How Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Has Evolved and Improved Outcomes

The first treatment designed for multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects your central nervous system, became available for use less than 30 years ago. Now, luckily, there are now more than 10 different classes of medications available to treat it. 

Today’s medications have improved in terms of their tolerability, safety, and effectiveness in treating MS. Many people with MS are able to find  medication options that work for them (but treatment outcomes and side effects may vary for everyone).

In which formats are MS medications available?

Today, there are many effective treatments for MS called disease-modifying therapies. Some of the available medication formats include:

• Injections

• Oral medications

• Infusions (intravenous)

Injections, pills, and infusions each have pros and cons. The right format for you may depend on several factors, such as your disease severity, your insurance/budget, your lifestyle, and the MS subtype you have.

How do MS medications work?

Though they come in a few different forms, MS medications are increasingly grouped by how they’re working, as each medication class works a little bit differently.

Here are some different ways that MS medications work:

• Altering the immune system (e.g. keeping immune cells in blood or lymph nodes)

• Suppressing the immune system (e.g. reducing the number of white bloods or reducing the number of certain immune cells or their messengers)

Why is it helpful that there are so many types of MS medications available today?

Having so many options for MS medications improves the chances that you’ll find a medication that works for you. Today’s medications are also generally more effective at slowing the progression of MS. 

It is normal to be worried when you get a diagnosis of MS, but advances in treatment generally help it to be more manageable. Remember, there’s no full cure for MS, but finding a good treatment plan and sticking to it should improve the chances of managing the condition.

“The good news is that in the modern era, MS is [often] highly treatable,” says Asaff Harel, MD, Neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “And for a lot of people, really the goal is to bring [MS] into the background of their lives.”

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.

Reviewed by:

Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP

Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician. Prior to practicing medicine, she worked as a management consultant.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts