Abstract Details

Title Characteristics of Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated With Disease-Modifying Therapies in Puerto Rico

Topic Multiple Sclerosis

Presentation(s) P4 - Poster Session 4 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 15-081

Objective To describe the characteristics of patients with MS who received disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) via the largest specialty pharmacy provider in Puerto Rico.

Background Reported incidence rates of MS in Puerto Rico have been higher than those observed in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, but lower than those in countries at higher latitudes. Data on the use of DMTs among patients with MS in Puerto Rico are limited.

Design/Methods Retrospective, observational study using data collected between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2016 from the Special Care Pharmacy Services (SCPS) database. SCPS is a longitudinal database serving approximately 65% of the overall DMT prescriptions for MS in Puerto Rico. Inclusion criteria were MS diagnosis and DMT prescriptions via the SCPS during the study period. Patient characteristics were assessed at the time of the most recent prescription of DMT.

Results 2070 patients with MS had received ≥1 DMT during the study period; 1566 (75.7%) were female and mean age was 43.6 years. Of these, 782 (37.8%) were covered by government insurance, 623 (30.1%) through commercial insurance, and 663 (32.0%) through Medicare. Mean duration on current DMT was 16.7 months, with 44.3% of patients on injectable DMTs, compared with 28.1% and 27.6% on infusible or oral DMTs, respectively. The municipality with the largest number of MS patients was San Juan (11.6% of the analysis population), followed by the Bayamon (7.8%) and Carolina (5.3%) municipalities.

Conclusions Despite the launch of newer therapies with increased convenience and/or higher efficacy, the majority of patients with MS in Puerto Rico remained on injectable medications, possibly due to formulary restrictions implemented by payers. The number of patients with MS correlated with the general population densities within Puerto Rico municipalities. These findings may inform MS research in other regions with substantial Hispanic populations.

Authors/Disclosures
PRESENTER	No disclosure on file
Manuel Nunez, PharmD (Sanofi)	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Sibin Stephen	No disclosure on file
Lobat Hashemi	No disclosure on file

��ɫ��

��ɫ��