Medical and non-medical costs, fitness to work and quality of life are all negatively affected by increasing severity of the disease. Diagnosis is lifelong and most commonly starts relative early in life, thus the direct and indirect costs are staggering. In Europe the average yearly cost of all resources relating to MS was €22,800 for those patients with mild disease severity, €37,100 for those with moderate disease severity, and €57,500 for those patients with severe disease (2017). Fitness to work is reduced dramatically as the disease progresses: 18% are out of work with mild MS but a staggering 92% with severe MS (2017). In the U.S.A. the annual cost (direct and indirect- i.e. lost wages) is approximately $69,000 of which approximately $39,000 consists of health care costs. The total annual cost for all people with MS in the U.S.A. is approximately $28 billion (2006). In the UK the economic impact is substantial too. It is estimated at £1.4 billion annually.

Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) in MS are immunosuppressive agents with serious potential side-effects. These drugs are very expensive and although they can reduce relapses they cannot stop the progression of the disease.

Clearly there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches addressing the relentless progressive nature of the disease but without immune suppression. Our Antigenic Immune Modulation (AIM) platform is uniquely suited to address these challenges and produce a market-disruptive alternative with a potentially curative therapy.