Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Treatment Cost Calculator

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Treatment Cost Calculator helps estimate Korea-related chronic treatment, biologic drug, dialysis, obesity medication, and long-term management assumptions in English.

Health cost scenario inputs

Enter Korea-related chronic care, eldercare, therapy, procedure, fertility, diagnostic, or medical tourism assumptions. Results are simplified planning estimates.

Treatment cost over period

₩134,060,850

Monitoring or support cost

₩0

Increase reserve

₩13,406,085

Planning window cost

₩147,466,935

10 months

This English page explains Korea multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment costs. MS is a chronic autoimmune demyelinating disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, optic nerve). It usually starts between ages 20 and 40, has no cure, and is managed with lifelong disease-modifying therapy (DMT) that reduces relapses and slows disability. Korea reimburses 13 DMT products across three groups: first-line injectables (interferon beta-1a — Avonex KRW 215,150 per pen weekly, Rebif 22/44 mcg three times a week; interferon beta-1b — Betaferon KRW 73,458 per vial every other day; glatiramer acetate — Copaxone KRW 70,000 per syringe three times a week), orals (teriflunomide Aubagio, dimethyl fumarate Tecfidera, fingolimod — sold in Korea as Pitarex, not Gilenya; cladribine Mavenclad), and high-efficacy agents (natalizumab Tysabri KRW 1,301,500 per vial every 4 weeks, ocrelizumab Ocrevus, alemtuzumab Lemtrada). Annual list drug cost ranges from about KRW 10.9 million (Copaxone) to KRW 51.9 million (Lemtrada first course). The decisive point is that multiple sclerosis (ICD G35) is a registered rare-disease special-case condition (special mark V022), so the covered self-pay is 10% of the total covered cost — including drugs dispensed at an outside pharmacy on a same-day prescription, which matters for the four oral DMTs — for 5 years from registration, renewable while treatment continues. Combined with the annual out-of-pocket ceiling (about KRW 900,000–8,430,000 by income decile in 2026), an 8x difference in sticker price collapses to roughly the same real out-of-pocket: switching to a more expensive high-efficacy drug does not raise what you actually pay. The real barrier is coverage, not price — every MS DMT notice states that use outside the reimbursement criteria means the patient pays the full drug cost, and non-covered spending is not eligible for the ceiling refund. The clearest trap is that Ocrevus is licensed for primary progressive MS (PPMS) but Korean reimbursement covers only relapsing-remitting MS (second line, after first-line failure or intolerance) and secondary progressive MS — so a PPMS patient on Ocrevus pays the full KRW 21,504,588 a year. Registration timing also matters: apply within 30 days of confirmed diagnosis and the 10% rate is backdated to the diagnosis date; miss it and it starts only from the application date. Also note that Kesimpta (ofatumumab), Mayzent (siponimod) and Briumvi are not licensed in Korea, Zeposia is licensed only for ulcerative colitis (not MS), and Ponvory (ponesimod) is licensed but not reimbursed. Registered rare-disease patients have no KRW 7,000,000 cap on the medical-expense tax credit (Income Tax Act Article 59-4), and the KDCA rare-disease medical-cost support program may cover the remaining self-pay for households under 140% of median income. Drug prices are benefit-ceiling figures; relapse admission and MRI totals are adjustable estimates that vary by hospital. It is planning guidance based on 2026 Korean rules, not medical advice or an insurer decision.

Related calculators

What is the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Treatment Cost Calculator?

This calculator estimates what a person with multiple sclerosis actually pays for lifelong disease-modifying therapy (DMT), taking into account MS type, drug choice, rare-disease special-copay registration, and income decile.
It does not show the list price on the drug tariff — it shows the real out-of-pocket left after Korea’s special-copay rate and annual out-of-pocket ceiling have both been applied.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune demyelinating disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath of the central nervous system — the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
Just as electricity leaks when a wire’s insulation is stripped, damaged myelin disrupts nerve signalling, producing vision loss, sensory disturbance, gait problems, and fatigue that relapse and remit.
It typically begins between the ages of 20 and 40 and lasts a lifetime, and there is still no cure.
So the goal of treatment is not cure but staying on a disease-modifying therapy that slows relapses and disability progression.

Lifelong treatment means lifelong cost.
Among the DMTs reimbursed in Korea, the list price ranges from KRW 10,920,000 a year for Copaxone to KRW 51,858,500 for the first course of Lemtrada — roughly 5 times, or about 8 times if you use Lemtrada’s two-year total (KRW 82,973,600).
Yet this calculator exists to show the opposite.
Once the V022 rare-disease special copay (10%) and the annual out-of-pocket ceiling have been applied, most of that list-price gap never reaches what you actually pay.
At income decile 5, switching to a drug that costs KRW 40,940,000 more per year raises your real cost by only about KRW 600,000 — roughly 1.5% of the price increase.
At lower income deciles the gap vanishes entirely: at decile 1, Copaxone and Lemtrada both cost exactly KRW 900,000.

