Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Media Relations >
  • News Releases >
  • 082619 Hernandez MS Drug Pricing
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Drug Costs Soar for Multiple Sclerosis Patients on Medicare

For Journalists

Erin Hare, Ph.D.
Manager, Science Writing
412-738-1097
HareE@upmc.edu

Allison Hydzik
Director, Science and Research
412-647-9975
hydzikam@upmc.edu

Want to Make an Appointment or Need Patient Information?
Contact UPMC at

1-800-533-8762.

Go to Find a Doctor to search for a UPMC doctor.

2 NEW PITT HS

8/26/2019

PITTSBURGH – Over the course of a decade, out-of-pocket costs for multiple sclerosis drugs rose more than sevenfold for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, according to a JAMA Neurology study published today by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

Using Medicare claims data from 2006-2016, the researchers looked at trends in multiple sclerosis drug prices over time. Not only did they find steep increases in list prices — the starting point before rebates, coupons or insurance kicks in — but also in the ultimate costs to both Medicare and its recipients.

 

“We wanted to see how increases in list prices translated to increases in out-of-pocket spending, and we discovered that actual price increases do get passed down to patients, and that can negatively affect access,” said study senior author Inmaculada Hernandez, Pharm.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy at Pitt.

 

Several drugs on the market reduce the frequency and severity of multiple sclerosis flare-ups, which can involve a variety of disabling neurological symptoms, such as vision loss, pain, fatigue and muscle weakness. 

 

MS Drug Prices chart releaseFrom 2006-2016, the annual list prices of these drugs more than quadrupled, ballooning from about $18,000 to nearly $76,000 per patient per year. 

 

Some of the most popular drugs for treating multiple sclerosis are Copaxone, Tecfidera and Avonex, and, despite increased market competition over time, prices have been rising steadily for nearly all of them.

 

“One of the most significant findings was that the prices of these drugs have increased in parallel,” said lead author Alvaro San-Juan-Rodriguez, Pharm.D., a pharmacy fellow at Pitt. “Only a couple exceptions deviate from that general trend.”

 

Although this trend among list prices is alarming on its own, critics have argued that since some of the cost is canceled out by manufacturer rebates and other kinds of discounts, rising list prices may not be translating into increased spending. 

 

But since Medicare claims provide a detailed cost breakdown, the researchers were able to measure changes in what Medicare Part D beneficiaries actually paid out of pocket for multiple sclerosis drugs, as well as what Medicare itself paid.

 

What they found was that from 2006-2016, Medicare spending increased by more than tenfold, and the patients themselves saw more than a sevenfold increase in their share of the bill.

 

“We’re not talking about patients without health insurance here,” Hernandez said. “We’re talking about insured patients, under Medicare. Still, they are paying much more for multiple sclerosis drugs than they were 10 years ago.” 

 

Additional authors on the study include Chester Good, M.D., M.P.H., Natasha Parekh, M.D., M.S., and William Shrank, M.D., M.S.H.S., from the UPMC Health Plan; and Rock Heyman, M.D., from Pitt and UPMC.

 

Funding was provided by the Myers Family Foundation and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (grant number K01HL142847). Hernandez disclosed fees paid to her personally by Pfizer, for services unrelated to the scope of this work.

PHOTO INFO: (click image for high-res version)

CREDIT: Alvaro San-Juan-Rodriguez 

CAPTION: Annual Cost of Multiple Sclerosis Drugs: Trend over time shows increases in the annual cost of treatment for a selection of multiple sclerosis drugs. 

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login