Charity: MS treatment is ‘lottery’
pharmafile | May 1, 2013 | News story | Sales and Marketing | MS, lottery, society
Multiple sclerosis care in the UK is a ‘lottery’ according to research by the MS Society.
The charity says that six out of ten MS sufferers – there are around 100,000 overall in the UK – who would be eligible to take a disease-modifying drug do not do so.
Its report finds that there is a marked disparity across the country when it comes to patients’ care, and also support: if you live in Northern Ireland you are twice as likely to be taking a disease-modifying drug than if you live in Wales, for example.
Also, access to MS nurses, neurologists, powered wheelchairs and support to make home adaptations is often based on postcode, not a patient’s clinical needs, the charity says.
Nick Rijke, director for policy & research at the MS Society, said: “Our survey findings worryingly suggest that the likelihood of someone receiving a life changing treatment or service is often based on luck – like where they live or how helpful their healthcare professional is – rather than their genuine clinical need.”
Other key points in the research are that only 2% of people with MS use one of two licensed symptom management treatments, while the poorer you are, the worse your chances of receiving appropriate social care are.
Half of MS sufferers who are struggling financially and are in need of such support are unable to access it – although nine out of ten of people in the same position but who are financially comfortable are able to.
Timed to coincide with MS Week, the report – A lottery of treatment and care: MS services across the UK – signals a new campaign by the charity and comes with a plea that everyone with MS should have a personalised treatment, care and support plan, with two comprehensive reviews each year.
Across Europe, only Poland and Romania have a smaller proportion of people with MS taking disease-modifying drugs, the MS Society says.
“When it comes to MS drug prescription rates, the UK ranks 25th out of 27 European countries,” Rijke concluded. “Given the relative wealth of the UK this is simply unacceptable.”
MS is an area of increasing interest for pharma and there are a variety of drugs available, including Biogen’s Tecfidera and Genzyme’s Aubagio – once-daily oral treatments for adult patients with relapsing-remitting MS, which affects around a third of MS patients – and Novartis’ Gilenya.
Adam Hill
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