This project will build on Dr Julie Campbell’s work in MS health economics to measure the broader economic impact of MS.
Dr Campbell’s work, as part of the Health Economic Impact of MS in Australia report, estimated the cost of MS to the Australian society was $2.5 billion in 2021. As the level of disability for the person living with MS increases from no disability to severe disability, the cost per person increases by almost 300%. Additionally, the number of people being diagnosed with MS is rapidly increasing, by 30% in the past four years.
This project aims to measure the true economic cost of increased disability and support the case for increasing resources for MS. To do this, the project will include several connected phases of research that will:
Dr Campbell and her team have provided crucial new evidence regarding the health economic impact of MS in Australia in MS Australia’s Multiple Sclerosis Prevalence and Health Economic Impact in Australia 2025 report.
Dr Campbell and her team found the total costs of MS to society exceeded $3 billion in 2024, with recent increases due to increased prevalence. The average cost per person living with MS in 2024 was A$79,581 After adjusting for inflation, this is a 7% decrease compared to 2017. This cost ranges from $42,688 for people with no disability to more than triple the cost at $135,780 for people with severe disability. The average initial NDIS plan value was $62,178, increasing to $75,504 following reassessment.
Major contributors to the cost of MS in 2024 included disease-modifying therapies (DMTs; $546 million) and employment-related productivity losses ($846 million).
Using data from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study (AMSLS), 56.0% of AMSLS participants said that they were not employed or actively seeking work. The average quality of life among people with MS was substantially lower than the Australian population average and was even lower for those with severe disability.
This new report includes the cost of informal care. Dr Campbell’s student has submitted a PhD finding that the cost of informal care is significant, at more than 15% of total costs per person living with MS on average.
The evidence from this project will inform policy and support advocates in directing resources toward activities for MS prevention, management and research. It will also be used in publicly available health economics models for MS that Dr Campbell is developing. These could be used by national and international health economists, clinicians, policy makers, and pharmaceutical companies. This platform may also be used as an example for other neurological conditions.
Dr Campbell and her team have also developed an evidence-based course, the Supporting MS Carers MOOC, which will focus on self-care for carers.
Over the next 12 months, Dr Campbell will visit the University of British Columbia (in October 2026) to start work on costing the MS prodrome. These estimates will also be included in health economics model. She will also expand her work on wage discrimination and employment outcomes, with a focus on the challenges faced by male carers.
Last updated 31 March 2026
Professor Andrew Palmer
Professor Ingrid van der Mei
$225,000
2024
3 years
Current project
