Living With Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Just Got A Bit Easier
May 20, 2015
Dr. Okai focuses on addressing the physical, emotional, cognitive, and rehabilitation needs of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patient and their family. That she's the first physician in the area to deliver this innovative treatment comes as no surprise. Staying at the forefront of breakthrough MS therapies is just her idea of patient care..
To say that multiple sclerosis (MS) takes over your life is an understatement. A disease that attacks the central nervous system, it can wreak havoc with your body, numbing or paralyzing your limbs and destroying your eyesight, among other effects.
Then there's the rigorous treatment regimen that ranges from taking pills twice daily to getting daily, weekly or three-per-week injections, or having monthly infusions. No wonder some patients are celebrating the arrival of a new drug to the Dallas-Fort Worth area: Lemtrada® (Alemtuzumab).
We're proud that one of our own MS specialists, Annette Okai, MD, is the first in Dallas-Fort Worth to be certified to infuse Lemtrada. The drug was only recently approved by the FDA to treat relapsing forms of MS that haven't responded to other drugs. In an area where treatments are limited – only 10 therapies have been approved so far to treat MS – Lemtrada takes a significant leap in both effectiveness and convenience, especially for patients. Instead of designing their lives around their MS therapies, patients can now simply live.
Lemtrada's dosing schedule is unique, and a lot more user-friendly. It's two annual treatment courses, the first administered via intravenous infusion for five consecutive days, and the second given 12 months later on three consecutive days. That handily beats traveling to an MS specialist for infusions many times a week.
The Right Place, the Right Physician
Access to Lemtrada is only available through certified prescribers, health care facilities and pharmacies. Here in North Texas, it's only available through Dr. Okai. With around 1,200 patients, she's the go-to MS specialist for many of the area's referring physicians. She's received the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Clinical Fellowship Award (2006) and a fellowship grant from the National Institutes of Health. That she's the first physician in the area to deliver this innovative treatment comes as no surprise. Staying at the forefront of breakthrough MS therapies is just her idea of patient care.
Dr. Okai focuses on addressing the physical, emotional, cognitive, and rehabilitation needs of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patient and their family. We offer a comprehensive program for the evaluation and treatment of MS which includes using several strategies to determine if a patient meets the long-established criteria for a diagnosis of MS and ruling out other possible causes of patient symptoms.
The Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center of Dallas is part of the National MS Society and offers a detailed program for the evaluation and treatment of multiple sclerosis. Dr. Annette Okai manages all stages of multiple sclerosis, and her care philosophy includes using a multidisciplinary approach to patient management.
Dr. Okai completed a two year fellowship in multiple sclerosis at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a recipient of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Clinical Fellowship Award in 2006, as well as a fellowship grant from the National Institute of Health. Her clinical interests include studying multiple sclerosis in diverse populations and the utilization of conventional and novel MRI techniques in multiple sclerosis.
Treatment Strategies Include:
- Detailed Neurologic Exam
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Appropriate Medication
- Rehabilitation
Source: Compiled by GMB Staff - Global Media Buzz
