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RealTalk MS

RealTalk MS

Written by: Jon Strum
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 Jon Strum cuts through all the jargon and breaks down the latest multiple sclerosis news. You'll meet the scientists who are creating tomorrow's MS treatments today. You'll hear from the experts discussing how the latest tweaks and changes to our healthcare laws will impact your MS treatment. And we'll be talking to the courageous MS warriors who are out there advocating on behalf of the MS community every day, as well as the men and women who are committed to living their best lives with MS and living their best lives as MS caregivers. If you're dealing with multiple sclerosis in your life -- as a patient, caregiver, family member, or friend -- join us each week for RealTalk MS.Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Episode 440: An MS Specialist's Response to the FDA with Dr. William Conte

    Episode 440: An MS Specialist's Response to the FDA with Dr. William Conte
    Feb 2 2026
    This past December, the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter to drug manufacturer Sanofi in response to Sanofi's application seeking approval for Tolebrutinib, the first in a new category of investigational disease-modifying therapies to undergo FDA review. A Complete Response Letter is an official letter from the FDA to a drug manufacturer stating that the agency can't approve a new medicine in its current form. It's not an outright "no" that kills a project; it's more like a "not yet." However, this Complete Response Letter raised some issues which, at first glance, don't appear to be easily fixable. Sanofi has pointed out that the issues raised in the Complete Response Letter were markedly different from the guidance they received from the FDA over the course of this approval process. Sanofi has also indicated that it would work with the FDA to find a path forward for Tolebrutinib. Dr. William Conte, an MS Specialist and a principal investigator in the Phase 3 clinical trial for Tolebrutinib, has published an article responding to the FDA's Complete Response Letter. This week, Dr. Conte joins me to discuss the FDA's action and his response to that action. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: We're at the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum :22 Check out the official ACTRIMS Forum Insider podcast! :42 The FDA's Complete Response Letter about Tolebrutinib 1:09 Dr. William Conte responds to the FDA's Complete Response Letter 4:09 Share this episode 38:10 Next week's episode 38:30 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/440 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Support Jon at WALK MS https://realtalkms.com/walkms Find out about ABLEnow Accounts https://ablenow.com JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 440 Guests: Dr. William Conte Privacy Policy
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    39 mins
  • Episode 439: Preventing MS with Dr. Bruce Bebo

    Episode 439: Preventing MS with Dr. Bruce Bebo
    Jan 26 2026
    The first coordinated global research strategy to prevent MS has been announced. This week, Dr. Bruce Bebo, the National MS Society's Executive Vice President and Chief Research & Medical Affairs Officer, joins me to explain what MS prevention looks like and how experts plan to achieve this remarkable goal. We'll also tell you who won the 2025 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research, and we'll explain how their groundbreaking research impacts MS care. We're sharing the details of a newly announced partnership designed to reduce delays in getting an MS diagnosis and expand access to MS care in Wisconsin. We'll tell you how an international drug discovery network found that a drug already approved for another condition could also protect nerve cells and promote remyelination. And we'll share research that shows that AI can accurately predict whether someone newly diagnosed with MS will experience progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) in the three years following their diagnosis. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! I'm asking for your support: :22 This Week: Preventing MS 1:47 Dr. Manuel Friese is the winner of the 2025 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research 2:41 National MS Society announces a partnership to improve time to MS diagnosis and access to MS care in Wisconsin 6:26 An international drug discovery network identifies a drug that protects nerve cells and promotes remyelination 8:05 STUDY: AI accurately predicts progression independent of relapse activity in individuals who are newly diagnosed with MS 10:51 Dr. Bruce Bebo explains the strategy behind the global research initiative to prevent MS 14:48 Share this episode 31:31 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/439 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Support Jon at WALK MS https://realtalkms.com/walkms RealTalk MS Episode 424: I'm a Participant in a Clinical Trial for CAR T-Cell Therapy for MS with Jan Janisch-Hanzlik https://realtalkms.com/424 STUDY: In Silico Screening and Preclinical Validation Identify Bavisant as a Therapeutic Candidate for Multiple Sclerosis https://science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.ads0633 STUDY: Machine Learning Analysis Applied to Prediction of Early Progression Independent of Relapse Activity in Multiple Sclerosis Patients https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ene.70417 Find out about ABLEnow Accounts https://ablenow.com JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 439 Guests: Dr. Bruce Bebo Privacy Policy
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    33 mins
  • Episode 438: The Discovery of 2 MS Subtypes with Dr. Arman Eshaghi

    Episode 438: The Discovery of 2 MS Subtypes with Dr. Arman Eshaghi
    Jan 19 2026
    One of the more confusing aspects of MS is that it can present differently from one person to the next. A research team at University College London may have uncovered a reason for that when they identified two new, and quite different, subtypes of MS. Joining me to walk us through this discovery and to explain how it may impact MS clinical care is the study's principal investigator, Dr. Arman Eshaghi. We're also sharing study results that may explain how the Epstein-Barr Virus triggers MS in some individuals. We'll tell you about the free online fitness and wellness programs for veterans living with MS offered by the Paralyzed Veterans of America. And we'll explain how the latest entrant in the AI for healthcare revolution can prepare you for your next appointment with your neurologist. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Discovering 2 new subtypes of MS :22 Study results show how the Epstein-Barr Virus may trigger MS 1:20 The PVA is offering free online fitness and wellness classes for veterans with MS 5:45 Claude for Healthcare joins the AI in healthcare revolution 7:03 Dr. Arman Eshaghi discusses his team's discovery of 2 subtypes of MS 9:59 Share this episode 28:15 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/438 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com EBV Infection and HLA-DR15 Jointly Drive Multiple Sclerosis by Myelin Peptide Presentation https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)01495-3 STUDY: Combined Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum Analysis Reveals Distinct Multiple Sclerosis Types https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/148/12/4578/8321558 PVA Offers Free Online Fitness & Wellness Classes for Vets with MS https://pva.org/sports-recreation/online-programs Find out about ABLEnow Accounts https://ablenow.com Claude for Healthcare https://claude.com/solutions/healthcare JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 438 Guests: Dr. Arman Eshaghi Privacy Policy
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    29 mins
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