b"Doctors NotesThe MS News column includes analysis from Ben Thrower, M.D., MS Focus senior medical advisor. He draws from the top news stories of the quarter and explains what the news means to you, the person with MS. Christine Willis, MLIS, AHIP, is the Clinical Information Librarian at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Egleston Hospital.Study: Staying on natalizumab duringinformation guide gives the official FDA stance pregnancy cost effective choiceon what is known about a drug. These guidelines Researchers from the London School ofwill err on the side of caution and may not Economics and Political Science conductedfully represent the current science regarding any a study to evaluate the cost-effectiveness ofgiven DMT. Such is the case with natalizumab. three natalizumab treatment strategies forNatalizumab is a highly effective DMT for pregnant women with multiple sclerosis. Theyrelapsing forms of MS. This study and others compared continuous treatment throughoutwould suggest that staying on natalizumab pregnancy, discontinuation after the firstthrough pregnancy may be safer and more trimester, and stopping at conception witheffective than stopping it. While studies have resumption postpartum. The analysis, basedshown that natalizumab may be excreted in ondatafromtheUKhealthcaresystem,small amounts in breastmilk, anecdotal evidence found that maintaining natalizumab therapyargues it is safe to breastfeed while on this DMT.during pregnancy was the most cost-effectiveMigraine meds found approach, offering the highest quality-adjustedto be safe for people with MSlife year gains at an incremental cost of $2,112.88Researchers from Universit Cattolica per quality-adjusted life years. No new humandel Sacro Cuore, in Rome, conducted a study participants were involved, as the study utilizedon the effectiveness and safety of anti-CGRP existing published data. The study was publishedmonoclonal antibodies for migraine in people in the Journal of Neurology. with MS. The study included 25 participants Thrower -Many women with MS may befrom 14 MS centers, all receiving anti-CGRP considering family planning. This is a personalmAbs alongside disease-modifying treatments. and important decision, one that is best addressedResults showed a significant reduction in through shared medical decision-making. Whenmonthly headache days, while MS disease thinking about pregnancy and breastfeeding,activity remained stable. Mild side effects we need to look at the safety of MS disease- were reported in 8 percent of patients. The modifying therapies during the pregnancystudy concluded that anti-CGRP mAbs are and in the months afterwards. The risks andasafeandeffectiveoptionformigraine benetsofdiscontinuingtheDMTversusmanagementinpeople withMS without continuing will depend upon many factors.negatively affecting MS progression. The One source for guidance on each DMT isfindings were published in Journal of the the product information guide. The productNeurological Sciences. 43 msfocusmagazine.org"