A new study reveals a troubling gender gap in treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS): women are significantly less likely than men to receive medications that could delay the progression of the disease and reduce long-term disability.
Published July 30 in Neurology, the study analyzed 27 years of health records from over 22,000 French patients diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS — the most common form of the condition.
Researchers found that women, even after accounting for pregnancy-related treatment breaks and the typically higher disease activity seen in female patients, were still 8% less likely than men to receive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). That disparity widened to 20% when focusing on newer, more effective medications.
Lead author Dr. Sandra Vukusic, a neurologist at the University of Lyon, emphasized the importance of early intervention with MS drugs.
“When used early, MS drugs can delay the burden of the disease, so women who are not treated could have worse outcomes in the long term and an increased risk of long-term disability,” Vukusic said in a news release.
One possible explanation for the disparity is concern over medication use during pregnancy. However, the researchers found that the gender gap persisted even for MS drugs that are considered safe before, during, and after pregnancy.
Vukusic stressed that this outdated caution is no longer justifiable.
“Keeping female MS patients away from medications is not acceptable anymore, as there are drugs that are compatible with pregnancy or can continue to fight the disease long after people stop them when they are trying to conceive,” she said.
The study included more than 17,000 women and 5,800 men, all diagnosed with MS between the ages of 18 and 40. Their treatment patterns were tracked over an average of 12 years.
While the anticipation of pregnancy likely plays a role, Vukusic suggested that broader issues, including a lack of awareness about the safety and efficacy of newer treatments, may contribute to the ongoing gap.
“Reluctance to use disease-modifying therapies when they may actually be the best way to manage MS and delay disability is a problem,” she said. “More work is needed to communicate evolving safety data to both patients and healthcare providers.”
The findings underscore the urgent need for more equitable treatment strategies and better education around MS medication safety for women, especially those in their reproductive years.
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