Escalating immunotherapy of multiple sclerosis.Austrian-German- Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Consensus Group [MSTCG].

The promising results of several multicenter studies during the last few years have improved the immunomodulatory treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The different compounds tested were shown to reduce the number of relapses and to modulate the course of disease to various extents. The transition of the results obtained in therapeutic trials into daily clinical practice is often delayed or even hampered by monetary restrictions or reluctance of the medical community to adjust their approach to new treatments. After an initial inquiry had shown that less than 50% of eligible patients received any active immunomodulating treatment, a consensus group of Austrian, German and Swiss MS societies was formed in order to prepare a report of the current treatment options in MS. The aim of this report is to present the consensus on a new concept of escalating immunotherapy in MS. Future updates of the report are planned on a yearly basis or whenever substantial new evidence becomes available.