MS Therapies Survey

December  2009

Study Scope and Participants:

Specialties and quotas:

100 Neurologists

Screening Criteria:

US-based Neurologists

Board-certified in specialty

2 to 30 years of experience post-training

Minimum of 75% professional time spent in clinical practice

Treats at least 50 MS Patients per month

Deliverables: Survey Data Only

Price: $2500

Please contact Howard.Brick@medpanel.com to purchase

 

Screening Questions

What is your primary medical specialty?

Neurology

Other, please specify                           [Terminate]

 

Are you board certified in your specialty?

Yes

No [Terminate]

 

Approximately how many years have you been in practice post-training?

           Years [Terminate <2 or >30]

 

Approximately what percentage of your professional time is spent in clinical practice?

           % of my professional time [Terminate <75%]

 

Please select the setting which best describes where you spend most of your time in clinical practice.

Community-based private practice

Academic medical center

Multi-specialty group practice

Government facility

Other

 

Approximately how many patients do you currently manage who have or have had a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

# of patients: _____ [Terminate < 50]

 

(Standard Qualify Text)

 

MS Therapies Survey

SECTION ONE: Current treatment Practices

1.     Approximately what percent of your MS patients fall under the following classifications?

 

Diagnosis	Percent of MS patients
Relapsing-Remitting	___%
Secondary Progressive	___%
Primary Progressive	___%
Progressive/Relapsing	___%
Other type (benign, malignant, transitional, Devic’s, Balo’s, etc.)	___%
Total	Sum =100%

 

2. What percent of your patients are treated with each of the following therapies for their MS?

Note: Total can sum to greater than 100% to account for combination therapy.

Therapy	Percent of MS patients
Avonex (interferon beta-1a)	___%
Betaseron (interferon beta-1b)	___%
Copaxone (glatiramer acetate)	___%
Extavia (interferon beta-1b)	___%
Rebif (interferon beta-1a)	___%
Tysabri (natalizumab)	___%
Novantrone (mitoxantrone)	___%
Other, please specify _________________	___%
Total	Sum =100%

 

 

3. Which current first-line agent do you consider to be the standard of care?

Avonex

Betaseron/Extavia

Copaxone

Rebif

Other

 

[For questions 4-8, only ask those where % in Q2 > 0]

4. Using a scale from 1 to 7, please rate your impression of interferon beta-1a therapy (Avonex and Rebif) on the listed attributes.
   1=Very negative impression, 4=Neutral impression, and 7=Very positive impression.

Rotate Rows, Anchor Overall

Attributes	Very Negative Impression			Neutral Impression			Very Positive Impression
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Efficacy	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Safety	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Dosing schedule	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Ease of administration	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Overall	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Price	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡

 

 

5. Using a scale from 1 to 7, please rate your impression of interferon beta-1b therapy (Extavia and Betaseron) on the listed attributes.
   1=Very negative impression, 4=Neutral impression, and 7=Very positive impression.

Rotate Rows, Anchor Overall

Attributes	Very Negative Impression			Neutral Impression			Very Positive Impression
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Efficacy	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Safety	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Dosing schedule	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Ease of administration	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Overall	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Price	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡

 

 

6. Using a scale from 1 to 7, please rate your impression of Copaxone on the listed attributes.
   1=Very negative impression, 4=Neutral impression, and 7=Very positive impression.

Rotate Rows, Anchor Overall

Attributes	Very Negative Impression			Neutral Impression			Very Positive Impression
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Efficacy	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Safety	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Dosing schedule	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Ease of administration	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Overall	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Price	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡

 

7. Using a scale from 1 to 7, please rate your impression of Tysabri on the listed attributes.
   1=Very negative impression, 4=Neutral impression, and 7=Very positive impression.

Rotate Rows, Anchor Overall

Attributes	Very Negative Impression			Neutral Impression			Very Positive Impression
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Efficacy	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Safety	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Dosing schedule	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Ease of administration	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Overall	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Price	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡

 

8. Using a scale from 1 to 7, please rate your impression of Novantrone on the listed attributes.
   1=Very negative impression, 4=Neutral impression, and 7=Very positive impression.

Rotate Rows, Anchor Overall

Attributes	Very Negative Impression			Neutral Impression			Very Positive Impression
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Efficacy	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Safety	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Dosing schedule	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Ease of administration	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Overall	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡
Price	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡	¡

 

9. Approximately what percentage of your patients is adequately controlled with existing MS therapies?

0-20%

21%-40%

41%-60%

61%-80%

81%-100%

 

Section Two: Study Evaluation

In a head-to-head study between the oral agent fingolimod and Avonex, 80-83% of patients in the fingolimod arm were relapse free after one year compared to 69% of those on Avonex. The most noticeable adverse event observed in the fingolimod arm was a transient decline in heart rate seen within six hours after the first dose and a sustained increase in mean blood pressure of 4-6mm Hg after two months of therapy.

 

In a placebo-controlled study of an oral version of cladribine, 79-80% of patients in the active arm were relapse free at 92 weeks compared to 61% for those on placebo. The most noticeable adverse events were lymphopenia and leukopenia, a minor presence of malignancies and herpes zoster infections.

 

10. If an oral agent with a similar efficacy and side effect profile to existing injectable therapies were to be approved, would you consider prescribing it as a first-line therapy?

Yes

No

 

11. What if that oral agent was less efficacious that existing therapies with the same side-effect profile?

Yes

No

 

12. What if that oral agent was more efficacious than existing therapies but with a mildly increased side effect profile?

Yes

No

 

13. To patients at which severity levels would you consider prescribing an oral agent?

Select all that apply

Mild

Moderate

Severe

None [exclusive choice]

 

14.  Assuming similar efficacy, at what price point (compared to injectable therapies) does an oral agent become too expensive such that you would be unlikely to prescribe it.

 

___% more expensive than injectable therapies

(END survey)

 

 

 

 

 

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Survey Neuro