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MS Treatment Access in Australia. Deanna and Rachel on Living with Multiple Sclerosis, Advocacy, and the Future of Ocrevus, Kesimpta & Briumvi

MS Treatment Access in Australia. Deanna and Rachel on Living with Multiple Sclerosis, Advocacy, and the Future of Ocrevus, Kesimpta & Briumvi

Season 1 Episode 173 Published 1 month ago
Description

Deanna Renee and Rachel Kerr speak about living with multiple sclerosis in Australia, the importance of lived experience in policy, and the current uncertainty around PBS access to Ocrevus and Kesimpta. Both were diagnosed with MS at 17 and have tried several treatments before finding options that work for them. They explain why treatment decisions should remain between people with MS and their neurologists, and why cost-driven switching can create fear and instability. Deanna also shares how her Community Advocacy Kit helps people speak up, even with limited energy.

Deanna Renee sits in a bright, creative studio. She is at a worktable with paintbrushes, art materials and a painted object in front of her. Behind her are shelves with books, small artworks, colorful circular paintings and decorative objects. She is wearing a red dress with white dots, has long reddish-brown hair and looks calm, open and creative. The image conveys personality, creativity, warmth and approachability. Rachel is shown in a warm and friendly portrait. She has light brown to dark blonde hair with subtle lighter highlights, loosely tied back, with a few strands framing her face. She is wearing black rectangular glasses, a dark blouse and a delicate necklace. Rachel is smiling directly at the camera, which gives the photo an open, approachable and confident feeling. The background is softly blurred and warmly lit, so the focus stays clearly on Rachel. Overall, the image presents her as authentic, kind and engaged — someone who brings lived experience, clarity and personal strength into the conversation.

You can read the interview here: https://ms-perspektive.de/174-deanna/

Topics covered:

  • Being diagnosed with MS as a teenager
  • Why lived experience belongs in policy decisions
  • PBS access, Ocrevus, Kesimpta and Briumvi
  • Medication fear and treatment switching
  • Low-spoons advocacy and community action
  • Hope, realism and the future of MS research

Resources mentioned:

Rachel, if a listener takes only one action after hearing this episode — for themselves or someone they l

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