Korea-based estimate. This calculator is based on Korean rules for 2026 — the rare-disease copayment special case for multiple sclerosis (G35, special mark V022), National Health Insurance benefit criteria for MS disease-modifying therapies, the annual out-of-pocket ceiling, and the KDCA rare-disease medical-cost support programme. Drug prices are benefit-ceiling (reimbursement list) figures that change with formulation, generic entry, and price negotiation, and coverage criteria differ from those in the United States, the EU, and elsewhere. A drug that is standard care in your country may be unapproved or non-reimbursed in Korea, and vice versa. This is an educational estimate, not medical advice, and it does not replace a diagnosis, a treatment decision, a hospital quote, or an insurer or benefit determination.

So the real question is not the price

The decision a patient actually faces is not “how much does this drug cost” but “is this drug reimbursed for my MS type and treatment history”.
If it is covered, your real burden never exceeds your income-decile ceiling, however expensive the drug.
If it falls outside the benefit criteria, you pay the entire drug price.
It is 10% or 100% — there is nothing in between.

💡 Read the coverage decision on the result screen first.
The same drug can be fully reimbursed or entirely self-paid depending on your MS type (RRMS, SPMS, PPMS, CIS) and whether first-line therapy has failed.

Who this helps

  • • Anyone newly diagnosed with MS trying to gauge the scale of treatment cost
  • • Anyone about to register for the V022 special copay, or worried about losses from registering late
  • • Patients offered a switch to a second-line drug such as Tysabri, Ocrevus, or Mavenclad after first-line failure
  • • Anyone hesitating over a switch because they fear a much larger bill from a pricier drug
  • • Patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS) who have been offered Ocrevus and need to know whether it is covered
  • • Anyone wanting the annualised cost of drugs like Mavenclad and Lemtrada that are given for only a few years
  • • Patients approaching the 5-year expiry of their special-copay registration
  • • Anyone checking eligibility for the rare-disease medical-cost support programme
  • • Anyone who read about Kesimpta or Mayzent abroad and wants to know if they are available in Korea

Four things to know first

1. MS is a special-case condition — you pay 10%

Multiple sclerosis (G35) is a registered rare-disease special-case condition with the special mark V022.
Once registered, you pay only 10% of the total covered charges.
Without registration you would pay 30–60% as an outpatient, so registration alone cuts your burden to between a third and a sixth.

Legal basis

  • • MOHW notice Standards for Special Cases of Copayment No. 2026-101 (issued 29 April 2026, effective 1 May 2026), Article 5 and Annex 4
  • • National Health Insurance Act Enforcement Decree, Article 19(1) Annex 2, item 3(b)(2) (effective 19 February 2026)
  • • HIRA guidance on rare and intractable disease special cases — “Multiple sclerosis (G35) V022”

⭐ Pharmacy dispensing of outpatient prescriptions is included at 10%.
Article 5 of the notice defines the scope of covered care and states in parentheses that it “includes cases where medicines are dispensed at a pharmacy, or at the Korea Orphan and Essential Drug Center, on a prescription issued the same day”.
That wording is decisive, because the four oral DMTs — Pitarex, Aubagio, Tecfidera, and Mavenclad — are collected from a pharmacy, not administered in hospital.
Being an oral drug does not push you back to the 30% rate.

2. An 8-fold price gap barely passes through to your real cost

This is the calculator’s central message.
Even at the 10% special-case rate, a high-cost DMT still leaves millions of KRW in covered out-of-pocket each year.
Then the annual out-of-pocket ceiling cuts the top off that.

Real drug-cost burden for a decile-5 patient (2026 ceiling: KRW 1,730,000)

  • • Copaxone: list KRW 10,920,000/year → 10% is KRW 1,092,000 (below the ceiling)
  • • Tysabri: list KRW 16,919,500/year → 10% is KRW 1,692,000 (just under the ceiling)
  • • Ocrevus: list KRW 21,504,588/year → 10% would be KRW 2,150,000, but the ceiling stops it at KRW 1,730,000
  • • Lemtrada, first course: list KRW 51,858,500 → 10% would be KRW 5,186,000, but the ceiling stops it at KRW 1,730,000

The list prices of Copaxone and Lemtrada differ by KRW 40,940,000 (5-fold, or 8-fold on a two-year basis), yet the real burden is KRW 1,092,000 versus KRW 1,730,000 — a gap of only about KRW 600,000.
A KRW 40,940,000 jump in list price produces a KRW 600,000 jump in real cost, so only about 1.5% of the price increase reaches the patient.

