Latest news with #DavidDodick
Cision Canada
18-07-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
The World Federation of Neurology to Host Global Webinar Uniting UN-ECOSOC, WHO and Leading Brain Health Experts for World Brain Day 2025, with the theme Brain Health for All Ages
LONDON, July 18, 2025 /CNW/ -- On July 22, the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) will celebrate its 12th annual World Brain Day, with the theme "Brain Health for All Ages." The official event of World Brain Day is a webinar, open to the public, taking place at 1:00 p.m. BST. World Brain Day is an annual event uniting the global community to protect and promote healthy brains. The webinar serves as a global call to action for both individuals, healthcare providers, non-governmental organizations, community leaders, policy-makers, and institutions to share meaningful information and activities to advance brain health in all parts of the world. "When one in three is affected by a brain disorder—and nearly 90% of this burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries, this campaign becomes not just important, but essential," said Professor Tissa Wijeratne, Co-Chair of World Brain Day. "It reflects a global commitment to protecting brain health across one's entire lifespan, from preconception through aging adulthood, ensuring that no one is left behind." This year's theme reminds us that brain health is a journey—not a milestone. It begins before birth, is refined in childhood, and is preserved through adulthood and older age, influencing our potential, resilience, and quality of life at every age. The fate of individuals suffering from neurological disorders has strong variations depending on the global region, due to varying health systems, access to care and available resources. Key Takeaways for this year's World Brain Day: Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide and the second leading cause of death. Brain health must be prioritized throughout one's lifespan, from preconception to aging adulthood. Prevention of neurological disorders begins with healthy lifestyle choices like regular exercise, balanced nutrition, quality sleep, stress management and social connection. Equal access to neurological care, diagnostics and therapies regardless of economic status is essential. We are committed to creating a global framework for brain health, focusing on early diagnosis and intervention, environmental risk mitigation, and equitable access to neurological care. "When we unite in our commitment to prioritize brain health, we have the power to meaningfully reduce the global burden of neurological disorders," said Emeritus Professor David Dodick, Co-Chair of World Brain Day. "It is both a privilege and an imperative to bring together some of the most respected voices in neurology for a special webinar—an event designed not only to elevate awareness, but to catalyze transformative progress in research, policy, care, and global advocacy." The World Brain Day webinar will feature distinguished experts from renowned organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Stroke Organization. WFN will also be joined by six Neurological Societies representing the major regions of the world. Dr. Lawrence Tucker, President, African Academy of Neurology Dr. Natalia Rost, President, American Academy of Neurology Prof. Christopher Chen, President, Asian and Oceanian Association of Neurology Prof. Elena Moro, President, European Academy of Neurology Dr. Renato Verdugo, President, Pan American Federation of Neurological Societies Dr. Amina Gargouri-Berrechid, President, Pan Arab Union of Neurological Societies "When we champion Brain Health for All Ages, we lay the foundation for stronger communities, healthier families, and a more resilient world," said Professor Wolfgang Grisold, President of the World Federation of Neurology. "This is a global call to action to elevate awareness, reduce stigma, and ensure that brain health becomes a priority for every government, every health system, and every individual, regardless of geography or age." Established by the WFN in 2014, World Brain Day continues to serve as a global platform for raising public awareness on key neurological health topics. Individuals, societies, and countries are encouraged to participate and amplify their voices on social media using hashtags such as #WorldBrainDay, #WBD2025, and #BrainHealthForAllAges. Visit the WFN website to register for the free World Brain Day webinar. Follow the WFN on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. With support from its 125 national Neurological Member Societies, the World Federation of Neurology fosters quality neurology and brain health worldwide by promoting neurological education and training, with an emphasis on under-resourced areas of the world. As a non-state actor in official relations, WFN supports the World Health Organization (WHO) efforts to give everyone an equal chance to live a healthy life. With Member Societies around the globe, WFN unites the world's neurologists to ensure quality neurology and advocate for people to have better brain health. Learn more about the World Federation of Neurology at
Medscape
12-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Migraine Expert Renews Call for Prompt, Effective Management
OTTAWA — Therapies that target calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) should be used up front in the treatment and prevention of migraine because of their efficacy, safety, and potential to modify the disease course, an expert said. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation (CNSF) Congress 2025, David Dodick, MD, emeritus professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, reiterated the appeal that was first published in an American Headache Society position statement: That migraine therapies that target CGRP become first-line treatments for migraine. A Bold Call Some of the available monoclonal antibodies to treat migraine include erenumab, fremanezumab, galcanezumab, and eptinezumab. The class of 'gepants' includes rimegepant and atogepant. All these treatments target CGRP. 'This was a type of expert consensus opinion,' Dodick told Medscape Medical News , referring to the 'rather bold' position statement. 'The real-world evidence supports what we saw in clinical trials, and we now know the safety profile of these [therapies] because we've had them for almost 8 years of use in clinical practice. They are not first-line [therapies] simply because of cost.' The largest prospective study on the use of anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies demonstrated robust responses to these therapies. Because CGRP-targeting therapies are well tolerated, discontinuation due to adverse events is generally not a concern, and increased efficacy may be realized if patients stay the course with CGRP-targeting therapies, said Dodick. 'You can imagine that if people are able to tolerate them and stay on these drugs longer, then efficacy is cumulative over time. Adherence and compliance increase the response rate over time,' said Dodick. Early Treatment Vital 'It really does matter how early you get to the patient and treat them effectively, both from the standpoint of treating an individual episode of migraine and from the prevention standpoint: That is, treating the disease earlier,' said Dodick. 'The more frequent that migraines are, and the more you allow them to be frequent, the more likely they are to progress to a daily migraine, and the more difficult they are to manage.' In the US and Canada, patients with migraine must first fail other treatments before they are prescribed newer agents like CGRP monoclonal antibodies or gepants, and this requirement creates the potential for a lapse in care, noted Dodick. 'Patients can become discouraged and lost to follow-up if they fail one medicine and then two medicines,' which he said supports the case for first-line access to CGRP-targeting migraine therapies. High-Impact Agents The efficacy of migraine treatments that target CGRP is convincing, said Michael Hill, MD, professor of clinical neuroscience at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary. 'For some patients, they can get back to living a relatively normal life,' said Hill, who also is CNSF president. 'It can be a remarkable evolution. They go from being nonfunctioning and not working to being fully functional again because their migraine is not chronic, or their recurrent migraines are not so disabling.' Seeing patients who are unable to access these therapies is disheartening, Hill told Medscape Medical News. 'It is hard to see them denied this therapy.' The preventive potential that these therapies could offer would certainly be welcome, Hill added. 'The idea that some of these people who start with simple migraine and progress to a chronic, refractory migraine state, and that these might actually be preventable with early treatment, is really exciting.' Episodic treatment of migraine has not altered the disease course. 'The focus on migraine therapy has been on acute treatment and not so much on this idea that you might prevent the evolving chronicity of the disease.'
