Greetings from Day 1 at ECTRIMS in Berlin! Today, we're talking about pharmaceutical company Novartis seeking approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for siponimod, a once-daily oral medication that significantly reduces disability progression for people living with secondary progressive MS.
This is important news, as 80% of the people living with relapsing remitting MS are eventually diagnosed with secondary progressive MS. And currently, there is no approved disease modifying therapy for secondary progressive MS. The FDA has fast-tracked the approval process, and siponimod could gain the necessary regulatory approval in the U.S. by March, 2019, and in Europe by the end of 2019.
The day at ECTRIMS started with a "Welcome" session. Imagine a room that has seating for thousands of people, a stage that must have been 30 yards wide, and not one -- not two -- but SIX jumbo screens set up so that everyone in the room could see. And even with that enormous capacity, there were people standing in the aisles to be a part of the initial session.
The "Welcome" session featured a short address by the Chair of the ECTRIMS 2018 conference, Professor Reinhard Hohfeld. After the session ended, Professor Hohfeld and I snuck out to the hallway for a quick conversation. You'll hear my exclusive conversation with ECTRIMS Chair Professor Reinhard Hohfeld in today's podcast episode.
Be sure to download the special ECTRIMS episodes of RealTalk MS tomorrow and Friday, as well! We have a lot to talk about!!
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