The 5th Joint Triennial Congress of the European and American Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 19-22 October, 2011

The 5th Joint Triennial Congress of the European and American Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis was held from 19-22 of October 2011 in the beautiful city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, a place known in the world for its historic Canal District, world-famous museums, and picturesque scenery. This meeting was hosted by the Amsterdam RAI Congress and Conference Centre wherein more than 7000 participants from all over the world gathered to discuss the latest updates on different aspects of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). More than 15,000 abstracts were accepted. Statistically, it can be considered one of the largest single-gatherings of MS clinicians, researchers, young investigators and also patients suffering from the disorder in the year 2011. In addition, pharmaceutical industries participated in the exhibition hall by presenting a variety of products and services that are vital to medical practitioners, researchers, and scientists who united in this event with a common goal to provide supreme benefits to the people affected by MS, and above all, to completely combat the disease. Aside from the remarkable presentations and posters on advances in all fields of MS, and the large number of abstracts submitted in this meeting, outnumbering those of the previous years, a major breakthrough in this event was the approval of the first oral medication for MS. In relevance to local practice, below is an overview of some interesting abstracts presented at the 5th Joint Triennial Congress of the European and American Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. In conclusion, ECTRIMS 2011 was the largest ever meeting for MS with major breakthroughs, particularly to presentations on oral disease modifying agents, symptomatic treatments, survival, and developments of biomarkers to determine prognosis.