Economic burden of multiple sclerosis in georgia.

The purpose of this study is to estimate economic burden of multiple sclerosis in Georgia and to compare costs of patients with different course of disease and disability level. Hospital-based cohort study was conducted in the P.Sarajishvili Institute of Neurology and Medical Center Pineo to estimate direct medical costs in patients with MS treated between 2019-2020. The mean annual direct medical cost for MS patient on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) was statistically higher than for non-DMTs patient and estimated as 23254.7Lari[7382.5$] (SD 9026.3; CIs:21133.7-25375.8) versus 1429.1lari [453.6 $] (SD 861.7, CIs; 1309.5-1548.6) (P<0.0001). MS places a huge economic burden on healthcare model and society in Georgia. DMTs are the main driver of cost.