Serono Symposia International Foundation (SSIF) "MS Evolving Management in the new Scenario" St.Petersburg, Russia - May 6-7, 2011

ROME, May 6, 2011 - Serono Symposia International Foundation will gather a team of
leading international experts in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) meeting on May 6-7
in St.Petersburg to attend the symposium "MS Evolving management in a new
scenario" during the 2011 CME Annual Meeting in Multiple Sclerosis.

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With the optimization of existing therapies and the
introduction of new diagnostic tools and treatments, the environment in which
MS is treated is changing rapidly and there have been substantial advances in
the diagnosis and monitoring of patients. These innovations provide the
possibility of improved clinical management, but may also present a challenge
to physicians as they shape their practices for the benefit of their
patients.

Therefore, when approaches evolve rapidly, continuous refinement of
skills is required and this symposium aims at providing participants with a
unique opportunity to debate practical issues and solutions that MS
specialists will then be able to apply in this stimulating and evolving
scenario. By attending the conference participants will be informed on new
and improved diagnostic tools, get better skills to optimize interaction with
patients, be updated on existing options to individualize treatment and
discuss in an interactive setting practical issues and solutions aimed at
improving outcomes.

This meeting - accredited with the European Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), the Italian Ministry of
Health and the UK Royal College of Physicians - is divided into three plenary
sessions, followed by five workshops sessions.

During the first two plenary sessions, participants will
acknowledge the latest developments in assessment and monitoring of MS and
learn how to achieve a patient centred approach to therapy. "This is the most
innovative aspect of the meeting - commented Professor David Bates from
University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) and one of the Scientific Organizers
of the Congress - since the previous editions were mainly directed towards
presentations of novel information from the laboratory, both pathological and
physiological disease, and the way experts believed that new therapies could
be directed. This years' edition - Professor Bates further explained - is
more Patient centric and planned to allow the experts to look at the
patient's management process in order to improve it and tailor individual
treatments. Therefore - Professor Bates concluded - one of the main
differences is that in addition to the didactic lectures, this edition
includes workshops in which small groups will be lead by an expert to
investigate the most common problems that we can all learn to handle more
efficiently."

Experts agree on the fact that a key factor of success is the
patient's adherence to management protocols, which, indeed, may result in an
improved sharing of information and decisions between healthcare
professionals and patients. This meeting is designed in order to improve the
way in which the experts analyze the information they receive and transform
it into systems that can easily be assimilated by MS patients. The key words
are "Explain the changes", an action that should help the individual to
improve its adherence to therapy. Education of the patient, support to the
patient and monitoring the patient. These are the three steps that experts in
MS, are called to follow as in chronic diseases, compliance is one of the
major problems.

"As Continuing Medical Education Partner, Serono Symposia
International Foundation is committed to offer its know-how in the
international scenario - said Jean Daniel Baki, Board Member and Secretary of
the Board of Serono Symposia International Foundation - and we are
particularly proud to organize a scientific educational event in Russia
dedicated to international health care professionals and clinicians."

Serono Symposia International Foundation is a non-profit
organization based in Geneva (Switzerland). It was founded to disseminate the
most innovative achievements and potential developments of medical and
scientific research through conferences, training courses, online courses and
publications. In particular, it provides Continuing Medical Education for
doctors and healthcare professionals by organizing high-level scientific
programs. Over the past four decades Serono Symposia International Foundation
has organized more than 1500 international scientific congresses and
published more than 500 proceedings with the most important international
publishers.

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Ufficio stampa, GAS Communication, Chiara Ippoliti, Tel. +39-0668134260 - fax +39-0668134876, c.ippoliti at gascommunication.com