Mavenclad for RRMS May Join Therapies on Quebec’s Public Health Plan – Multiple Sclerosis News Today

The agency in charge of health and social services for Quebec, known as theInstitut national dexcellence en sant et en services sociaux (INESSS), is recommending thatMavenclad (cladribine) be offered at discount to adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) enrolled in the provinces health system.

INESSS opinions are taken by the minister for that agency, who makes the final decision on listing prescription services and medications in Quebecs public health plan.

Mavenclad, developed and marketed by EMD Serono (Merck KGaA outside of the U.S. and Canada), is a disease-modifying and short-course oral treatment that works to reduce the number of immune cells in circulation, limiting the inflammation that causes nervous system damage in MS.

Data from clinical trials support that Mavenclad can significantly lower relapse rates and the risk of disability progression in people with RRMS.

The therapy was first approved to treat RRMS by Health Canada in December 2017. The European Commission approved it earlier that year for highly active relapsing forms of MS, and in 2019 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for both RRMS and active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).

We are delighted with the positive recommendation from INESSS, which recognizes the therapeutic value of Mavenclad and the need for this treatment option for eligible patients who live with RRMS, Gaby Murphy, president and managing director of EMD Serono, Canada, said in apress release.

We welcome this as an important step to ensure broader and equitable access to Mavenclad in the province of Quebec, Murphy added.

EMD Serono will now work with theMinistre de la Sant et des Services sociauxto add Mavenclad to theRgie de lassurance maladie du Qubec(RAMQ)List of Medications. The purpose of this list is to ensure that all persons in Qubec have reasonable and fair access to the medication required by their state of health, with out-of-pocket costs tailored to a familys economic situation, Lgis Qubec reports. The therapy is covered by most private insurance plans.

Some 20,000 people inQuebec alone are living with MS, and the INESSS recommendation for Mavenclad is great news for patients, saidLouis Adam, executive director of the Quebecand Atlantic Division of the MS Society ofCanada. Having access to new and innovative treatment options is important for people living with MS in the province ofQuebec, and we are delighted by this positive step forward.

Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with an estimated 1 in every 385 people in the country having the disease, the MS Society ofCanada reports.

Marisa holds an MS in Cellular and Molecular Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied novel genetic drivers of ovarian cancer. She specializes in cancer biology, immunology, and genetics. Marisa began working with BioNews in 2018, and has written about science and health for SelfHacked and the Genetics Society of America. She also writes/composes musicals and coaches the University of Pittsburgh fencing club.

Total Posts: 1,053

Patrcia holds her PhD in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands. She has studied Applied Biology at Universidade do Minho and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon, Portugal. Her work has been focused on molecular genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites.

Read the rest here:
Mavenclad for RRMS May Join Therapies on Quebec's Public Health Plan - Multiple Sclerosis News Today