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Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) should be vaccinated against COVID-19. All COVID-19 vaccines are effective and do not appear to carry any additional risk for patients with MS. Patients with MS should get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available. The risks of COVID-19 disease outweigh any potential risks from the vaccine. Even if vaccinated, patients with MS should continue to practice standard and recommended precautions against COVID-19, such as wearing a face mask, social distancing and washing hands. There is no evidence that patients with MS are at higher risk of complications from the mRNA, non-replicating viral vector, inactivated virus or protein COVID-19 vaccines, compared to the general population. COVID-19 Vaccines are safe to use in patients with MS treated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). The effectiveness of vaccination may be affected by few of the DMTs but yet some protection is still provided For certain DMTs we may consider coordinating the timing of the vaccine with the timing of the DMT dose to increase vaccine efficacy.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab in multiple sclerosis in a clinical practice setting. Methods Clinical data for all adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with off-label rituximab at a single MS center in Lebanon between March 2008 and April 2017 were retrospectively collected from medical charts. The main efficacy outcomes assessed were annualized relapse rate (ARR) and proportion of patients free from relapses, disability progression, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity. Results A total of 89 rituximab-treated patients were included: 59 relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 30 progressive MS (PMS). Patients were treated with 1000 or 2000 mg rituximab IV every 6–12 months for a mean duration of 22.2 ± 24.8 months. The subjects were 65.2% females with a mean age of 40.5 ± 12.3 years and a mean disease duration of 7.9 ± 6.2 years. During treatment, the ARR decreased from 1.07 at baseline to 0.11 in RRMS (p < 0.0001) and from 0.25 to 0.16 in PMS patients (p = 0.593). The mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) remained unchanged in both RRMS and PMS patients. Between baseline and the last follow-up, the percent of patients free from any new MRI lesions increased from 18.6% to 92.6% in the RRMS group and from 43.3% to 82% in the PMS group. No evidence of disease activity (NEDA) was achieved in 74% of patients at 1 year of treatment. A total of 64 adverse events (AEs) (71.9%) were recorded with the most common being infusion-related reactions in 25.8% of patients, all mild in nature. Two of our rituximab-treated patients experienced serious AEs requiring surgical interventions: pyoderma gangrenosum vaginalis with perianal abscess and fistula and an increase in the size of a meningioma. No case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) was detected. Conclusion In our real-world cohort, rituximab was well-tolerated and effective in reducing relapse rate and disability progression in relapsing-remitting and progressive MS patients.

AIM:To evaluate the current practice of stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) in Lebanese Health care centers. METHODS:A multi-center prospective chart review study was conducted over 8 mo. A questionnaire was distributed to pharmacy students who collected data on demographics, SUP medications, dose, route, duration and associated risk factors. The appropriateness of SUP use was determined as per American Society of Health-System Pharmacists guidelines. Institutional review board approval was obtained from each hospital center. RESULTS:A total of 1004 patients were included. 67% of the patients who received prophylaxis did not have an indication for SUP. The majority (71.6%) of the patients who were administered parenteral drugs can tolerate oral medications. Overall, the regimen of acid-suppressant drugs was suboptimal in 87.6% of the sample. This misuse was mainly observed in nonteaching hospitals. CONCLUSION:This study highlighted the need, in Lebanese hospitals, to establish clinical practice guidelines for the use of SUP; mainly in non-critical care settings.

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