Certain neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and spinal muscular atrophy, require specialty drug therapies and management of symptoms and treatments that go beyond the doctor’s office. For patients with neurological conditions, treatment adherence is crucial for managing these conditions and preventing adverse outcomes, and reliable support between visits to a doctor may be an essential part of care.

Neurological conditions are also associated with psychosocial needs, such as physical accommodations or disability coverage, and a high degree of impact on social determinants of health and mental health. For example, patients with neurological conditions frequently exhibit symptoms of depression. The emotional toll certain neurological conditions can take on patients may lead to less engagement with care and delayed refills of medications, which can contribute to interruptions in treatments and worsening health. The disruptive nature of neurologic disorders can lead to numerous barriers to accessing, paying for, and engaging in care for patients and their families. Multidisciplinary care and continued follow-up and monitoring can help in the management of barriers to care, such as depression or financial burden, associated with neurological diseases.¹

New frontiers for neurological care

Neurological care is shifting to encompass not only patient adherence and related mental health effects, but also different drug modalities that address both symptoms and the underlying biological causes of neurological conditions.

• New understandings of neurobiology: Breakthrough understandings in disease biology lead to more effective treatment selection. For example, in MS, updated imaging guidance and risk factors for highly active disease helps initiate disease modifying treatment earlier and individualize treatment decisions.

• New specialty treatments: The management of certain neurological conditions, like Parkinson’s disease, narcolepsy, or myasthenia gravis, is increasingly involving specialty treatment options that complement other treatments or offer alternatives for treating advancing disease progression. However, these new treatments require more robust oversight to support treatment safety and patient tolerance.

• Gene therapies: For neurological disorders with a clear genetic basis, gene therapies — treatments that alter the genes in specific types of cells — hold immense potential and can profoundly alter the course of certain diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy.

• New modes of delivery: Innovative modes of administration, and alternatives to drug administration in the doctor’s office, like in-home nursing support, can offer solutions for patients with high travel burden or provider offices struggling to find infusion suite appointment space at their institution for patients needing infused treatments. For example, home infusion in MS saved patients an average of 1.7 hours of driving compared to alternate site infusion.²

Accredo Specialty Pharmacy is here to help

Managing multiple symptoms and leveraging specialty medications requires connected care and intensive oversight. That’s where Accredo^® Specialty Pharmacy, a Cigna Healthcare^® specialty pharmacy, comes in. When you prescribe specialty drug therapies for the treatment of neurological conditions through Accredo, your patients get access to a team of specialized nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and patient care advocates, who bring condition-specific expertise and support patients throughout every step of their care journey, through Accredo’s Therapeutic Resource Centers^® (TRCs), including the Neurology & MS Therapeutic Resource Center. Accredo can help to reduce potential barriers to your patients starting and staying on the therapies you prescribe while also supporting better health outcomes and quality of life.

With Accredo, patients can get help with understanding coverage and financial assistance options, navigating side effects, adjusting to therapies, and addressing changes in access. Accredo coordinates medication delivery and provides ongoing clinical support, with care team members checking in on patients regularly. Depression screening, help with navigating everyday challenges, and support with medication adherence are all integrated into patient care through Accredo, helping patients to stay on track with and engaged in therapy.

• Depression screening: TRC teams are trained to recognize and screen for symptoms of depression, and when patients test positive, Accredo clinicians promptly notify prescribers and offer support from Accredo social workers.

• Help with navigating everyday challenges: Accredo social workers help patients navigate everyday challenges that can interfere with care, such as changes in support systems, difficulties with transportation, food or financial strain, and caregiver stress, identifying and connecting patients to local resources and community and support services when needed.

• Medication adherence: Accredo specialty clinicians help at-risk patients improve medication adherence and get back on track with therapy through motivational interviewing.

• Home infusion services: Accredo supports in-home administration for several neurologic medications. Accredo’s convenient, in-person medication management and education is available nationwide, making it easier for patients to access care at times and locations that work for them. Personalized support and coordination with prescribers help your patients stick to their treatment plans and avoid complications.  

Accredo specialty pharmacists and clinicians have conversations with patients, caregivers, and prescribers, and Accredo clinical staff and social workers connect patients to needed resources, all to help optimize treatment impact and ensure that treatment plans translate into consistent, real-world care.

You can find more information on Accredo here.

1. Lucie Bartova, et al. “Optimizing Identification and Management of Depression in Neurological Diseases: A Narrative Review and Expert Perspective.” Dovepress. 01 May 2026. Retrieved from https://www.dovepress.com/optimizing-identification-and-management-of-depression-in-neurological-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-NDT.

2. Stefanie Pitts, et al. “Real-world patient safety and experience trends for anti-CD20 home infusion: a 120-week review.” Accredo Specialty Pharmacy. 2026. Retrieved from https://www.accredo.com/anti-cd20-home-infusion-study.pdf.