Patient Expectations, Market Predictions Focus on Oral MS Drugs

Patients: Intense Interest in Oral MS Therapies

Patient interest in oral MS therapies is high, a new patient study reveals. Healthcare communications agency Extrovertic released the study, entitled “Patient Engagement Study: Eye on MS” and it revealed, among several issues, that patients are very interested in learning more about the new oral MS medications:

• BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate): 68 percent
• Aubagio (teriflunomide): 65 percent
• Lemtrada (alemtuzumab): 59 percent
• Gilenya (fingolimod): 57 percent
• The study showed that 61 percent of the online patient community is ready to ask their MS specialist about switching to an oral medication, if there is assurance that the new options are as effective as current medications.

The study also underlines the popularity and impact of online MS communities. Among those surveyed:

• The most active patients contribute to online community discussions more than once a week;
• 47 percent participate in six or more on-line MS communities;
• 62 percent of these communities have over 1,000 members, while 16 percent include over 10,000.

The full study is now available for download at extrovertic.com/eyeonms.php

Psychiatric Disorders, Diabetes and MS Linked?

Although comorbidities at MS notification are rare, psychiatric disorders and diabetes were more common in French MS patients than in the general population. Among the three percent of patients who had comorbidities at MS diagnosis, the rates of diagnosis were: psychiatric disease (40.2 %), autoimmune disease (24.5 %), cardiovascular disease (16.2 %), cancer (12.2 %), and metabolic disease (9.0 %). MS patients with comorbidities were enrolled in France’s long-term illness insurance coverage system at a slightly older age (36.9 ± 6.5 years) than those with no comorbidities (33.6 ± 7.2 years). -J. Neurol, e-pub

BY THE NUMBERS

$21B. The anticipated peak of the market for disease-modifying MS therapies in 2018, assuming an annual expansion rate of 10 percent, according to the pharmaceutical and healthcare research firm Decision Resources. They say the launch of at least six premium-priced disease-modifying therapies and forecast price increases in the US market will drive the growth. Among new entrants, Biogen Idec’s Tecfidera is expected to have the greatest clinical and commercial success—owing to its compelling clinical profile—and will capture more than $4 billion in 2018 sales, Decision Resources predicts.

The advisory report is titled “Multiple Sclerosis” and suggests that the coming years will usher in “a transformative era as the burgeoning number of treatment options fragment and further complicate an already complex treatment algorithm.” Recent launches of oral agents, including Tecfidera and Genzyme’s (Sanofi) Aubagio, will be followed by the emergence of more-convenient reformulations of platform injectables and three highly efficacious monoclonal antibodies—Genzyme/Bayer HealthCare’s Lemtrada, Roche/Genentech’s ocrelizumab and Biogen Idec/AbbVie’s daclizumab, the report says.

Patients: Intense Interest in Oral MS Therapies

Patient interest in oral MS therapies is high, a new patient study reveals. Healthcare communications agency Extrovertic released the study, entitled “Patient Engagement Study: Eye on MS” and it revealed, among several issues, that patients are very interested in learning more about the new oral MS medications:

• BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate): 68 percent
• Aubagio (teriflunomide): 65 percent
• Lemtrada (alemtuzumab): 59 percent
• Gilenya (fingolimod): 57 percent
• The study showed that 61 percent of the online patient community is ready to ask their MS specialist about switching to an oral medication, if there is assurance that the new options are as effective as current medications.

The study also underlines the popularity and impact of online MS communities. Among those surveyed:

• The most active patients contribute to online community discussions more than once a week;
• 47 percent participate in six or more on-line MS communities;
• 62 percent of these communities have over 1,000 members, while 16 percent include over 10,000.

The full study is now available for download at extrovertic.com/eyeonms.php

Psychiatric Disorders, Diabetes and MS Linked?

Although comorbidities at MS notification are rare, psychiatric disorders and diabetes were more common in French MS patients than in the general population. Among the three percent of patients who had comorbidities at MS diagnosis, the rates of diagnosis were: psychiatric disease (40.2 %), autoimmune disease (24.5 %), cardiovascular disease (16.2 %), cancer (12.2 %), and metabolic disease (9.0 %). MS patients with comorbidities were enrolled in France’s long-term illness insurance coverage system at a slightly older age (36.9 ± 6.5 years) than those with no comorbidities (33.6 ± 7.2 years). -J. Neurol, e-pub

BY THE NUMBERS

$21B. The anticipated peak of the market for disease-modifying MS therapies in 2018, assuming an annual expansion rate of 10 percent, according to the pharmaceutical and healthcare research firm Decision Resources. They say the launch of at least six premium-priced disease-modifying therapies and forecast price increases in the US market will drive the growth. Among new entrants, Biogen Idec’s Tecfidera is expected to have the greatest clinical and commercial success—owing to its compelling clinical profile—and will capture more than $4 billion in 2018 sales, Decision Resources predicts.

The advisory report is titled “Multiple Sclerosis” and suggests that the coming years will usher in “a transformative era as the burgeoning number of treatment options fragment and further complicate an already complex treatment algorithm.” Recent launches of oral agents, including Tecfidera and Genzyme’s (Sanofi) Aubagio, will be followed by the emergence of more-convenient reformulations of platform injectables and three highly efficacious monoclonal antibodies—Genzyme/Bayer HealthCare’s Lemtrada, Roche/Genentech’s ocrelizumab and Biogen Idec/AbbVie’s daclizumab, the report says.