Volume 4, Issue 2

MS and the COVID-19 Vaccine: What Do We Know and What Should We Do About It? 

In this issue:

COVID-19 vaccination. For many people with multiple sclerosis, it’s not a simple and straightforward process. The DMT they’re currently taking to control disease progression and moderate their symptoms — particularly if it’s a beta cell- depleting agent — may prevent the vaccine from working as it’s supposed to. What do clinicians need to know, and how should they explain it to their patients?  

Dr. Joseph Sabatino from the University of California San Francisco presented the basics in his recent newsletter issue; now he brings that information into the clinic in this eMultipleSclerosis Review podcast. 

 

Learning objectives:

  • Explain the effects of different MS DMTs on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited antibody and T cell immunity.  
  • Describe factors that contribute to the likelihood of generating a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine antibody response in patients on anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapies.   

Author:

Joseph Sabatino, Jr., MD, PhD
Joseph Sabatino, Jr., MD, PhD

Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Neurology
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Program Directors:

Pavan Bhargava, MBBS, MD

Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD

Lisa Fox, PA-C, MPAS

Department of Neurology
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, MD

Michael Kornberg, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD

Length of activity:

0.5 hour Physicians
0.5 contact hour Nurses

Launch date: December 8, 2021
Expiration date: December 7, 2023