Multiple Sclerosis Coalition Endorses AAN Position Statement

Nation’s leading MS organizations stand behind the American Academy of Neurology’s position on the availability of treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis.

The member organizations of the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition (MSC) unanimously endorsed the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) position statement entitled Availability of Disease Modifying Therapies (DMT) for Treatment of Relapsing Forms of Multiple Sclerosis.

The AAN, the world’s largest professional organization of neurologists, concluded in the position statement that “the highly individualized decisions around use of DMT should be made by persons living with MS in consultation with their treatment team” and that step therapy programs implemented by insurers or other care management agencies should be based on clinical evidence and not upon cost alone. They urge “access to all DMT for treating MS individuals when they have the potential to provide clinical benefit.”

These conclusions are consistent with those outlined in the MSC’s consensus paper, The Use of Disease-Modifying Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis: Principles and Current Evidence (available in the Resources section of ms-coalition.org).

Member organizations of the MS Coalition are: Accelerated Cure Project, the Consortium of MS Centers, Can Do Multiple Sclerosis, the International Organization of MS Nurses, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and United Spinal Association.

Find the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition online at ms-coalition.org or visit MSC on Facebook at facebook.com/MSCoalition and on Twitter at @MS_Coalition.

About the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition

The Multiple Sclerosis Coalition (MSC) was founded in 2005 by three independent multiple sclerosis organizations in an effort to work together to benefit individuals with MS. Since that time, the MSC has grown to eight member organizations, all of whom provide critical MS programs and services. The Multiple Sclerosis Coalition’s mission is to increase opportunities for cooperation and provide greater opportunity to leverage the effective use of resources for the benefit of the MS community.