But it is not “always identical” — convergence needs both drugs above the ceiling

Real burdens converge only when both drugs’ covered out-of-pocket exceeds your income-decile ceiling.
A cheap first-line drug like Copaxone comes to KRW 1,092,000 a year at the 10% special-case rate, which stays below the decile-5 ceiling of KRW 1,730,000 — so that amount simply is your real cost.
Even in an aggressive scenario with 4 MRIs and 3 relapses a year, a Copaxone patient lands near KRW 1,610,000 and still never reaches the ceiling.

  • • High-cost drugs do converge at mid deciles: Ocrevus (list KRW 21,504,588) vs Lemtrada (list KRW 51,858,500) → both land on the same KRW 1,730,000
  • • Lower income decile widens the convergence zone: at decile 1 (ceiling KRW 900,000), Copaxone and Lemtrada both cost exactly KRW 900,000
  • • Cheap first-line drugs are genuinely cheaper: at decile 5, Copaxone KRW 1,092,000 < Lemtrada KRW 1,730,000

💡 That is why switching to a more expensive drug stops at the ceiling rather than scaling with the price.
The worry that “the price is four times higher, so I cannot afford to switch” is, as long as the drug is covered, largely unfounded — the real increase is roughly KRW 600,000, and at lower income deciles there is no increase at all.
Look at the DMT comparison table in the calculator and put the list-price bars next to the real-burden bars.
The list prices climb like a staircase while the real burden flattens out.

3. Outside the benefit criteria it is not 10% — it is 100%

All of the above rests on one condition.
It holds only when the drug is covered.

Every MS DMT entry in HIRA’s Detailed Criteria and Methods for the Application of Health Insurance Benefits carries the following sentence.

“Where each drug is administered within the scope of its approved labelling and in accordance with the criteria below, health insurance benefits are recognised; outside these criteria, the patient shall bear the full price of the drug.”

The patient shall bear the full price of the drug — that single line is the largest variable in Korean MS treatment cost.
Falling outside the criteria does not merely mean losing the 10% rate; it means paying 100%.
Worse, non-covered charges are outside the out-of-pocket ceiling, so nothing is refunded.

⚠️ The classic example is Ocrevus for a PPMS patient.
PPMS is included in the Korean marketing authorisation, but the benefit criteria cover only RRMS (second line) and SPMS.
So a PPMS patient given Ocrevus pays the entire KRW 21,504,588 a year, with no ceiling refund.
KRW 1,730,000 versus KRW 21,504,588 — a 12-fold difference.

4. Register 30 days late and backdating is gone

The special copay is not applied automatically.
You must file a registration, and when you file changes the date from which it applies.

Notice Article 7(3), full text

“The special case shall be applied retroactively from the date of confirmed diagnosis where the application is filed within 30 days of that date, and from the date of application where it is filed after 30 days have elapsed.
Provided that, for undiagnosed rare diseases and other chromosomal abnormality disease groups, it shall apply from the date determined by the KDCA rare disease expert committee.”

Past 30 days, the intervening charges are not backdated, and for that period you pay the ordinary rate (30–60% outpatient) rather than 10%.
Because DMT generates roughly a million KRW of covered charges every month, a delay of only a few months accumulates losses in the millions.

⚠️ There is a specific reason this clause is dangerous in MS.
Under the McDonald 2017 criteria, diagnosis requires demonstrating dissemination in time (DIT) and dissemination in space (DIS).
A first attack alone does not confirm MS: it may take further MRI scans, a lumbar puncture, or even waiting for the next relapse.
It is easy to think “it is not confirmed yet, so I will do it later” and drift past the 30-day mark.
Remember that the clock starts on the date the confirmed-diagnosis certificate is issued, and register immediately.
In the calculator, set the registration delay to 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months to see the loss for yourself.

The four types of MS

MS is not one disease but four, classified by clinical course.
Because the type determines which drugs are reimbursed, it is the first input in the calculator.

TypeCodeCharacteristicsSpecial mark
RRMS
relapsing-remitting		G35.0Relapse and recovery in cycles.
Most patients start here, and it has the widest choice of DMTs		V022
PPMS
primary progressive		G35.1Steady progression from onset without distinct relapses. Effectively no DMT is reimbursedV022
SPMS
secondary progressive		G35.2Begins as RRMS, then transitions to accumulating disability independent of relapsesV022
CIS
clinically isolated syndrome		pre-diagnosisA first demyelinating attack.
Not yet confirmed MS, but interferon beta is reimbursed		depends on diagnosis

The diagnosis codes map exactly onto the clinical subtypes

Annex 4 of the special-copay notice assigns V022 to every code in the G35 family.
The entries confirmed in the notice text are as follows.

  • • Multiple sclerosis (G35) · Multiple sclerosis NOS (G35)
  • • Multiple sclerosis of brain stem · Multiple sclerosis of cord (G35)
  • • Generalised multiple sclerosis · Disseminated multiple sclerosis (G35)
  • • Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (G35.0)
  • • Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (G35.1)
  • • Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (G35.2)
  • • Other specified multiple sclerosis (G35.8) · Multiple sclerosis, unspecified (G35.9)

Because every sub-code qualifies for V022, registration works whether your certificate reads G35.0 or G35.1.
But qualifying for the special copay and having your drug covered are entirely different questions.
That is exactly how a PPMS (G35.1) patient ends up registered for the special copay yet unable to get the one drug they need reimbursed.

