ECONOMIC BURDEN OF SECONDARY PROGRESSIVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WITHOUT RELAPSES IN THE UAE: A COST-OF-ILLNESS ANALYSIS FROM A SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVE
Author(s)
Ali Hassan, MD1, Basma Beiram, PharmD1, Haider Shamsi, MSc2, Mustafa Shakra, MD3, Sara Al Dallal, MSc4, Waiel Al Naeem, MSc3, Alaa F. Farahat, MSc5, Aly Ezzat Badawy, BSc, MBA, MSc6, Wedad Alnemari, MSc7, Ahmed Osman Shatila, MD, BSc8.
1Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 2Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 3Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 4Emirates Health Economics Society, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 5Healthcare Research Executive, AWE Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 6Medical Manager, Sanofi KSA & Gulf, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 7Sanofi KSA & Gulf, Al Olaya, Saudi Arabia, 8Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
1Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 2Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 3Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 4Emirates Health Economics Society, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 5Healthcare Research Executive, AWE Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 6Medical Manager, Sanofi KSA & Gulf, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 7Sanofi KSA & Gulf, Al Olaya, Saudi Arabia, 8Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
OBJECTIVES: Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) without relapses represents a significant unmet need, with limited disease modifying therapies (DMTS) options and scarce data on its economic burden in UAE. This study aimed to estimate the societal cost burden of SPMS without relapses in UAE.
METHODS: A prevalence based static cost-of-illness model was developed to estimate the annual burden of the disease over a 1-year time horizon (2026). Epidemiological inputs were obtained from UAE-specific estimates and published literature. Resource utilization and clinical management patterns were derived from local guidelines and validated by clinical experts and payer interviews. Treatment costs were estimated using SmPC-based dosing schedules and published prices (2026). Direct costs encompassed drug acquisition, administration, monitoring, hospitalization, and adverse event/disability management; indirect costs encompassed productivity losses and informal caregiving. A comparable analysis of the overall MS population used the same framework. Analyses were conducted in Excel, with one-way sensitivity analyses assessing parameter uncertainty.
RESULTS: The estimated number of patients with SPMS without relapses in the UAE was 118, with a total annual economic burden of AED 18.3 million and a per-patient cost of AED 155,856. This was 14% higher than the overall MS population (AED 136,487), reflecting higher disability burden and greater healthcare resource utilization. Direct medical costs accounted for 79% (AED 14.3 million) of the total burden, versus 21% (AED 3.9 million) for indirect costs. Drug acquisition was the primary cost driver (61% of total costs). Sensitivity analysis showed that the proportion of patients with SPMS without relapses had the greatest influence on total COI estimates, followed by DMT acquisition costs.
CONCLUSIONS: SPMS without relapses imposes a substantial economic burden in UAE, driven primarily by drug acquisition costs and productivity losses. These findings highlight the significant healthcare and societal impact of the disease and the unmet need associated with limited approved DMTs.
METHODS: A prevalence based static cost-of-illness model was developed to estimate the annual burden of the disease over a 1-year time horizon (2026). Epidemiological inputs were obtained from UAE-specific estimates and published literature. Resource utilization and clinical management patterns were derived from local guidelines and validated by clinical experts and payer interviews. Treatment costs were estimated using SmPC-based dosing schedules and published prices (2026). Direct costs encompassed drug acquisition, administration, monitoring, hospitalization, and adverse event/disability management; indirect costs encompassed productivity losses and informal caregiving. A comparable analysis of the overall MS population used the same framework. Analyses were conducted in Excel, with one-way sensitivity analyses assessing parameter uncertainty.
RESULTS: The estimated number of patients with SPMS without relapses in the UAE was 118, with a total annual economic burden of AED 18.3 million and a per-patient cost of AED 155,856. This was 14% higher than the overall MS population (AED 136,487), reflecting higher disability burden and greater healthcare resource utilization. Direct medical costs accounted for 79% (AED 14.3 million) of the total burden, versus 21% (AED 3.9 million) for indirect costs. Drug acquisition was the primary cost driver (61% of total costs). Sensitivity analysis showed that the proportion of patients with SPMS without relapses had the greatest influence on total COI estimates, followed by DMT acquisition costs.
CONCLUSIONS: SPMS without relapses imposes a substantial economic burden in UAE, driven primarily by drug acquisition costs and productivity losses. These findings highlight the significant healthcare and societal impact of the disease and the unmet need associated with limited approved DMTs.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE363
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Neurological Disorders