What 50 global experts reveal about disease-modifying therapies, early high-efficacy treatment, disability progression, biomarkers, AI, digital monitoring, access barriers and the future of MS care.
Multiple sclerosis care has entered one of its most consequential periods in two decades. This MS KOL Perception Study captures how specialists across the United States and Europe see the shift toward high-efficacy therapies, biomarker-driven monitoring and AI-assisted care.
The findings also highlight persistent gaps in disability accumulation, progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA), progressive MS, treatment tolerability, long-term disease control and access to advanced care.
For pharma, biotech and digital health organizations, these Multiple Sclerosis KOL Insights provide a structured view of the treatment landscape, adoption expectations and implementation barriers.
KOLs report a high or very high need for continued innovation in multiple sclerosis.
Consider current MS treatment options only partially adequate for people with MS.
Rate biomarkers, MRI, digital measures and personalized medicine extremely or very important.
Expect substantial expansion of novel DMTs, biomarkers, digital monitoring and AI-supported care within five years.
The emerging model connects earlier treatment decisions with disability prevention, progressive MS management, multidimensional monitoring, precision medicine, digital health and improved access.
Move toward earlier use of high-efficacy DMTs where clinically appropriate.
Focus on preventing disability progression and PIRA over time.
Address progressive disease biology and disability accumulation.
Integrate NfL, MRI and other non-invasive measures into longitudinal care.
Use technology to support monitoring, treatment response and personalized care.
Translate innovation into affordable, reimbursed and implementable care.
Across the eight survey questions, three themes stand out: continued unmet need, accelerating precision monitoring and strong confidence that advanced therapies and technology will expand.
Very High / High need for continued innovation in multiple sclerosis.
Biomarkers, MRI, digital measures and personalized medicine are rated Extremely / Very important.
Optimistic / Very optimistic about the future of multiple sclerosis management over the next decade.
Very High / High = 94%, showing that continued innovation remains a clear priority among surveyed MS KOLs.
Only 10% consider current options fully adequate, while 80% describe them as partially adequate and 10% as inadequate. Gaps remain around disability accumulation, PIRA, progressive MS, tolerability and long-term disease control.
High-Efficacy DMTs and earlier intervention remain the leading perceived advances, while prevention of disability progression and attention to progressive disease biology are increasingly important.
Extremely / Very important = 88%, reflecting the move toward multidimensional monitoring using MRI, blood-based biomarkers such as Neurofilament Light Chain (NfL), digital measures and personalized medicine.
There is strong KOL confidence that advanced therapies and technology-enabled MS management will expand, although the maturity and adoption pathway may differ across DMTs, biomarkers, digital monitoring and AI.
Treatment cost/access and reimbursement are the leading barrier, with insurance and prior authorization adding another 18%. Innovation alone may not translate into optimal outcomes without timely access and implementation.
Likely / Very likely = 82%, suggesting strong confidence in digital and AI-enabled approaches for longitudinal monitoring, earlier identification of disease activity, treatment response assessment and personalized care.
Optimistic / Very optimistic = 94%, showing strong confidence in the direction of MS care despite persistent access, progressive disease and validation challenges.
Forty-two percent of surveyed KOLs identify high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies, earlier treatment and prevention of disability progression as the most important advancement over the last five years. The emphasis is shifting from relapse control alone toward long-term disability prevention and disease control.
Earlier treatment and prevention of disability progression lead KOL perceptions of recent progress.
Greater attention to MRI, NfL and other non-invasive measures is shaping multidimensional monitoring.
Novel DMTs, biomarkers, digital monitoring and AI-supported care are expected to expand substantially.
The next challenge is not simply developing innovation. It is making advanced MS management accessible, validated and implementable in routine care.
Eighty-two percent of surveyed KOLs believe digital health, AI and remote monitoring are likely or very likely to improve MS outcomes. The opportunity spans longitudinal monitoring, treatment response, disease activity assessment and more personalized care.
AI-enabled tools can support clinical and research workflows while clinicians retain responsibility for interpretation and patient care.
The survey points to a field moving from relapse-focused treatment toward disability prevention, precision monitoring, technology-enabled care and stronger attention to access.
High-efficacy DMTs and earlier treatment are increasingly viewed through the lens of preventing disability progression and PIRA.
MRI, NfL and other non-invasive or digital measures can complement clinical assessment and support longitudinal disease monitoring.
Biomarkers, imaging, clinical characteristics and longitudinal data can increasingly support more personalized treatment decisions.
AI and digital health may improve monitoring, evidence retrieval, data synthesis and treatment-response assessment, with clinical oversight remaining essential.
Cost, reimbursement, insurance and prior authorization may determine how quickly clinical innovation reaches patients in real-world practice.
The future of MS care is unlikely to be defined by one category of innovation. Instead, the field is moving toward an interconnected model of therapy, monitoring, precision medicine, digital support and access.
The survey shows a field where therapeutic innovation, biomarker development, digital monitoring and access strategy are increasingly interconnected. Expert intelligence can help organizations understand where adoption is accelerating and where implementation may stall.
“The opportunity is no longer only to develop better tools — it is to connect efficacy, evidence, monitoring and access.”
High-efficacy DMTs, earlier treatment and prevention of disability progression remain the most important recent advancement identified by KOLs.
The 88% importance rating creates a strong opportunity for validated biomarker, MRI and non-invasive monitoring approaches that can integrate into clinical workflows.
The enthusiasm is strong, but proof points, usability, interoperability and clinical integration will influence adoption speed.
With 60% identifying treatment cost/access and reimbursement as the leading barrier, innovation must be paired with access planning and credible evidence.
This MS KOL Insights study makes one thing unambiguous: multiple sclerosis is advancing quickly, but expert confidence is tempered by real gaps in access, progressive disease management and clinical validation of emerging tools.
Ninety-four percent identified a high or very high need for continued innovation, 80% considered current treatment options only partially adequate, 88% rated biomarkers, MRI, digital measures and personalized medicine extremely or very important, and 88% expected substantial expansion of novel DMTs, biomarkers, digital monitoring and AI-supported care.
At the same time, 60% identified treatment cost/access and reimbursement as the greatest implementation barrier, while 18% pointed to insurance and prior authorization restrictions.
The next generation of MS management will therefore depend not only on new therapies and technologies, but also on credible biomarker and AI validation, effective clinical integration and a serious commitment to solving treatment access.
Understand how leading MS experts interpret emerging DMTs, biomarkers, AI, digital monitoring and treatment access challenges.
Explore KOL IntelligenceOur data-driven insights have influenced the strategy of 200+ reputed companies across the globe.
Join industry leaders leveraging AI-powered intelligence to make confident, data-driven decisions that accelerate breakthrough treatments and technologies to market.