Vaccine Effectiveness and MS

Stuart Schlossman#COVID-19, Multiple Sclerosis

 

Some DMTs may reduce the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines

People taking certain DMTs (ocrelizumab, rituximab, ofatumumab, and possibly fingolimod, siponimod, ozanimod, ponesimod and others) will have a reduced and possibly undetectable antibody response to the COVID-19 vaccines. If you use one of these DMTs and take an antibody test following your vaccine, it may show a decreased or undetectable antibody level. Even if your antibodies are undetectable or low, you could be protected from COVID-19 since other components of the immune system are triggered by the vaccine and could contribute to your protection.While easiest to measure, antibodies are not the only post-vaccine response which helps protect us. Research is underway to explore these other components of the immune response to the vaccine and how they might play a role in protection against COVID-19.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that antibody tests should not be used to determine immunity or protection against COVID-19

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