ECTRIMS 2021 | COVID-19 cases in MS patients receiving IV therapy

Celia Oreja-Guevara, MD, PhD, University Hospital San Carlos, Madrid, Spain, shares the findings of a prospective study of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving intravenous (IV) therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 were carried out in over 1000 day patients receiving ocrelizumab, natalizumab, rituximab, or alemtuzumab infusion. Overall, only 21 patients tested positive for COVID-19, of which 11 were asymptomatic and a further 8 had mild symptoms. Two patients were treated for pneumonia. It was demonstrated that PCR is a useful tool to minimize infection spreading in a day hospital setting. Additionally, the results indicate low infection rates and mainly mild disease courses, reassuring findings for a patient population at increased risk of infection. This interview took place at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) congress 2021.