Florian Castrop, Haslinger, Bernhard Hemmer, Dorothea Buck

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease with increasing incidence and prevalence. Onset of disease is most frequently in young adulthood when productivity is usually highest; it is of chronic nature and, in the majority of patients, it will result in accumulation of disability. Due to loss of productivity in patients and caregivers as well as high expenses for medical treatment, MS is considered a disease with high economic burden for patients and society. Several drugs have been approved for treatment of MS. While treatment ameliorates the course of the disease, it is very costly; therefore, pharmacoeconomics, evaluating costs and effects of disease-modifying treatment in MS, has become an important issue. Here, we review the economic impact and treatment strategies of MS and discuss recent studies on pharmacoeconomics of early treatment with interferon beta.