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New study led by Komodo and Temedica was recently published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) management is undergoing a paradigm shift with the increasing adoption of the hit-hard-and-early (HHAE) strategy. This approach prioritizes high-efficacy therapies from the outset to prevent irreversible central nervous system damage. Historically, treatment recommendations have favored a more conservative approach, starting with low-efficacy therapies and escalating only if necessary. However, growing evidence supports the HHAE strategy as a more effective option. Despite higher initial costs (in the U.S.) and the potential for adverse events, the long-term benefits of preventing neurological damage and improving patient outcomes may be substantial.
In collaboration with Temedica, we evaluated the adoption of the HHAE strategy in both Germany and the U.S. between 2020 and 2022. Published in the August 2024 issue of Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, this peer-reviewed study tracked evolving trends in MS treatment by leveraging longitudinal patient-level data from the Komodo Healthcare Map™ alongside insights from Temedica’s Permea platform — contrasting findings with real-world evidence from U.S. and Germany.
Our study revealed a significant increase in the adoption of the HHAE strategy in both countries. By 2022, the U.S. showed nearly double the adoption rate of Germany. Specifically, 38.9% of MS patients in Germany and 67.8% in the U.S. initiated treatment with high-efficacy therapies.
We also found that patients who started on high-efficacy therapies were significantly less likely than those on low-efficacy therapies to switch from their initial medication. In Germany, only 6.9% of patients on high-efficacy therapies switched, compared to 19.5% of those on low-efficacy therapies. In the U.S., these rates were 5.5% and 25.0%, respectively.
This growing adoption of the HHAE strategy indicates a shift toward the more proactive and aggressive early intervention in MS management and away from the escalation approach. Our study provides high-fidelity real-world evidence of this rapidly evolving treatment trend. It also highlights Komodo’s unmatched ability to generate data-driven insights and track pharmaceutical and treatment trends as they emerge. It showcases our platform’s capacity to monitor trends in therapy switching and drug adherence to drive impactful shifts in clinical practice and optimize therapeutic strategies for better patient outcomes.
For more detailed insights, read the full research paper here.
For more research published and powered by Komodo, check out our Publications Database.
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