Modeling the Cost of Progression: Capturing the True Burden of MS

EP: 1.Understanding PIRA and Its Clinical Significance in MS

EP: 2.Measuring What Matters: Evidence and End Points That Define Disability in MS

EP: 3.Closing the Gaps: Therapeutic Performance and the Promise of Innovation

EP: 4.Digging Deeper: Mechanisms of Progression and the Case for a Dual Therapeutic Approach

EP: 5.Aligning Evidence With Access: Disability Outcomes, Data, and Payer Decision-Making

EP: 6.Bridging the Gaps: BTK Inhibitors and the Future of MS Care

EP: 7.Redefining Value: What Payers Want From Comprehensive MS Treatments

EP: 8.Short-Term Wins vs Long-Term Gains: Rethinking MS Treatment Value

EP: 9.Evaluating the Future of MS Therapies: Balancing Early Data With Delayed Outcomes

EP: 10.Beyond Relapses: BTK Inhibitor Coverage Strategies for PIRA in MS

EP: 11.The Value of Functional Outcomes and Elevating Patient Voices in MS Assessments

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EP: 12.Modeling the Cost of Progression: Capturing the True Burden of MS

EP: 13.Right Therapy, Right Time: Guiding MS Treatment Amid Advancing Options

EP: 14.The Cost of Waiting: Unlocking Treatment in a Timely Manner for MS Patients

Video content above is prompted by the following:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis typically occurs between ages 15 and 45 years, fundamentally altering lifetime earning potential and productivity for patients in their prime working years. The economic analysis must consider not only direct medical costs but also lost productivity, career limitations, and the multiplier effect on family planning decisions. Modern MS treatments have extended the productive lifespan of patients significantly compared with historical outcomes, where disability often forced early retirement by age 40. This improved prognosis justifies higher up-front treatment costs when considering lifetime economic impact.

MS predominantly affects women during childbearing years, creating complex economic calculations around family planning, childcare responsibilities, and caregiver burden. The disease’s impact extends beyond the patient to affect family size decisions, dual-income household dynamics, and long-term care planning. During the pandemic, research revealed that younger, working professionals particularly valued treatment flexibility, including home infusion options, to maintain their active lifestyles and career commitments without sacrificing treatment effectiveness.

The shift toward oral therapies like Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors addresses significant health care delivery challenges, particularly in rural and underserved areas where infusion center access is limited. Site-of-care mandates have created care fragmentation issues, with patients receiving infusions at external sites that cannot be easily tracked by academic medical centers. Oral therapies eliminate these logistical barriers while potentially reducing overall system costs, though monitoring requirements for liver toxicity and other adverse effects must be factored into economic models to ensure safe implementation across diverse health care settings.