PRO25 TREATMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS AND THEIR OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENDITURES

Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system whose etiology is still not clear. MS affects more than 2.3 million of people worldwide. In the U.S disease prevalence was 149.2 per 100,000 individuals in 2012. There is a significant burden associated with treatment for MS. The objective of this study is to investigate all type of treatments utilized by MS patients and their expenditures between 2010 and 2015. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data was utilized to estimate the treatment associated with MS patients and their associated expenditures. We included non-institutionalized patients aged ≥18 with MS from 2010 to 2015. MS was defined using the Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The category of each treatment was identified using Multum therapeutic class. The total out-of-pocket expenditures were adjusted to 2015 U.S. dollars using the Consumer Price Index. A series of comparative analysis were conducted to compare between utilization and expenditures of all treatments associated with MS patients. Immunologic Agents were the most frequent treatment utilized by patients with MS between 2010 to 2015. The average total health care expenditures in 2015 was $28,089 and the average out-of-pocket expenditures was about $1,086 annually. In 2015, females had a higher out of pocket expenditures compare to males (1,146 versus 933 respectively). The average total health care expenditures in 2010 was $ 32,051 and the average out-of-pocket expenditures was about $ 2143 annually. Unlike 2015, in 2010 males associated with higher out of pocket expenditures. The prescription medicine expenditures remain a burden for patients with MS, particularly out of pocket expenditures. However, the rate is decreasing over the past five years.