Competing interests: RAM received research funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Research Manitoba, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Foundation, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Consortium JBof MS Centers and the Arthritis Society, US Department of Defense. She is supported by the Waugh Family Chair in Multiple Sclerosis. She is a coinvestigator on a study funded in part by Biogen Idec and Roche (no funds to her or her institution). RW reports no disclosures. JB received research funding from CIHR, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and the MS Society of Canada. JS received research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and holds stocks in Johnson and Johnson. SBP received research funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the MS Society of Canada, Roche, Biogen and the Government of Alberta. AS received financial and in-kind support from an IBM/CIMVHR Advanced Analytics Grant and Calian Inc. LL received research funds from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, NSERC and the Arthritis Society. CH had research funds for unrelated studies from Pfizer and consulted for Astra-Zeneca Canada. RE-G received research funds from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, University of Manitoba Start-Up Funds. AK received research funds from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Research Manitoba. JDF received research grant support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and Research Nova Scotia, and consultation and distribution royalties from MAPI Research Trust. JJM conducted clinical trials for Biogen Idec and Roche, and received research funding from the MS Society of Canada, the MS Scientific Foundation and Research Manitoba. CNB consulted with Abbvie Canada, Amgen Canada, BMS Canada, JAMP Canada, Janssen Canada, Pfizer Canada, Roche Canada, Sandoz Canada and Takeda Canada, and received unrestricted educational grants from Abbvie Canada, BMS Canada, Janssen Canada, Pfizer Canada and Takeda Canada. He has been on speaker’s bureaus of Abbvie Canada and Shire Canada. SBP holds the Cuthbertson & Fischer Chair in Pediatric Mental Health at the University of Calgary. The sponsors had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, and preparation, review or approval of the manuscript.