At the CIS stage, watch the registration timing

What Annex 4 lists is the G35 family.
CIS is not yet confirmed MS, so a G35 code may not be assigned, which means special-copay registration must wait for confirmation.
Interferon beta, however, is reimbursed for CIS under the benefit criteria — so there can be a window in which the drug is covered but the special copay is not yet in place.
In that window you pay 30–60%, not 10%.
It is one more reason to register within 30 days of the moment the diagnosis is confirmed.

Special copay V022 — registration, duration, renewal

How to register

  1. Obtain a confirmed diagnosis. MS is confirmed by combining clinical, MRI, and laboratory findings under the McDonald criteria
  2. Ask your neurologist to complete the Health Insurance Special Case Registration Form (Annexed Form No. 2)
  3. Submit it to the hospital’s administration desk or an NHIS branch office.
    Most hospitals will file it for you
  4. File within 30 days of the confirmed-diagnosis date to have it backdated to that date
  5. Once registered, the special mark V022 applies to subsequent care and dispensing, and your copay becomes 10%

It lasts 5 years, then you re-register

The notes to Annex 4 set the duration as follows.

“Where a rare-disease patient registered as a special-case beneficiary under Article 7 receives care for the relevant condition for 5 years from the date of registration.
Provided that, for undiagnosed rare diseases, this shall mean care received for the relevant clinical findings for 1 year from the date of registration.”

After 5 years the special case ends and is not renewed automatically.
However, Article 8(1)(2) allows a renewal application where the condition is confirmed to persist at the end of the special-case period and the patient remains under treatment for it.

💡 Since MS has no cure and DMT continues for life, re-registration every 5 years is effectively a permanent requirement.
Miss the expiry and your copay jumps from 10% back to 30–60% for that gap, so mark the date on a calendar and prepare the renewal paperwork with your neurologist in advance.
Where renewals go wrong is almost always the same: “I did not realise the five years were up.”

How the late-registration loss is calculated

delay loss = delay in months ÷ 12 × (ordinary copay rate − 10%) × annual covered charges

For a patient at a tertiary hospital (60%) with KRW 15,000,000 of annual covered charges who registers 6 months late, the extra burden is roughly 15,000,000 × 0.5 × 0.5 = KRW 3,750,000.
The out-of-pocket ceiling still operates during that period, so the actual loss is smaller depending on your cap.
The calculator reports the net loss after the ceiling is applied.

DMT prices and dosing

The DMTs reimbursed for MS in Korea fall into three groups: injectables, orals, and high-cost antibody and immune-reconstitution agents.
The figures below are benefit-ceiling prices (100% of list) from the Korean drug reimbursement schedule, before the special copay is applied.

Injectables — first-line therapy, proven over 30 years

Interferon beta and glatiramer acetate have been the backbone of MS treatment since the 1990s.
Their effect is more modest than newer agents, but their safety record is the deepest and they are reimbursed immediately as first-line therapy.
The shared drawbacks are the burden of self-injection, injection-site reactions, and, for interferon, flu-like symptoms.

ProductUnit priceDosingAnnual drug cost
Copaxone PFS 40mg
glatiramer acetate		KRW 70,000/syringe3× weekly SC
(at least 48h apart) · 156/year		KRW 10,920,000
lowest-cost DMT in Korea
Avonex Pen 30μg
interferon beta-1a		KRW 215,150/penOnce weekly IM
52/year		KRW 11,187,800
fewest injections
Rebif PFS 22μg
interferon beta-1a		KRW 74,705/syringe3× weekly SC · 156/yearKRW 11,653,980
Betaferon 250μg
interferon beta-1b		KRW 73,458/vialEvery other day SC · 182.5/yearKRW 13,406,085
Rebif PFS 44μg
interferon beta-1a		KRW 112,058/syringe3× weekly SC · 156/yearKRW 17,481,048
high dose

💡 Betaferon is a drug whose price has steadily fallen.
KRW 81,381 (Feb 2017) → 80,438 (Feb 2018) → 78,592 (Jan 2020) → 76,482 (Jan 2022) → 75,176 (Jul 2024) → 73,458 (1 January 2026).
Prices move like this, so treat the calculator’s figures as a reference as of the date they were retrieved.

Orals — freedom from injections

Convenience is the main advantage.
As explained above, pharmacy dispensing also gets the 10% special copay, so oral drugs are not penalised on the copay rate.

