Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, launched a Report on the Socioeconomic Impact of MS on Women in Europe at ECTRIMS 2017, with an aim to investigate the many ways MS affects the life choices of female patients. The report also looked at sources and types of support, unmet needs in the community, and considered whether there are policy implications that would improve the environment for women with MS. 

The report involved a three-step process: a review of existing literature; an interview program with patient organizations; and a bespoke survey among 807 women with MS across eight countries in Europe including: Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK.  

In partnership with the International Alliance of Carer Organizations (IACO) and Eurocarers, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is conducting a survey of MS care partners from across Europe, the US and Canada. A report on its key findings will be presented at ECTRIMS 2018. The aim is to gain insight into the specific needs of care partners and how caring for somebody with MS can affect the physical, emotional and financial wellbeing of the carer.

The MS care partner initiative forms part of the wider Embracing Carers™ movement, which aims to fill the need for better support and recognition of carers.

The European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) is firmly committed to an ultimate vision of a world without multiple sclerosis (MS).

The EMSP works on a three pillar approach to ensure that people with MS have a real voice in determining their own objectives and priorities:

• campaigning through advocacy and awareness-raising;
• collecting and sharing knowledge and expertise;
• encouraging research and data collection.

The Work Foundation and the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP), with support from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and other industry sponsors, aims to break down the barriers to employment for people living with MS in Europe. It focuses on raising awareness of MS ‘brain health’, including better cognitive performance and reduced mental fatigue at work.

To enhance understanding of what life with MS is really like, we have developed virtual 4D experiences that aim to simulate some of the symptoms experienced by people with MS in day to day life.

Our 4D VR experience tells a powerful and poignant story which revolves around the lives of two separate MS patients. The user experiences the unseen burden that accompanies the disease, feel how it affects everyone in their circle; such as young children seeing their parents unable to do the things they used to do, and show the personal sacrifices made by family members. Above all, it displays the changes everyone makes when the disease appears in their lives.

As this is a multi-sensory VR experience, you will feel the wind when you open the window, smell the freshly cut grass, and feel your heart race under times of stress.

An experience-rich physical activation immerses users into a day-in-the-life of a MS patient. The modular design takes users on a journey through familiar and unknown situations in home, travel, and work settings. It educates you through experiences that replicate the symptoms of MS and highlight how the condition affects the human body.