An critical list of MS drugs for patients in resource-limited settings has been put together by a UK HealthCare neurologist in collaboration with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) specialists, biostatisticians, and clinicians from all over the world.
The Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation’s (MSIF) panel is now comprised of Jagannadha “Jay” Avasarala, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Comprehensive Care Center for MS and Neuroimmunology at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute. He previously chaired the American Academy of Neurology (2020-22). The World Health Organization (WHO) has been asked to approve the list.
Recent publication of the 18-month project in The Lancet Neurology. “Access to therapies for neurological illnesses is egregiously inadequate,” according to Avasarala, “especially in low- and middle-income nations.The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) serves as a model for developing national and institutional EMLs, therefore adding therapeutic agents to it is a first step toward perhaps increasing their availability globally, according to Avasarala. In the upcoming weeks, the WHO is anticipated to make a decision regarding the submitted list.
During March, which is marked as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, word of the publication and expectation of a decision arrive. MS develops when the immune system attacks the nerve cells, impairing their ability to transfer information. This results in unpredictable symptoms like fatigue, blurred vision, and balance problems. In the entire world, 2.5 million people have multiple sclerosis. The cause is unknown, and there is no definitive.
The MSIF, a global network of MS organizations, along with people affected by MS, volunteers and staff from around the world, previously applied in 2018 for three disease-modifying treatment (DMTs) to be added to the WHO EML. That attempt was unsuccessful as the WHO said that no clear evidence was provided that the DMTs listed were superior to other drugs in safety, efficacy and affordability and that the application had excluded commonly used drugs and off-label medications.
Based on that feedback, as Avasarala explained, the group put together by MSIF went back to the drawing board and in collaboration with the Cochrane MS group and using the McMaster GRADE system, systematically assessed all on-label and off-label DMTs for MS. The group worked for more than a year through multiple Zoom meetings during the pandemic. Through their efforts, the group officially submitted a revised application to the WHO that consists of a comprehensive list of DMTs for MS to include in their EML.