ProductUnit priceDosingAnnual drug cost
Aubagio FC tab 14mg
teriflunomide		KRW 38,200/tabletOnce daily · 365/yearKRW 13,943,000
Tecfidera capsule 240mg
dimethyl fumarate		KRW 19,695/capsule
120mg is KRW 13,129		Twice daily · 730/yearKRW 14,377,350
Pitarex capsule 0.5mg
fingolimod		KRW 40,176/capsuleOnce daily · 365/yearKRW 14,664,240
second line

ℹ️ Note on brand names: the fingolimod product listed in Korea is Pitarex, not Gilenya, which is the brand most international sources refer to.
The active ingredient is the same.
🟡 Tecfidera costs slightly less in year one.
The label starts at 120mg twice daily for the first 7 days before escalating to 240mg, which brings first-year cost to KRW 14,285,426.
The calculator defaults to the maintenance-dose figure (KRW 14,377,350); the difference is about KRW 90,000.

High-cost injectables — powerful, but second line

These are the drugs you move to when first-line therapy fails to control the disease.
They are as expensive as they are potent, and most require documented first-line failure or intolerance to be reimbursed.

ProductUnit priceDosingAnnual drug cost
Tysabri 300mg
natalizumab		KRW 1,301,500/vialIV every 4 weeks · 13/yearKRW 16,919,500
Ocrevus 300mg
ocrelizumab · IV		KRW 5,376,147/vial600mg every 6 months
(2 × 300mg) · 4/year		KRW 21,504,588
Ocrevus SC 920mg
ocrelizumab · subcutaneous		KRW 10,752,294/vial920mg every 6 months · 2/yearKRW 21,504,588
identical to IV
Mavenclad tablet 10mg
cladribine		KRW 1,958,804/tabletWeight-based 2-year pulse
(no dosing in years 3–4)		varies by weight
see table below
Lemtrada 12mg
alemtuzumab		KRW 10,371,700/vialCourse-based
(1st: 5 days · 2nd: 3 days)		1st course KRW 51,858,500
costliest MS DMT in Korea

⭐ Ocrevus IV and SC cost exactly the same per year.
The 920mg subcutaneous vial is listed at precisely twice the price of a 300mg IV vial, so annualised both come to KRW 21,504,588.
In other words, the choice of formulation has no effect on drug cost — only on the route and the time it takes.
The subcutaneous formulation gained coverage under notice No. 2026-69, effective 1 April 2026.

Mavenclad and Lemtrada — drugs you must not compare year by year

These two do not cost the same amount every year.
They are dosed for a fixed period, after which the effect persists with no further dosing, so judging them on a single year’s price makes them look far more expensive than they are.
That is why the calculator shows cumulative N-year cost and a smoothed annual figure side by side.

Mavenclad — 8 weight bands × a 2-year pulse

The label states that the “recommended cumulative dose is 3.5 mg/kg of body weight over 2 years, administered as one treatment course of 1.75 mg/kg per year”, and that “no further treatment is required in years 3 and 4”.
The benefit criteria match this: “Duration of administration: recognised up to the second-year treatment course of the approved dosage and administration”.
So the drug costs money in years 1 and 2, and nothing in years 3 and 4.

WeightTablets/yearYear 1 cost2-year totalSmoothed over 4 years
40–49kg8KRW 15,670,432KRW 31,340,864KRW 7,835,216
50–59kg10KRW 19,588,040KRW 39,176,080KRW 9,794,020
60–69kg12KRW 23,505,648KRW 47,011,296KRW 11,752,824
70–79kg14KRW 27,423,256KRW 54,846,512KRW 13,711,628
80–89kg15KRW 29,382,060KRW 58,764,120KRW 14,691,030
90–99kg17KRW 33,299,668KRW 66,599,336KRW 16,649,834
100–109kg19KRW 37,217,276KRW 74,434,552KRW 18,608,638
110kg and above20KRW 39,176,080KRW 78,352,160KRW 19,588,040

💡 Take a 70kg patient.
Year one costs KRW 27,423,256, which looks like 2.4 times interferon (KRW 11,187,800).
But years 3 and 4 cost nothing, so the 4-year smoothed figure is KRW 13,711,628 — barely different from interferon.
After the 10% special copay and the ceiling, it is better still: only the two dosing years hit the ceiling, and years 3–4 have no drug cost at all.
⚠️ The label notes that use below 40kg has not been studied, so the calculator’s weight input starts at 40kg.

Lemtrada — course-based

The label specifies: “First course: 12mg/day on 5 consecutive days (60mg total). Second course: 12mg/day on 3 consecutive days (36mg total) 12 months after the first course. Additional courses: 3 consecutive days at least 12 months later”.
The benefit criteria recognise “up to the second treatment course”, extending to a third course if, after the second, there is ① at least one relapse, or ② two or more new T2 lesions, enlarging T2 lesions, or gadolinium-enhancing lesions on MRI.

