The Widespread Effects of DMT Waste in Multiple Sclerosis

Episode 69,   Jul 29, 2022, 10:00 AM

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments™ podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, we spoke with Darin T. Okuda, MD, professor of neurology and director of Neuroinnovation and the Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; and Karin Cook, senior vice president of medical strategy and clinical ethnographer, Heartbeat Medical Communications. The pair spoke about their research into the wasted costs associated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for patients with multiple sclerosis, what they've observed at their center, the wide-reaching impact of this waste on the healthcare continuum, and the future solutions that are being worked on for this problem.

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Episode Breakdown:
  • 1:45 – Background on the study conducted by Okuda et al.
  • 4:05 – Perspective on the cost driven by DMT waste 
  • 6:30 – Current landscape of prescriptions and adherence in MS
  • 8:35 – Disparities in MS treatment adherence
  • 11:00 – The link to the physician-patient relationship
  • 16:40 – The process of choosing a DMT and shared decision-making 
  • 23:00 – Neurology News Minute
  • 25:45 – Finding solutions to the DMT waste problem
  • 33:40 – The role of the individual neurologist and patient
  • 38:30 – Access to specialist care and resources
  • 42:40 – Building trust with patients and general medical mistrust
  • 47:00 – Next steps and closing thoughts
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REFERENCE
1. Okuda DT, Burgess KW, Cook K, McCreary M, Winkler MD, Moog TM. Hiding in plain sight: the magnitude of unused disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis and strategies for reducing the economic burden. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022;63:103920. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2022.103920