CNMSC Drug Access Working Group Project

The Canadian Network of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Clinics (CNMSC) has launched an initiative whose overall objective is to improve access to MS medications across Canada for people living with MS (PLWMS).

This is a CNMSC National initiative, focusing on both improving overall patient access to therapies at both a National as well as a provincial level. The goals of the project are:

1. To provide timely and MS clinician expert input and/or feedback to health technology assessment (HTA) bodies (i.e., Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health [CADTH] and/or Institut national d'excellence en santé et services sociaux [INESSS]) regarding disease modifying therapy (DMT) approvals/use for PLWMS and related demyelinating disorders (e.g., NMO/MOGAD);
2. To advocate for alignment of provincial criteria re: DMT access; and,
3. To improve access of children living with MS to DMTs across Canada.

The project will leverage learnings from an on-going initiative with the Ontario Ministry of Health, wherein a strong and collaborative model for clinician engagement and process improvement has been established with Ministry staff. Those efforts have resulted in evidence-based modernization of clinical criteria for accessing MS medications, as well as overall improvements in processes to enable timely access to MS medications while minimizing workload for all.

CNMSC will involve volunteers from its membership of more than 200 neurologists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals from across the country to engage with government officials and other decision-makers in an effort to improve overall patient access to therapies. A key part of this initiative will be partnering with the MS Society of Canada to ensure that the voice of PLWMS is a consistent part of the dialogue with decision makers.

This project is sponsored through unrestricted grants from the following organizations: Biogen Canada Inc., EMD Serono Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Hoffman-LaRoche Limited, and Amgen. Funding provides support for the research, analysis, engagement, and project management requirements to ensure the success of this initiative.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Michelle Eisner at CNMSC (meisner@brain.ubc.ca) and/or Dr. Judith Glennie the project manager (judith_glennie@on.aibn.com).

Special thanks to the following sponsors: