A recent study was released and has the MS community buzzing. It essentially says: “Our study shows that under the current prescribing and pricing conditions in the U.S., the disease-modifying drugs account for about 50 percent of a person’s overall healthcare-related costs over 10 years and need to be brought into line so that they are not such an economic drain.”
Travis did a fantastic summary. The number that hit me squarely between the eyes was that, in the United States, the “cost-effectiveness” of all MS disease modifying drugs came out to an average of $800,000 per “quality-adjusted year.” That means that we are paying (whether we pay, our insurance pays, or Medicare pays) nearly $2,200 per quality day over 10 years versus those who don’t take MS meds.
Medpage adds: Ten-year disease costs were similar across DMTs, ranging from about $470,000 to roughly $493,000 per patient. More importantly, in my opinion, it points out the "positive news" that early treatment improves the cost-effectiveness. Is it just my jaded cynicism that makes me think that is just another way to influence newly diagnosed (or nearly diagnosed) people into these really, really expensive treatments?
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