August 26, 2019-Out-of-pocket cost for multiple sclerosis medications have quadrupled during past 10 years

New research published in JAMA Neurology on Monday reports that the annual cost of “self-administered disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis more than quadrupled” between 2006-2016, raising the mean yearly costs for drugs from $18,660 to $75,847. The median American family income is $61,372. The out-of-pocket spending for a patient needing these drugs has risen from $372 annually in 2006 to $2,673 in 2016. The researchers point out that considering the market for these drugs has seen almost double the competition from new self-administered, disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis since 2009, the price increase shows that competition isn’t working to moderate prices. Read more