It's official: Medicare covers Avonex. (news).

Good news for anyone on Medicare who is considering or already taking Avonex: as of August 1, 2002, Medicare covers this FDA-approved MS disease-modifying drug because it is administered via intramuscular injection. However, Medicare will cover Avonex only when it is given "incidental to a physician's services"--that is, in a doctor's office or hospital outpatient setting. Medicare will not cover Betaseron, Copaxone, and Rebif under any circumstances, because they are administered via subcutaneous injection.

Because the decision regarding Avonex is new, you should contact your local Medicare program to make sure Avonex is included on its list of covered drugs, or formulary. Local contact information can be found by calling 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) or by visiting www.medicare.gov/ coverage/home.asp and selecting your state and "prescription drugs".

While we welcome this relief for Avonex users, the National MS Society believes it is unacceptable and inappropriate for Medicare to cover only one of the four FDA-approved disease-modifying injected drugs. The Society's national advocacy office is working with other concerned groups to make the case that Medicare must cover all four disease-modifying MS drugs.