_9 Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 434 Guests: Dr. Riley Bove Privacy Policy

As the year draws to a close, we wanted to share some of the most compelling conversations we've had over the past 12 months. And rather than make my own picks, we went through the hundreds of emails we've received over the past year from the RealTalk MS listener community to see which topics really connected with you.  In this week's episode, you'll hear from four of the top MS experts in the world discussing the subjects you've told me are most important to you. First, we'll explore aging and MS with Dr. John Corboy, the principal investigator of the largest study designed to answer the question, "Once I turn 60, can I discontinue my disease-modifying therapies?" We'll talk about remyelination with the winner of the 2025 Barancik Prize for Innovation in Multiple Sclerosis Research, Dr. Mikael Simons. You'll hear our conversation with one of the world's top MS rehabilitation experts, Dr. John DeLuca, as we tackle one of the most disruptive MS symptoms -- fatigue. And we'll wrap up this episode by talking with clinician-scientist Dr. Stephen Krieger about the confusion around trying to reconcile the idea of progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Our most important conversations of 2025  :22 Dr. John Corboy discusses aging and MS  1:07 Dr. Mikael Simons discusses remyelination  10:54 Dr. John DeLuca discusses MS-related fatigue  19:20 Dr. Stephen Krieger discusses how the current course descriptors for MS (relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, primary progressive) may no longer be working for doctors or patients  26:11 Share this episode  42:10 Next week's episode  42:30 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/433 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com SIGN UP: Become an MS Activist https://nationalmssociety.org/advocacy JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 433 Guests: Dr. John Corboy, Dr. Mikael Simons, Dr. John DeLuca, Dr. Stephen Krieger Privacy Policy

This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by EMD Serono and is only intended for a U.S. audience. EMD Serono is the healthcare business of Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the United States and Canada. Please note this episode is only intended for a U.S. audience. In this special episode of RealTalk MS, Professor Elisabeth Celius and Amanda Montague join me to explore new consensus recommendations for the future of MS care from MS in the 21st Century. We'll hear what experts and people in the MS community think are the priorities to focus on to improve care and help lessen the burden of living with MS.   Professor Elisabeth Celius is a consultant neurologist with a special focus on MS at Oslo University Hospital in Norway, where she is the group leader of the MS Research Group and also conducts epidemiological, genetic, and clinical research.  Amanda Montague is a global thought leader and Interim President & CEO of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. Both Amanda and Elisabeth are active members of the MS in the 21st Century initiative, more commonly known as MS21. MS21 is a Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, initiative involving healthcare professionals, people with MS, and patient advocacy groups.  To learn more about MS in the 21st Century, please visit www.msinthe21stcentury.com.