At the beginning of 2014, the Belgian Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GBESP) initiated a multicenter observational prospective study, aimed at collecting data on the effectiveness and side effects of new immunotherapies in multiple sclerosis. These are for example Gilenya® (fingolimod), Aubagio® (teriflunomide), Tecfidera® (dimethylfumaraat) and others... This register is called” BELTRIMS ” for BELGian TrEatments IN MMultiple Ssclerosis.

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Although new treatments are studied for several years before being put on the market, differences may remain between the use of the drug in the context of a study (selected population, follow-up limited in time, etc.) and in the context of real life.

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The role of this register is to collect information concerning the disease profile of people treated with new treatments for multiple sclerosis in Belgium as well as their response to treatment and possible side effects.

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The aim of this observational study is to better understand which people respond better or worse to treatment, to detect possible drug interactions and possible side effects not yet encountered in previous studies, or even to determine whether people have, due to other concomitant pathologies (such as diabetes, for example) more risk of side effects... The initiation of a treatment and its follow-up, as well as “Serious Adverse Events” i.e. significant side effects and the follow-up of possible pregnancies are the information collected. They are crucial for evaluating these new treatments in real life over the long term.

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This epidemiological study has been funded from the beginning by the Charcot Foundation. The central ethics committee is that of the UZA, it approved the study on 23/12/2013.
An electronic register allows participating neurologists to encode the data of patients who have given their consent via a secure connection. This is an initiative that is intended to be independent of pharmaceutical companies. The data obtained will be analyzed by a working group from GBESP for scientific publication purposes.

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The information obtained through the BELTRIMS registry can contribute to a better knowledge of the use of recent drugs or to the development of a new drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis in future patients.