The most common form of multiple sclerosis is the relapsing-remitting form. In this type, the symptoms appear in the form of outbreaks for a certain time and the use of basic treatments allows in these cases to control neuroinflammation in the early phases, slowing down the degenerative process, which improves the quality of life of patients. in the present and has long-term repercussions.
However, only 20% of these patients in Europe can use these innovative treatments. The pharmaceutical company Sandoz, world leader in generics and biosimilars, takes a new step by launching the first and only biosimilar for multiple sclerosis in Spain, a chronic disease that affects some 2.8 million people worldwide (nearly of 55,000 in Spain), 75% of whom are women. “The definitive scientific reasons are not well known, but it is very clear that there is a fundamental hormonal component. Moreover, not only is it more common, but its prevalence is increasing throughout the world, to the detriment of the female population mainly due to the increase in obesity and smoking, as well as cardiovascular factors such as hypertension. and cholesterol”, details Rafael Martínez, medical director of Sandoz.
The European Medicines Agency issued authorization for this biosimilar in “September 2023” and in “the December Interministerial Price Commission for Health authorized the financing of this treatment which It is available in Spain from the end of March“, says Gracia Espuelas, director of communications and institutional relations at Sandoz.
Early access to treatment is crucial, as is early diagnosis. In recent years, the situation has improved. Instead of the three years it took over the last decade, it only takes one to give a name to this disease from which 20% more patients suffer than five years ago. Even if this is not always the case, it must be added that non-pharmacological treatments are still lacking.
Lola Iglesias, 46, was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 41, two years after seeking medical attention at the first symptoms. Even if in reality the symptoms started earlier. “The first time I went to the health center with these symptoms, which I now retrospectively relate to the disease, was in 2017. I went there because I was very tired, I had weakness in arms and tingling in legs and arms. But since I had two children, I was told that it could be fatigue and they recommended that I do more sport. I came back in November 2018 and I already went there with a symptom that the doctor clearly identified and which could be due to a neurological disease: when I lowered my head, my body fell asleep from the size”, explains Lola.
He had an MRI and it was at that time, “before I was diagnosed, that I was told I had a demyelinating disease.” News that hit Lola like a hard blow: “You’re a little shocked, because you don’t know how this is going to affect your life. “I remember that weekend I went to Valencia with my husband and my two children because I wanted to see the sea.”
On the day of the diagnosis, Lola was accompanied by her husband. They explained to them what the disease was and told them that it had experienced several outbreaks in a short period of time. “From there, I started moving to see what treatment to follow and I contacted the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation of Madrid,” he explains.
This allowed her to share her experience and her doubts with other patients who are going through the same thing as her and to finance, through the foundation, specific visits to the neuropsychologist, sessions with the psychologist, the speech therapist, the physiotherapist, etc.
“I worked on empathy, I had difficulty understanding that my husband did not understand me”, that he did not understand his symptoms.
The hardest part for her is fatigue. “It’s frustrating not being able to get out of bed when you have a lot of things to do,” admits Lola.who made it clear to his family that it was necessary to better distribute tasks with a very useful exercise. “I told them to write down the tasks each of us did with the colors. I used the color blue and that’s when they really realized that even though they were doing more things, it wasn’t enough and the kids and my husband were sharing the chores. And “it is important to ask for help”, he recommends, particularly in the face of this degenerative disease in which “we do not know how we are going to be the next day”.
“At work – he continues – we have Flexible hours and we can telework on certain days. It was a matter of time and testing to see which schedule best suited my needs, and since I am more active in the afternoon, instead of getting up at 7:30 p.m., which already made me tired at 3:00 p.m., I get until 8:30 and it helps me extend my day in general, not just my work day, so I can continue to do things after work. As for teleworking, it was a before and after, I don’t have to get up so early and therefore I don’t feel so tired in the middle of the week.
Information produced with the collaboration of Sandoz