There is always a certain difference between theory and practice. But in the case of treating adults with spasticity this difference is really big. This is demonstrated by the results of an analysis carried out on US health databases that evaluated, in a real-life context, the current treatment paths of adults with spasticity. Although neurotoxin is recommended for these patients, only a very small percentage (3% and 4%) of patients in the databases received it. The analysis was presented by Ipsen during the Congress of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) 2021, which was held from 12 to 15 June in virtual mode.
Spasticity is caused by damage or injury to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord) that controls voluntary movements, which leads to an alteration in the conduction of signals between the nervous system and muscles, creating an imbalance that increases the muscle activity or spasms. Spasticity can result from spinal cord damage, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, brain or head trauma, and metabolic diseases. Botulinum neurotoxin type A when inoculated into muscles affected by spasticity or other movement disorders, causes temporary muscle relaxation, which can improve symptoms and facilitate concomitant rehabilitation therapy.
“Real world evidence studies help us better understand patients’ clinical journey and their unmet needs. Effective treatment for spasticity requires a multidisciplinary approach, which can combine exercise, physiotherapy, medical or surgical therapy, and it is concerning to see that many people with spasticity in the United States are not receiving frontline recommended treatment. The pandemic has had destructive effects on the management of spasticity. These new data have, however, shed light on broader aspects of treating this condition that predate the pandemic itself, ”said Isabelle Bocher-Pianka, Ipsen’s Chief Patient Affairs Officer.
“We must consider the barriers that prevent therapy and identify innovative solutions to address the problems of access to treatment for this disabling condition”, he stressed. Alberto Esquenazi, Sheerr Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory, MossRehab, US “Despite being a recommended treatment for the first line, these data highlight a significant dichotomy between patient course and guidelines, given that botulinum neurotoxin type A therapy appears to be used in only a small percentage of patients living with spasticity in the United States. And this probably occurs in other realities in the world as well ”.