Review of the novelties presented at the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) (III)

The most relevant data presented at the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), held in October 2013 in Denmark, were summarised at the sixth edition of the Post-ECTRIMS Expert Meeting held in Madrid in October 2013, resulting in this review, which is being published in three parts. This third part of the Post-ECTRIMS review discusses the effects of immunomodulatory therapy on the natural history of multiple sclerosis, with special attention to the assessment of long-term effects and the use of historical controls as an alternative to randomised trials compared with placebo. This article contains possible future therapeutic strategies to be tested in experimental models and discusses clinical trials that are underway and future treatments. It also summarises the results of recent studies of disease-modifying treatments and developments in symptom management. Briefly, on the horizon are many drugs with different mechanisms of action, although new strategies and treatment algorithms are needed, as are new biomarkers and assessment measures of secondary progression and long-term records to assess safety. As for the symptomatic treatment of the disease, the proposal is a personalised treatment plan and a multidisciplinary approach to improve the quality of life of patients.