CourseAdministrationVialsDrug cost
1st course (year 1)5 consecutive days5KRW 51,858,500
2nd course (year 2)3 consecutive days3KRW 31,115,100
2-year total—8KRW 82,973,600
3rd course (conditional)3 consecutive days3+KRW 31,115,100

Lemtrada is the costliest MS DMT in Korea, yet many patients need no further dosing once the two courses are complete.
Spend KRW 82,973,600 over two years, divide across five, and you get about KRW 16,594,720 a year — lower, even on list price, than Ocrevus at KRW 21,504,588 a year.
In real out-of-pocket terms, only the two dosing years reach your income-decile ceiling, and from year three the drug cost is zero.
💡 This is why calling it “the KRW 51 million drug” is so misleading.

The coverage matrix — which drugs are reimbursed for which type

This table is the practical map of MS treatment cost in Korea.
As explained, coverage is what splits your real burden between 10% and 100%.

DrugRRMS 1stRRMS 2ndSPMSCISPPMSDuration limit
interferon beta-1a
Avonex · Rebif		✅✅✅✅❌none
interferon beta-1b
Betaferon		✅✅✅✅❌none
paediatric provision
glatiramer acetate
Copaxone		✅✅❌❌❌none
teriflunomide
Aubagio		✅✅❌❌❌none
dimethyl fumarate
Tecfidera		✅✅❌❌❌none
fingolimod
Pitarex		❌✅❌❌❌none
18 and over
cladribine
Mavenclad		❌✅❌❌❌through year 2
natalizumab
Tysabri		🟡
severe only		✅❌❌❌none
18 and over
alemtuzumab
Lemtrada		❌✅❌❌❌2 (or 3) courses
ocrelizumab
Ocrevus		❌✅✅❌❌stop at EDSS 7.0 in SPMS

Notice basis: interferon beta, glatiramer acetate, teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, cladribine, natalizumab, and alemtuzumab are governed by notice No. 2021-26 (effective 1 February 2021); ocrelizumab by notice No. 2026-69 (effective 1 April 2026).
The ocrelizumab notice is the latest revision, adding coverage for the subcutaneous formulation; the previous notice was No. 2025-34.

⚠️ The Ocrevus PPMS trap — the most important warning

Ocrevus is widely known as the only drug with proven efficacy in PPMS, and PPMS is included in its Korean marketing authorisation.
So PPMS patients and their families often read international sources or the label and conclude that the drug is available to them.

But the Korean benefit criteria cover only RRMS (second line) and SPMS.
Approval and reimbursement are separate, and this is the one cell in the matrix where they diverge.

If a PPMS patient receives Ocrevus

  • • Coverage ❌ → “outside these criteria, the patient shall bear the full price of the drug” applies
  • • The 10% special copay does not apply (it is not a covered charge)
  • • The out-of-pocket ceiling does not apply (non-covered charges are never refunded)
  • • Rare-disease medical-cost support does not apply (it supports covered-care out-of-pocket)
  • • → KRW 21,504,588 per year, entirely self-paid

This holds even for a PPMS (G35.1) patient who has completed special-copay registration.
The special case lowers the rate you pay on covered care; it does not turn non-covered care into covered care.
Set the type to PPMS and select Ocrevus in the calculator and you will see this warning alongside the full self-pay amount.
Always confirm coverage with your neurologist before starting.

Three things people misread in this matrix

  • ① Aubagio and Tecfidera look second line by mechanism, but they are first line for reimbursement.
    Neither drug’s benefit criteria contain a first-line-failure condition.
    International sources often class them as second-generation or second-line agents, which invites confusion; this matrix follows the wording of the Korean benefit criteria.
  • ② Tysabri can be entered without prior first-line therapy.
    Clause 1 of its criteria separately recognises “severe, rapidly progressing patients with no experience of first-line therapy”.
    The rapidly progressing severe disease checkbox in the calculator corresponds to this clause.
  • ③ Only three drugs can be used in SPMS.
    Interferon beta-1a, interferon beta-1b, and Ocrevus.
    Copaxone, Aubagio, Tecfidera, Pitarex, Mavenclad, Tysabri, and Lemtrada have no SPMS coverage.
    Ocrevus is covered for SPMS but must be stopped once the patient reaches EDSS 7.0.

Drugs you cannot use in Korea — read international sources with care

MS is a fast-moving field, and patients often go looking for a drug they read about in an English-language community or saw on YouTube, only to be disappointed.
Marketing authorisation (MFDS) and reimbursement (National Health Insurance) are two separate gates, and clearing only one is rarely enough to make a drug usable in practice.

