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Thanks for the article.

They’re sugar coating the situation just a bit (I have MS.)

First off most MS patients start out with the interferons or Copaxone. Why, well partly cost. Insurance companies are willing to pay the $3500 per month for the CRAB (Copaxone, Rebif, Avonex, Betaseron) injectible drugs, but not willing to fork over the 7-15K per month for the Tysabri single infusion (that’s the cost of the drug plus the infusion center) unless someone has “failed” on the other older drugs.

Patients on Tysabri are now being cautioned to only stay on it for 24 months due to the risk of PML (the lethal brain infection.) More people seem to be showing up with it the longer they’re on it. Tysabri also seems to create a rebound effect once you go off. No new lesions while on, and then once off, they seem to pile on. All patients on Tysabri are being tested for JCVirus so they know they’re risk of PML before going on the drug, but truth is 80% of people have the JC Virus latent in their systems. So it’s not the ultimate solution.

Gilenya is still new, not sure about side effects yet...but it’s really hard to get your insurance company to pay for it. It’s a pill, which is nice...but it costs $4000 per month from what I’ve read. I haven’t figured out why the resistence because my Betaseron lists on the receipt as $3200, but I don’t think that’s what the insurance pays...I think they pay in the area of $1700. Anyhoo, for some reason people are having a hard time with insurance.

The new drugs I don’t know much about. My neuro is conservative and doesn’t prescribe new treatments the first year they’re out.

Ampyra is a symptomatic med to the tune of $1000 per month. It’s supposed to improve your walking speed. Many people have found it helps them with fatigue issues as well.

I have a Baclofen pump...don’t even ask what it costs :)... which in my opinion, is a near miracle for spastic legs. So they have made advances in symptomatic meds, and that’s good. But the cost is prohibitive unless you have insurance.

In Relapsing Remitting form of MS, it’s so hard to say how effective a treatment is, just because of the nature of the disease. There are those who have never taken any disease modifying treatment and have a mild course. So it’s a crap shoot, all around.