Specialty Pharmacies and the Role They Play in Your MS Treatment

Medications for MS

Over the past 30 years, more than 20 FDA approved medications, called MS disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), have become available.

These DMTs are not a cure for your MS, but can reduce new MS disease activity, limit new episodes of symptoms (called relapses or exacerbations), and can reduce or delay disease progression. DMTs function by modifying the activity of your immune system and this can be accomplished in a number of different ways. DMTs can be administered orally (by mouth), by self-injection (under the skin or into a muscle) or infused into a vein. Due to the complexity of these drugs, many of the MS DMTs are only available through a different type of Pharmacy called a Specialty Pharmacy.

So, What is a Specialty Pharmacy?

A Specialty Pharmacy serves patients with rare or complex medical conditions who are also on specialized medications – such as people with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, or multiple sclerosis – to name a few. Often the medications used to treat these conditions are “biologics,” which are much different from medications like high blood pressure or cholesterol-lowering medications.

Biologics can be made up of sugars, proteins, or protein building blocks, or made from living cells and tissues. These medications may be oral, self-injected, or infused into a vein.

Specialty Pharmacies have the expertise, staff, and organizational structure to:

• Answer your questions and address any concerns about your medications
• Store and ship your medication safely
• Work closely with your doctors
• Provide financial counseling to help with medication cost

The Benefits of a Specialty Pharmacy for MS

Our partners at CenterWell are a great example of a specialty pharmacy that is equipped to handle your specialty medications and has the MS expertise to better assist you with your unique needs. Through their dedicated Neuromuscular Center of Excellence, they are able to help you with:

• Taking and storing your MS DMT
• Staying on top of your treatment plan
• Identifying any drug interactions
• Understanding side effects

Meanwhile, CenterWell has additional experts to help you, including:

• Nurses and pharmacists who can help you with aspects of your daily life with MS
• Patient Care Advocates who can help you keep up with your medications
• Financial location specialist who can assist in finding programs that may help pay for your medications

A Specialty Pharmacy also can ensure that you always get the right medication in the right way at the right time, for example, with mail order delivery.

Conclusion

The right pharmacy can be an integral part of your healthcare team. Just like choosing neurologists, physical therapists, or mental health professionals with MS experience, you might find that choosing a Specialty Pharmacy like CenterWell provides you extra help to make life with MS more manageable.