The DMDs are not as effective as you would want them to be, especially for the expense.The study found that while using disease-modifying drugs for MS for 10 years resulted in modest health gains compared to basic treatment to control symptoms, the cost-effectiveness of all disease-modifying drugs was well over $800,000 per quality-adjusted life year. Quality-adjusted life year is a measure of disease burden based on the number of years of life that would be added by using a drug and the quality of life during those years. People taking intramuscular interferon beta-1a, for example, gained on average about two quality-adjusted months over 10 years compared to those who did not take disease-modifying drugs. Those taking interferon beta-1b spent an average of six out of 10 years with no relapses, compared to five years with no relapses for those who did not take disease-modifying drugs. However, the effectiveness varied significantly among individuals, with some experiencing double the improvements and being able to live independently and prolong their employment and others not observing any meaningful effect.
