Multiple Sclerosis affects roughly 1 million people in the U.S., and it usually strikes people during their prime working years.
With those statistics in mind, Bristol Myers Squibb, which markets multiple sclerosis drug Zeposia, has rolled out MS Work Space, a new website and podcast series to help employers support workers living with MS or caring for someone with the disease.
“MS Work Space aims to help employers think differently about MS in the workplace and equip them with information and resources,” Keith Zajdowicz, BMS’ executive director of access marketing, said in an email.
A survey of HR executives by Spark Healthcare found 100% agreed that employers are responsible for making resources and information about chronic illness available, but just half of those said their organizations had the information readily available.
BMS is hoping MS Work Space will fill the gap. The website includes a suite of resources for employers, including a tool that uses an algorithm to estimate the number of employees in their organization that may be impacted by MS.
Other features include a benefits checklist, a caregiver census and a conversation starter for human resources departments – a scripted dialogue between a hypothetical newly diagnosed MS patient and an HR official. Companies can also fill out a form to talk to someone about specific needs.
BMS spent six months working with executives from Fortune 500 companies, patient advocates and other business leaders to identify the challenges employers face in meeting the needs of workers who are chronically ill, Zajdowicz said.
“We wanted to make sure it would be of value and useful to employers who need it,” he explained. “Another topic of interest was the role of the caregiver and how that role can impact employee productivity and retention. We address both of these topics in our resources and in our podcast series.”
The podcast series, hosted by a human resources consultant, brings together experts in business, patient care and advocacy and covers subjects such as accommodations, financial realities and the impact of caregiving. The fifth episode is a primer on MS, which causes a range of central nervous system symptoms including fatigue, numbness and trouble with vision and coordination.
Although MS Work Space is unbranded, BMS entered the crowded MS market after winning an FDA nod for S1P receptor modulator Zeposia for relapsing MS in 2020.
Its chief rivals in the S1P class include Novartis’ older blockbuster Gilenya and its follow-up Mayzent, as well as Johnson & Johnson’s newer drug Ponvory. Zeposia also competes with older MS pills such as Biogen’s Tecfidera and its follow-up Vumerity and also infused drugs like Roche’s Ocrevus.
BMS is spreading the word about MS Work Space with employers and HR professionals through industry and professional summits and on the company’s LinkedIn page, Zajdowicz said.
The drugmaker introduced the website at the Society for Human Resources Management conference in June and plans to present it at the American Academy of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Nexus conference in October. It will also promote the program during Invisible Disabilities Week Oct. 16-22.