MS Society Advocates for COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters for Immunocompromised Individuals with MS

In August 2021, the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada sent a letter to all provinces/territories and the federal government’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) regarding COVID-19 boosters for immunocompromised individuals with MS.

The letters asked NACI and the provinces and territories to consider including those age 12 and older who have been fully vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine and are treated with one of the following disease modifying therapies (DMTs) to receive a third dose to help protect against the Delta variant and a fourth wave:

• Anti-CD20 treatments (Ocrevus, Kesimpta, Rituxan and biosimilars)
• Sphingosine 1 phosphate receptor modulators (Gilenya and fingolimod generics, Zeposia, Ponvory)
• Lymphocyte depletors (Lemtrada, Mavenclad)

Studies have shown that this small group of immunocompromised people would benefit from an additional dose since they likely will not mount an adequate immune response after vaccination.

The MS Society’s position, which is supported by the Canadian Network of MS Clinics, also aligns with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent authorization of an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose for people with MS who are immunocompromised due to treatment with DMTs.

We are pleased to see NACI’s statement on September 10 recommending third doses of COVID-19 vaccines to certain immunocompromised individuals.

For updates on COVID-19 resources from the MS Society, please visit: What You Need to Know About Coronavirus.