MS treatments are expensive and it is OK if you live in a place with Social Medicine but in many parts of the World one of the features that limits access to treatments is economics. It is scandalous that some countries penalise people for their health. This study looks at access to ocrelizumab and socio economic factors come into this. This study looks at features that delay access to ocrelizumab. Cost is one factor, preference in another factor. It is evident to me that ocrelizumab is efficacious in at least some people for longer than 6 months, this could reduce cost burdens. This is a theme of some of the studies at the AAN 2026
A Retrospective Analysis of Factors Contributing to Delayed or Missed Treatment With Ocrelizumab in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
Lana Sharba1, Preeta Gupta1, Evan Smith1, Tiffany Braley1
1University of Michigan Medical Center
Objective:This study aims to determine the average number of days between initial ocrelizumab prescription to first infusion in patients with multiple sclerosis seen at a single academic center and to identify the factors that contribute to treatment delays and economics was a factor for about half of this..
Background:Ocrelizumab is a high-efficacy monoclonal antibody prescribed for treatment of relapsing-remitting and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Anecdotally, there are numerous cases in which patients prescribed disease-modifying therapy do not receive their first dose until months after initial prescription. Currently, no set standard exists for time from initial prescription to treatment. Understanding of the factors leading to delay is limited in the literature.
Design/Methods:We performed a retrospective chart review of 90 patients who received their first ocrelizumab infusion between October 2023 and November 2024 at a Michigan Medicine infusion center. The primary outcome is the average number of days between initial ocrelizumab order to first infusion. Factors contributing to delays were identified via chart review as a secondary outcome and in a qualitative analysis.
Results:The average number of days between initial ocrelizumab order to first infusion was 56.6 days. 19 of the 90 individuals who received ocrelizumab greater than 60 days after initial order date were studied as a subset. Of these 19 individuals, 79% were female and 21% were male. 42% had a documented insurance barrier and 47% had listed a socioeconomic barrier around their multiple sclerosis care. 47% delayed their infusion due to preference. 16% were delayed due to lab monitoring.
Conclusions:Patients who received their first dose of ocrelizumab over 60 days after the initial order were delayed at least in part due to insurance barriers, lab monitoring, and patient preferences. Almost half of patients had reported at least one socioeconomic barrier. This study highlights the importance of identifying factors that contribute to delays in treatment to provide areas for intervention.
10.1212/WNL.0000000000216459
Disclaimer: Abstracts were not reviewed by Neurology® and do not reflect the views of Neurology® editors or staff.
Source: multiple-sclerosis-research.org