Esra TAŞKIRAN, Bilgin ÖZTÜRK, Naim ATA, Şuayip BİRİNCİ
Turkish Journal of Neurology - 2026;32(1):62-68
Objectives: This study aimed to assess changes over time in the use of disease-modifying therapies among patients with multiple sclerosis in Türkiye. Patients and methods: This retrospective observational study used data obtained from national health information systems between January 2, 2015, and December 31, 2022. Patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (ICD-10 [International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision]: G35) who received disease-modifying therapies on at least three occasions during the study period were included. Therapies were classified as injectable, oral, or monoclonal antibody treatments. Annual utilization frequencies and proportional distributions were analyzed. All data were anonymized, and ethical approval was obtained. Results: Data from 54,795 patients (37,574 females, 17,221 males; mean age: 43.4 +/- 11.8 years; range, 11 to 93 years), comprising 562,899 treatment records, were analyzed. Over the study period, the use of injectable therapies gradually decreased, while the use of oral therapies and monoclonal antibody-based treatments markedly increased. Similar patterns were observed in both sexes. Conclusion: Multiple sclerosis treatment practices in Türkiye have changed substantially in recent years. The increasing use of oral agents and monoclonal antibody therapies likely reflects expanding availability, reimbursement policies, and evolving prescribing practices. These findings provide valuable descriptive insights for clinical practice, healthcare planning, and policy development.
