Kavita V. Nair, PhD, FAAN

Kavita Nair, PhD, FAAN, discusses the rising global burden of neurodegenerative diseases.

Panelists discuss how providers and payers must collaborate to develop innovative coverage criteria for BTK inhibitors that prevent patients with subclinical progression from being forced to fail multiple inappropriate therapies before accessing optimal treatment.

Panelists discuss how academic centers can use telehealth programs like Project ECHO to train community neurologists and ensure consistent, evidence-based MS care across diverse geographic regions.

Panelists discuss how economic models must account for the broader impact of MS progression on earning potential, family planning, caregiver burden, and quality of life rather than focusing solely on direct medical costs.

Panelists discuss how patient-reported outcomes are crucial for capturing MS symptoms like fatigue, depression, and cognitive decline that significantly impact working-age patients but require standardization for practical clinical integration.

Panelists discuss how clinical trials and real-world studies should focus on patients with PIRA who haven’t experienced relapses for extended periods but continue to accumulate disability.

Panelists discuss how the evaluation process must evolve to accommodate therapies that show benefits in slowing atrophy and motor decline over 1 to 2 years, emphasizing the need for early coverage rather than waiting for extensive long-term data.

Panelists discuss how disability progression can be measured through practical clinical tools like patient-reported outcomes, timed walking tests, and dexterity assessments rather than relying solely on relapse rates.

Panelists discuss how payers can evaluate BTK inhibitors by considering specific MS phenotypes and FDA indications rather than applying traditional step therapy protocols that may delay optimal treatment.

Panelists discuss how BTK inhibitors represent a promising new oral therapy class that could address both inflammatory and neurodegenerative aspects of MS, particularly for progressive forms where treatment options are limited.