DrugKorean approvalMS coverageNotes
Kesimpta
ofatumumab		❌ not approved❌A self-injected anti-CD20 agent used widely abroad, but it has no Korean approval
Mayzent
siponimod		❌ not approved❌An S1P modulator approved abroad for SPMS, but it has no Korean approval
Briumvi
ublituximab		❌ not approved❌A newer anti-CD20 agent, but it has no Korean approval
Zeposia
ozanimod		🟡 approved❌Approved in Korea for ulcerative colitis only. It is not approved for MS
Ponvory
ponesimod		✅ approved❌ non-coveredApproved for MS, but not listed for reimbursement, so it is non-covered

💡 These five are excluded from the calculator’s drug list.
Unapproved drugs cannot readily be prescribed in Korea, and Ponvory, being non-covered, has no published benefit-ceiling price.
Non-covered prices are set independently by each institution, so the calculator cannot offer a figure it can stand behind.
⚠️ Mayzent in particular is often expected as an SPMS treatment, but the drugs reimbursed for SPMS in Korea are interferon beta and Ocrevus.
Always separate international trial news from what can actually be prescribed here.

Acute relapse treatment — the drug is cheap, the admission is not

If DMT is the drug that reduces relapses, a separate treatment puts out the inflammation when a relapse actually arrives.
The standard is a steroid pulse: high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone 1g for 3–5 days.

RegimenSolu-Medrol 500mg
KRW 10,208/vial		Methysol 500mg
KRW 7,649/vial
1g × 3 days
2 × 500mg per day		KRW 61,248KRW 45,894
1g × 5 daysKRW 102,080KRW 76,490

The numbers may surprise you.
A 3-day pulse costs about KRW 61,000 in drug, and 5 days about KRW 102,000.
In a disease treated with DMTs costing tens of millions a year, the drug that actually stops a relapse costs this little.

⚠️ That does not make relapse treatment cheap.
Most of the cost is not the drug but the admission, infusion, and testing.
A relapse usually means 3–5 days in hospital, along with MRI and other tests to confirm it.
🟡 Total charges for a 3–5 day admission are often quoted at roughly KRW 800,000–2,000,000, but this is a reference range without a confirmed source, not a verified figure.
It varies widely by institution type, length of stay, and accompanying tests, so the calculator exposes it as a user-adjustable input (defaults: KRW 1,200,000 for 3 days, KRW 1,800,000 for 5 days).
Confirm the actual amount with your treating hospital.

When steroids do not work

For severe relapses that do not respond to a steroid pulse, plasma exchange (PLEX) or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) may be considered.
Neither is included in this calculator.
The fee schedule for PLEX and the reimbursement status of IVIG for an MS indication could not be confirmed from primary sources.
Rather than inventing a plausible number, we left them out entirely.
If you receive either treatment, read the calculator’s result as excluding that cost, and confirm the amount with your hospital.

Routine MRI — a cost, and a condition of coverage

For someone with MS, MRI is not optional.
Lesions can accumulate without symptoms, so regular monitoring is necessary — and the benefit criteria themselves demand MRI.

  • • The Pitarex criteria specify “periodic MRI examination at least once a year”
  • • Approval of a third Lemtrada course requires MRI lesion assessment
  • • In practice, an annual MRI is a working requirement for keeping coverage

Brain MRI fee structure

  • • Relative value units: imaging 1,785.78 points + interpretation 765.34 points → 3,157.39 points in total once the 3T-equipment and full-time-specialist interpretation add-ons are applied
  • • 2026 conversion factor: KRW 95.6 for clinics, KRW 83.8 for hospitals and general hospitals (effective 1 January 2026, average increase 1.93%)
  • • MRI copay rate (ordinary): clinic 30% · hospital 40% · general hospital 50% · tertiary hospital 60%
  • • 10% once registered for the special copay
  • • Contrast agent prices (1 January 2026): Gadovist 15mL KRW 64,033 / prefilled syringe 10mL KRW 40,657

🟡 The total for a contrast-enhanced brain MRI is estimated at KRW 300,000–500,000, but the contrast add-on points could not be obtained, so this is not a confirmed figure.
The calculator defaults to KRW 400,000 and lets you adjust it.
Actual billing varies with the hospital, the scanner, and the imaging range.
💡 With special-copay registration, even a tertiary-hospital MRI is charged at 10% rather than 60%, so a KRW 400,000 scan costs you KRW 40,000 instead of KRW 240,000.
For a patient scanned 2–4 times a year, that difference alone justifies registering.

How to use it

Step 1: Choose your MS type

Pick RRMS, SPMS, PPMS, or CIS.
If your certificate reads G35.0 it is RRMS, G35.1 is PPMS, and G35.2 is SPMS.
This is the most important input, because it determines which drugs can be reimbursed.

Step 2: Enter your treatment history

Tick first-line failure or intolerance.
This is the switch that opens coverage for second-line drugs such as Pitarex, Mavenclad, Lemtrada, and Ocrevus.
Even without prior first-line therapy, rapidly progressing severe disease allows entry to Tysabri, so check that too.

Step 3: Select a drug

Choose one of the 13 DMTs and the coverage decision appears immediately.
Selecting Mavenclad activates the body weight input, which applies the tablet count for your band among the eight.
For a combination that is not covered, a warning appears with the full self-pay amount.

