Multiple Sclerosis | Treatment Algorithms | Claims Data Analysis | US | 2015
The availability of novel disease-modifying therapies (DMTs)—oral DMTs, Plegridy, and Lemtrada—has complicated clinical decision making and treatment choice in the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States. In addition, time-tested mainstay Copaxone (Teva Neuroscience’s glatiramer acetate) has a higher dose three-times-weekly formulation allowing for a more patient-friendly dosing regimen. With a rapidly growing number of therapeutic options, neurologists must carefully weigh the unique risks and benefits of compelling new products against the established clinical profiles of cornerstone therapies, such as the interferon beta products (e.g., Biogen’s Avonex [IFN-beta-1a]), as they select the best course of treatment for individual patients in an increasingly complex and individualized treatment algorithm. This report uses national patient-level claims data to explore the evolving position of current DMTs in the treatment of newly diagnosed MS patients with a quantitative analysis of treatment patterns and share by line of therapy, as well as progression between lines and duration of treatment on each line. Among recently treated patients, the report quantifies patient share for each drug class and each DMT as well as each drug’s source of business compared with its competitors, and details which drugs precede others through an analysis of switch patterns. Additional analyses explore persistence and compliance by brand.
