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Not in Vein - New Advances in Orally Available Treatments for MS

Tuesday, February 10th
1:45 pm - 2:00 pm
East Foyer

With the approval of Betaseron in 1993, the treatment paradigm for multiple sclerosis (MS) dramatically changed from merely treating the symptoms of the disease to having the ability to modify its actual course. Avonex , Rebif and Copaxone followed soon after, and more recently Tysabri, which has been a game-changing drug, yet fraught with controversy. Although these agents have succeeded in reducing disease activity, relapse rates and progression of disability, more effective, safer and (easier) modalities remain the new frontier for disease modification. Several oral agents have emerged in late stage clinical trials—will the data live up to the promise? If so, will they immediately replace the potentially unpleasant and compulsory infusions and injections that have become customary? A panel of multiple sclerosis experts will explore the future of MS treatment with an emphasis on where new oral disease modifying therapies (DMTs) will fit in.

Moderator

Panelists

Who's Who

Mark Schoenbaum, MD; Dr. Schoenbaum joined Deutsche Bank in June 2008 as a Managing Director and senior Biotechnology Analyst. Prior to DB, Mark held a similar position at Bear Stearns. Mark has ranked #1 in the Institutional Investor All America analyst survey for biotechnology in each of the past 4 years, enjoying over 30% market share in the last 2 surveys. In addition, Mark placed first in the highly regarded 2006, 2007, and 2008 Greenwich surveys. Mark holds an MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a BA (highest distinction) from Indiana University. In his free time, Mark enjoys playing the violin.

Jeffrey Bennett, MD, PhD; Dr. Bennett is Associate Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado Denver and a member of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center at the Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Bennett has expertise in the fields of multiple sclerosis, neuro-immunology and neuro-ophthalmology. In addition to a large clinical practice, Dr. Bennett directs research programs from the National Institutes of Health and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society on optic neuritis, multiple sclerosis and ocular inflammatory diseases. He has lectured on strategies for treating multiple sclerosis and is involved in clinical trials for multiple sclerosis therapy.

Thomas Leist, MD, PhD; Dr. Leist is the Director of the Neuroimmunology and Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center at Thomas Jefferson University. He has expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of CNS manifestations of autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis. Dr. Leist is engaged in translational research as head of the neuroimmunology laboratory, and has experience in clinical trial design. He has also conducted research on the neurobiology and pathology of retroviral, herpetic, and bacterial infections and the role of lymphokines at the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, the University of Miami, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Zurich

John R. Richert, MD; Dr. Richert is Executive Vice President for Research & Clinical Programs at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He received his BA from Cornell University and MD from the University of Rochester. After his residency in Neurology at the Mayo Clinic, he was an MS Society-sponsored post-doctoral fellow in the Myelin Chemistry Section at NIH (NIMH) and then spent two additional years in the Neuroimmunology Branch at NIH (NINDS). He then joined the faculty in the Neurology Department at Georgetown University, where he founded their MS Clinic. He was at Georgetown for 25 years, during the last seven of which he served as Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. His research interests included abnormal gene expression in the immune systems of people with MS and clinical trials of new therapeutic agents in MS. He also served on the Board of Directors of Georgetown University Hospital. He joined the NMSS in his present position in the spring of 2005.

Mark J. Tullman, MD; Dr. Tullman is Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care and Research Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. After earning his MD from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, Dr. Tullman completed an internal medicine residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He followed this with a neurology residency and a postdoctoral fellowship in multiple sclerosis at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He received a Sylvia Lawry Physician Fellowship award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and was selected as the Martin S. Davis Multiple Sclerosis Fellow by the New York City Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Dr. Tullman is an expert in the diagnosis of MS and specializes in all aspects of MS patient care, including treatment with the disease-modifying drugs and symptomatic therapies. In addition, he is the principal investigator for numerous MS clinical trials, he has published a number of MS-related scientific articles, and he co-chaired the Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Outcomes Scientific Sessions at the 2007 and 2008 annual meetings of the American Academy of Neurology. In addition to his membership in the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Neurology, Dr. Tullman is a member of the board of directors of MS Hope for a Cure and the editorial board of Continuum, the continuing medical education publication of the American Academy of Neurology.