European MS patients still face inequities in access to innovative treatments

Multiple sclerosis patients still face inequity of access to innovative treatments in Europe. There is a clear demarcation between Western Europe, where around 45% of patients are treated and Central/Eastern Europe where only 5% to 25% do so.

The highest levels can be found in the European Union-15, with Luxembourg at around 80%, followed by Austria, Belgium, and France. Lowest levels are the newer EU member states like Romania (5%), Poland and Latvia, with the UK also low at around 11%-12%. The latter figure vindicates a complaint from Britain's MS Society, which, as reported yesterday, has a number of concerns about treatment of MS in the country,

This report, which was supported by an unrestricted grant from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), with analyses conducted by i3Innovus, demonstrates that affordability issues shape the differing access patterns between older and newer EU member states. However, neither can explain existing differences in access within a region. Germany, France, Italy and Spain are comparable, with access rates between 40% and 50% of prevalent patients, yet the UK falls far behind these countries.