Episode 7 - Increased Monetary Costs of Multiple Sclerosis

During this segment, the panelists discuss the how the trend toward outpatient care and development of disease-modifying therapies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has affected costs of care.

Leslie Fish, PharmD, explains that because most treatment options for MS are available through the pharmaceutical side, the costs of medications and entire cost of treatment for MS has risen dramatically since 2010.

Gary M. Owens, MD, agrees and explains a 3 year analysis that compared the direct medical costs of MS to pharmaceutical costs and revealed that 85% of the expenditures for the treatment of MS result on the pharmaceutical side.

Dr Fish continues by explaining how the decrease in the number of hospitalizations is relative to the trend to treat MS in an outpatient care setting.

The panelists conclude the discussion with concerns that as the treatment costs for MS continue to rise, many aspects of treatment aren’t covered, which leaves a huge burden on patients, their caregivers, and family members.