close_game
close_game

Oral medication is leading choice for multiple sclerosis treatment: Study

ANI | | Posted by Tapatrisha Das, Washington
Jul 19, 2023 12:28 PM IST

The study states that oral medication is the preferred choice for treating multiple sclerosis due to convenience, promotion, and approval by health insurers.

According to Rutgers researchers, the majority of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) choose oral medications to treat chronic and progressive neurological illnesses.

Oral medication is leading choice for multiple sclerosis treatment: Study(Pixabay)
Oral medication is leading choice for multiple sclerosis treatment: Study(Pixabay)

This is likely due to a variety of variables, including convenience, consumer promotion, and approval by health insurers.

“While two injectable therapies known as platform injectables, were once the mainstay of multiple sclerosis treatment, our study showed oral therapies became the predominate treatment for multiple sclerosis by 2020,” said Mackenzie Henderson, a postdoctoral researcher at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research (IFH) and the lead author of the study.

ALSO READ: Life pressure can increase the risk of Multiple Sclerosis | Signs to watch out

“Our investigation offers an important step in understanding the evolving treatment landscape for MS among US adults and children.”

The study, published in JAMA Neurology, examined a large and diverse sample of commercially insured adults and children in the United States to evaluate trends in the uptake of therapies between 2001 and 2020 for patients with MS, a chronic and progressive neurological disorder and the leading cause of nontraumatic disability among young and middle-aged adults.

In 2000, there were two medications approved for MS treatment in the US, but over the past 20 years, more than 10 new medications have been approved, according to researchers.

Research on how these approvals have changed clinical practice has been limited. The Rutgers study shows injectable therapies accounted for nearly 100 per cent of medications for MS patients in 2001, but by 2020 that decreased to about 25 per cent, with oral therapies rising sharply after their introduction in 2010.

Using commercial claims data from more than 100,000 patients with MS between 2001 and 2020, researchers analyzed injectable, infusion and oral treatment trends.

They found that oral medications increased sharply in popularity to become the preferable treatment for MS patients over infusion and injectable treatments.

Infusion therapies remained low in uptake, accounting for about 8 per cent of therapy initiations in 2020, and platform injectable therapy use declined almost 74 per cent throughout the study period, according to researchers.

"Despite the availability and efficacy of infusion therapies for multiple sclerosis, we found that their utilization remained relatively low throughout the study period,” said Chintan Dave, a faculty member at the Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science (PETS) at IFH, an assistant professor with Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and a senior author of the study.

“This may be due to several factors contributing to this treatment decision by patients and clinicians, including the preference for more convenient oral therapies, the relatively recent introduction of infusion options, and considerations of safety and cost.”

Researchers said this investigation offers a crucial step in understanding the evolving treatment landscape for MS patients and future research should evaluate the impact of new therapies as they emerge.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!.

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.
See More
Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!.

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On