Differentiating Treatment Regimens Based on Diagnosis vs Personal Needs: Barry Hendin, MD

"It’s important that the patient have a voice and saying when they can or can’t tolerate a drug. In terms of side effect profile, also telling what you can and can’t tolerate, as well as the risk associated.”

There are a lot of factors that can go into the decision behind choosing which disease-modifying therapy (DMT) may be appropriate for a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS). Such discussions can include debating whether using the most highly efficacious treatments should be applied as early as possible or whether patients should have their treatment regimen escalated over time.

Due to the different degrees of disability within MS, each person’s body or disease may respond to DMTs differently. Additionally, a DMT that adequately controls the disease today may not do so in the future, forcing patients to make a change. Barry Hendin, MD, said that when prescribing therapies, there needs to be input from clinicians, patients, and the payer. He also noted that if there isn’t this collaborative effort, areas of the patient’s health and safety can be impacted.

Hendin, a neurologist at Banner Health and chief medical officer of the MS Association of America, sat down to discuss the complexities of when to tailor treatment regimens based on prognosis of the disease versus overall patient needs.