November 17, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Nurses, Physicians’ Assistants Prescribe Antibody-based Therapies More Than Neurologists, Survey Shows U.S. nurses and physicians’ assistants prescribeĀ antibody-based disease-modifying therapies to their multiple sclerosis patients more than neurologists do, a survey indicates. The trend has been for the doctors to stick with interferon therapies, the study said. Antibody-based disease-modifying therapies are also known as monoclonal antibodies. They are designed to harness the…
November 2, 2017 News by Ashraf Malhas, PhD #MSParis2017 – Almost Half of MS Patients Fail to Report Relapses, Two Surveys Show Nearly half of multiple sclerosis patients do not always report their relapses to healthcare providers, two surveys indicate. MallinckrodtĀ sponsored the surveys to betterĀ understand patients’ experience with relapses, whichĀ are sudden episodes of new symptoms or worsening of existing symptoms. The company presented the survey results at the 7th joint meeting…
September 28, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski A Look Inside MS Marketplace Projections Do you ever stop and ponder the value of MS drugs? Iām not talking about if they work and the ways they improve our lives. Iām thinking of the COST of them and what their pricing means to investors. I get several market analysis reports on the pharmaceutical industry,…
July 20, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ocrevus Is Popular Among Neurologists, but Insurance Is a Growing Concern, Report Concludes Ocrevus' market introduction is off to a stellar start, with nearly half of neurologists surveyed by Spherix Global Insights saying they are using the therapy ā the first ever approved for both relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Within six months, 80 percent of neurologists are expected to prescribe Ocrevus, according to a report in the second-quarter edition of RealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis by Spherix Global Insights. But insurance is having an increasing impact on treatment decisions, the report also found, according to a Spherix press release. More patients are receiving less than optimal care because of inadequate or inferior insurance coverage, and neurologists report that insurers have become more aggressive in managing MS patients. Surveying 104 neurologists in June, the report showed that physicians followed through with their intent ā reported in earlier surveys ā to prescribe Ocrevus as it became available. With Ocrevus being the first approved drug for primary progressive MS, these patients make up a sizable part of those receiving it. But patients with relapsing forms of MS represent more than half of new users, according to the report. Ocrevus was also, by far, the drug that neurologists had learned most about, and felt most excited about using, the report added. Most of the patients on Ocrevus were switched from Biogen's Tysabri or Rituxan ā a drug that, like Ocrevus, is also produced by Genentech/Roche. One in five patients was switched from an oral disease-modifying treatment, mainly Biogenās Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate). But for about 25 percent of Ocrevus-treated patients, the drug is the first disease-modifying therapy they have received. The survey also revealed that patients are the driving force behind new Ocrevus prescriptions. Seventy-one percent of neurologists receive requests from patients who want to start the treatment. While neurologists have to turn some of these requests down for various reasons, a large proportion of those who ask for the treatment receive it. Another insight from Spherixās āRealWorld Dynamix: DMT Brand Switching in MSā survey was that patients' requests for a specific brand are often honored. Seventy-seven percent were prescribed the brand they requested, the survey showed. Interestingly, neurologists believed the number to be lower. Most patients who made a specific request, the report indicated, asked for Tecfidera in the past year and a half. Tecfidera is by far the leading oral disease-modifying drug prescribed in MS. Meanwhile, according to the report, Biogen's Avonex, Bayer's Betaseron, Teva's Copaxone, and EMD Serono's Rebif continue on a downward path. At least 30 percent of neurologists report lower use of these therapies in the past three months. Patients previously on these drugs are mainly switched to oral disease-modifying drugs. But this trend is projected to slow, with only Sanofi-Genzyme's oral Aubagio (teriflunomide) continuing to grow. But the choice of treatment may increasingly be driven by insurance. Compared with the same quarter of 2016 ā when neurologists estimated that 14 percent of patients received suboptimal treatment because of poor insurance coverage ā 20 percent of patients are now judged to be in this situation. Also, 60 percent of surveyed physicians feel that insurance companies have become more aggressive in MS treatment management. A similar percentage also say that insurance policies influence how they prescribe specific disease-modifying drugs.
January 19, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Reports on MS Treatment Market Show Growing Shift to Oral Therapies The multiple sclerosis (MS) market shiftedĀ during 2016, with oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) capturing a greater share and Sanofi-Genzyme’s Aubagio (teriflunomide) being poised for growth, according to a press releaseĀ fromĀ Spherix Global Insights. The conclusions were included in the company’sĀ āRealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis,ā a quarterly report based…
July 18, 2016 News by Charles Moore Closer Look at ICER, Group Now Weighing Efficacy and Benefits of RRMS Therapies The Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), the nonprofit organization thatĀ released a preliminary draft last week intended to shapeĀ the Institute’s forthcoming report onĀ the effectiveness and benefits of therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), is made up of experts in healthcare policy from across the U.S. who, through the…