69: The Widespread Effects of DMT Waste in Multiple Sclerosis

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments™ podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice. In this episode, we spoke with Darin T. Okuda, MD, professor of neurology and director of Neuroinnovation and the Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; and Karin Cook, senior vice president of medical strategy and clinical ethnographer, Heartbeat Medical Communications. The pair spoke about their research into the wasted costs associated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for patients with multiple sclerosis, what they've observed at their center, the wide-reaching impact of this waste on the healthcare continuum, and the future solutions that are being worked on for this problem. Click here for more coverage of this story: Multiple Sclerosis DMT Waste Is Staggering, New Study Shows Wasted DMTs in Dr. Okuda's office [Image] Episode Breakdown: 1:45 – Background on the study conducted by Okuda et al. 4:05 – Perspective on the cost driven by DMT waste  6:30 – Current landscape of prescriptions and adherence in MS 8:35 – Disparities in MS treatment adherence 11:00 – The link to the physician-patient relationship 16:40 – The process of choosing a DMT and shared decision-making  23:00 – Neurology News Minute 25:45 – Finding solutions to the DMT waste problem 33:40 – The role of the individual neurologist and patient 38:30 – Access to specialist care and resources 42:40 – Building trust with patients and general medical mistrust 47:00 – Next steps and closing thoughts This episode is brought to you by the Medical World News streaming service. Check out new content and shows every day, only at medicalworldnews.com The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here: Zonisamide Oral Suspension FDA-Approved for Partial Seizures in Epilepsy FT218 Receives Tentative Approval for EDS, Cataplexy in Adults With Narcolepsy FDA Clears Rapid Hyperdensity Tool for Inclusion in RapidAI Platform for Neurovascular Conditions ALS Therapy Tofersen Has NDA Accepted by FDA, Granted Priority Review Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments™ podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com. REFERENCE 1. Okuda DT, Burgess KW, Cook K, McCreary M, Winkler MD, Moog TM. Hiding in plain sight: the magnitude of unused disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis and strategies for reducing the economic burden. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022;63:103920. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2022.103920