Attitudes of US relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients to current and emerging therapies

Less than 30% of surveyed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the USA indicate that they would request a switch to an emerging agent that matches a dosing, safety and efficacy profile similar to emerging and recently launched oral MS agents such as Merck KGaA (MRK: DE)/Serono/EMD Serono's oral cladribine (which has yet to gain approval in the USA) and Novartis' (NOVN: VX) Gilenya (fingolimod) which was recently cleared by the Food and |Drug Administration (The Pharma Letter September 24), according to a new report from advisory firm Decision Resources.

The new Patient Forum report, titled Which Multiple Sclerosis Patients Are Most Willing to Request an Emerging Oral Therapy? finds that although none of the emerging agents included in the report are in development specifically for progressive forms of MS, the majority of surveyed secondary progressive and primary progressive multiple sclerosis patients indicate they would request a switch to new medications that are effective at reducing the number of relapses and slowing disability progression, despite risks of severe side effects.

"These patients we surveyed are also more willing than relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients to switch to an oral therapy that has lower risk of side effects even if it is slightly less effective," said Decision Resources analyst Cindy Fung, adding: "Surveyed patients with secondary progressive and primary progressive multiple sclerosis have most likely tried and failed multiple therapies and are more willing to try new drugs that offer either greater efficacy or fewer side effects."