Grant: Foundation Grant

The goal of our research is to determine how safe and effective the drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) are when used in the real world. Canada has some of the world's highest rates of MS. This chronic disease of the brain and spinal cord often affects young adults and there is no known cure. In the last two decades, over 10 different drugs have been approved to treat people with MS. These drugs are very expensive and can require regular injections as well as frequent blood tests to monitor safety (side effects). We know how well these drugs work in the short-term, but only against certain aspects of MS. In the real world, people with MS may take these drugs for many years but we do not yet understand all their possible benefits and side effects. There have been few studies as large as ours investigating such a range of possible side effects, including cancer, stroke and infections. We will also look at whether the MS drugs have benefits which are often hard to measure, such as MS disability and fewer hospital or doctors' visits. Our research brings together medical data collected for over 2 decades within multiple large health databases in several Canada provinces. No study as large or as comprehensive as ours has ever been done. Our team approach enables findings to be directly relevant to Canadians, including people in poorer communities or those with co-existing medical conditions, who are often excluded from studies. Our research will be independent from the pharmaceutical industry, the manufacturers of MS drugs. This important research will help develop a framework in which to evaluate the benefits and side effects of both the current and future new drugs for MS across Canada. Our study findings will provide much needed information to help treatment-related decision making for both patients and doctors. Ultimately our study findings will directly benefit the outcomes related to treatment and health-related quality of life of people living with MS.