Compliance and persistence with continuous, life-long therapy for a chronic condition can be difficult for patients, regardless of the specific therapy employed or condition under treatment. Compliance with medication refers to the extent that a patient adheres to the timing, dosage and frequency prescribed by the physician, while persistence is the “act of continuing the treatment for the prescribed duration. Problem of enlisting continued patient cooperation with prescribed therapies requiring self-administration is the most significant threat to the effectiveness of these therapies. Most common type of multiple sclerosis (MS) is relapsing remitting; in which patients have episodes of worsening neurologic function, followed by full or partial recovery. Treatment with disease-modifying therapies decreases frequency and severity of relapses and reduces brain lesion development, which in turn may slow disease progression. The Medical Advisory Board of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society recommends that treatment with one of these agents should begin immediately after a definitive diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and may also be considered for selected patients with a first attack who are at high risk of MS. Treatment should be continued indefinitely unless there is poor effectiveness or tolerability.
Last date updated on March, 2025