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Article History

Received: 5 March 2026

Accepted: 14 April 2026

First Online: 1 May 2026

Declarations

:

: Klaus Schmierer has received speaker honoraria from Neuraxpharm, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany; research grants, through Queen Mary University of London, from Biogen, JUVISE, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Novartis, Roche and Sandoz; he is Chair of the MACiMiSE-BRAIN DMEC and has received service support, through Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust, from Neuraxpharm. Pieter van Galen has received consulting fees from Roche and the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Helen Gray is an employee of Merck Serono (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin, Ireland, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Alice Laroni received grants or contracts from the Italian Ministry of Health, the Italian Ministry of University and IRCSS Ospedale San Martino; consulting fees from Novartis, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Biogen and Roche; speaker honoraria from Novartis, Sanofi, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Biogen, BMS and Roche; and support for attending meetings from Roche, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Novartis and Biogen. Amanda Montague’s institution (Multiple Sclerosis Association of America) received grants and contracts from Genentech, EMD Serono, Boston, MA, Novartis, TG Therapeutics, Sanofi, BMS and Biogen. Stanca Potra received support for meeting attendance from Roche, and the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Heidi Thompson received speaker honoraria from Novartis, Roche and the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

: This study was performed in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its later amendments. All participants provided informed consent and data were anonymised. The survey protocols were reviewed by an independent institutional review board, WCG Clinical (Cary, NC, USA), and determined to be exempt from full review (Protocol numbers 5653 and 5652 for the ‘Patient Empowerment’ and ‘Needs at Diagnosis’ surveys, respectively).