Online Resource Center Informs MS Patients About Treatments, Adherence
MyHealthTeams and EMD Serono have teamed up to launch the Treatment and Adherence Resource Center, a new informational tool within the MyMSTeam social network for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The new resource center is geared toward educating MS patients about the importance of starting treatment and staying on a planned regimen.
The tool is part of the MyMSTeam network, an initiative spearheaded by MyHealthTeams, which aims to support patients by facilitating connections within disease communities.
The new resource center was organized, in part, as a response to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now, perhaps more than ever, the MS community is faced with challenges they never may have anticipated and have questions about how to navigate treating their disease during these difficult times,” Terrie Livingston, head of patient and payor solutions at EMD Serono, said in a press release.
EMD Serono (known as Merck KGaA outside the U.S. and Canada) has its own MS research network, called Multiple Sclerosis Leadership and Innovation Network (MS-LINK), which was established in 2019. MS-LINK connects researchers and clinicians specializing in studying MS, with the overarching goal of best understanding how to treat patients on an individual basis.
“Our MS-LINK initiative remains committed to the MS community by supporting programs like the Treatment and Adherence Resource Center, which offers quick access to trusted information that can help them effectively discuss issues and make decisions with their healthcare provider,” Livingston said.
Since access to healthcare can be limited, the Treatment and Adherence Resource Center is designed to provide information directly to MS patients so they can manage their condition. This information is focused on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), which are treatments designed to alter the disease course of MS.
DMTs have shown an overall benefit in reducing relapses and lesion formation, but adherence to treatment is important for their effectiveness. Treatment adherence can be negatively affected by the side effects associated with some DMTs.
“Even under normal circumstances it can be hard for people with MS to stay on their medication,” said Eric Peacock, CEO and co-founder of MyHealthTeams. “The coronavirus pandemic only heightens the need for us to do everything we can to go directly to patients with the information they need to advocate for themselves and best manage their MS.”
According to MyHealthTeams, a few articles already have been published on the resource center website, all designed to share information about treatment plans and tips for DMT adherence.
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