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Oral multiple sclerosis meds appear, more and more, to be the first choice of patients who are just beginning to receive an MS treatment. A recent report by the independent marketing research firm Spherix Global Insights shows that oral disease-modifying therapies captured a significantly higher share of the market at the end of 2016 compared to 2015, with Tecfidera at the top of the list and Aubagio gaining ground. But, final FDA approval of the infusion drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) could be a game-changer.
Neurologists and many MS patients are very familiar with Ocrevus. There’s a lot of chatter about it in online MS gathering spots, and many doctors report they intend to use it as soon as it is approved. And, even though most of the “buzz” is about prescribing Ocrevus for PPMS patients, it’s expected that a lot of doctors also are looking at it for those with RRMS. It could push ahead of other infusions, such as Tysabri and Lemtrada. as well as oral meds such as Tecfidera and Aubagio. Spherix reports more than one third of the neurologists it surveyed said they would have been likely to have started patients on Ocrevus, rather than on Tysabri, had it been available.
What drives these drug decisions? According to a Spherix report RealWorld Dynamix™: DMT New Starts in Multiple Sclerosis, the drivers include clinical considerations such as safety and efficacy, as well as non-clinical concerns including patient requests and the policies of the insurance coverage of those patients. Interestingly, it appears that neurologists are becoming more comfortable using high-efficacy DMTs right away for patients with aggressive MS, rather than working up to them from drugs with lower efficacy, but lower risk or cost.
As the patient you should take an active role in your drug selection.
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