Climate change-related exacerbations of MS will necessitate the development of more effective DMTs as disease flare ups become more frequent with fluctuating temperatures
A June 2024 literature review, published in the Lancet Neurology, by Sisodya and colleagues revealed that climate change has the potential to intensify multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. The collated evidence aligns with GlobalData’s MS epidemiology and market forecast, which anticipates an uptick in the prevalence and disease severity of MS.
According to GlobalData, the rise of a more severe MS population will drive the growth of the market over the next decade as the need for newer, more effective approaches to treatment will arise.
The main treatments for MS focus on slowing the disease’s progression and are disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). According to GlobalData’s forecast on the multiple sclerosis market size, it is expected that sales for MS DMTs will grow to $30.1 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7 per cent during 2020 -30.
Jos Opdenakker, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData states, “Climate change-related exacerbations of MS will necessitate the development of novel, more effective DMTs as disease flare ups become more frequent with fluctuating temperatures.”
GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center database reveals that there are two ongoing Phase III clinical trials in which new treatments are being actively compared to DMTs currently on the market. The trials are evaluating Novartis’s remibrutinib in the REMODEL-1 trial and Genentech’s fenebrutinib in the FENhance trial. Both trials are global clinical trials that aim to compare the efficacy and safety of both treatments against the current standard of care, Sanofi’s Aubagio (teriflunomide) in patients with relapsing MS.
Evidence suggests that health effects are even more likely to occur in cities that are better equipped to deal with extreme temperatures, emphasising the need for research and policy development. With that being said, while research is being conducted and new health policies are under development, more effective DMTs have the potential to occupy the interlude as the main line of defence for MS patients against climate change.
Opdenakker concludes, “The review by Sisodya and colleagues calls for prospective, systematic, and disease-focused models of how climate change will affect the central nervous system. However, these will have to be coupled with new, more effective therapeutic interventions in order to form an all-encompassing, coherent strategy for managing MS in line with climate change.”