Step 4: Set the special copay and registration timing

Toggle special-copay registration on and off to see the difference between 10% and 30–60%.
Adjust the registration delay from 0 to 12 months to compute the loss under the 30-day backdating rule of Article 7(3).
If you are not registered, your outpatient copay rate depends on institution type, so set that as well.

Step 5: Add ancillary costs and safety nets

Set relapses per year (0–3), steroid days (3 or 5), and MRI scans per year (1–4).
Then choose your income decile (1–10) to apply the out-of-pocket ceiling, and if eligible, enter rare-disease medical-cost support and your total salary for the tax credit.

Step 6: Read the results

The summary card shows your annual real out-of-pocket, a monthly equivalent, the list drug cost, and a covered or non-covered badge.
Below it, the 13-drug comparison table shows how your real burden changes if you switch, and cumulative N-year cost shows the smoothing effect for Mavenclad and Lemtrada.

Worked scenarios

Scenario 1 — newly diagnosed RRMS in your thirties

It started with optic neuritis, and after MRI and a lumbar puncture you have a G35.0 diagnosis.
Your neurologist offers a choice between interferon beta and an oral drug.

Inputs: RRMS · first-line failure no · special copay yes · delay 0 months · decile 5
What to look at: for first-line RRMS, interferon beta, Copaxone, Aubagio, and Tecfidera are all covered.
List prices span KRW 10,920,000 (Copaxone) to KRW 17,481,048 (Rebif 44μg) — a spread of KRW 6,561,048.
At decile 5, though, the real burden runs only from about KRW 1,132,000 to KRW 1,730,000 — a gap of roughly KRW 600,000.
⚠️ Note that most first-line drugs in this range stay below the ceiling of KRW 1,730,000.
So the real burden does not collapse to a single figure here: the cheaper drug really is a little cheaper.
💡 Even so, there is almost no reason to choose on cost.
A gap of about KRW 600,000 a year is not the right basis for picking a drug you will stay on for life.
Decide instead on injection frequency (Avonex once weekly versus Betaferon every other day), oral convenience, and side-effect profile.
Let your daily life, not the price list, be the deciding factor.

Scenario 2 — first-line therapy failed and a switch is proposed

Two years on interferon beta, you are still relapsing and new lesions keep appearing on MRI.
Your neurologist suggests moving to Tysabri or Ocrevus.
You hesitate because you were told the drug costs twice as much.

Inputs: RRMS · first-line failure yes · special copay yes · decile 5
What to look at: ticking first-line failure immediately opens coverage for Pitarex, Mavenclad, Tysabri, Lemtrada, and Ocrevus.
The list price rises by KRW 8,098,503 (about 1.6-fold), from KRW 13,406,085 (Betaferon) to KRW 21,504,588 (Ocrevus).
Yet at decile 5 the real burden rises only from about KRW 1,380,000 to KRW 1,730,000 — some KRW 350,000.
Betaferon sits below the ceiling so you pay that amount as-is, while Ocrevus hits the ceiling and stops at KRW 1,730,000.
In other words, an KRW 8,098,503 jump in list price passes through to your pocket at only about 4%.
💡 This scenario is the reason this calculator exists.
Giving up a more effective drug because “it costs twice as much” is, at least where the drug is covered, simply wrong as a financial judgement.
If money is what is holding you back, go through the result with your neurologist.

Scenario 3 — a PPMS diagnosis in your forties

Without relapses, your legs have been slowly weakening, and you have a G35.1 (primary progressive) diagnosis.
You searched online, found that Ocrevus is used for PPMS, and you are hopeful.

Inputs: PPMS · drug Ocrevus · special copay yes
What to look at: the special copay registers fine (G35.1 also qualifies for V022).
But the coverage decision is ❌, and the calculator shows KRW 21,504,588 per year, entirely self-paid.
Neither the ceiling refund nor medical-cost support applies.
⚠️ Holding a special-copay registration certificate does not reduce this amount.
PPMS occupies the hardest position in the Korean coverage landscape.
Knowing the cost before you start is completely different from discovering it afterwards.
Before beginning treatment, discuss coverage, alternatives, and possible clinical-trial participation with your neurologist and the hospital’s administration office.

Scenario 4 — Mavenclad proposed for a 70kg patient

Mavenclad has been suggested as a second-line option.
At KRW 27,423,256 for the first year — 2.4 times interferon — it feels unaffordable.

Inputs: RRMS · first-line failure yes · drug Mavenclad · weight 70kg · horizon 4 years
What to look at: years 1 and 2 cost KRW 27,423,256 each, but years 3 and 4 cost nothing.
The 4-year smoothed figure is KRW 13,711,628 a year, putting it in the same range as interferon beta.
In real out-of-pocket terms it is better still: years 1–2 hit the ceiling, and years 3–4 leave only MRI and consultation fees.
💡 Try extending the horizon to 10 years.
The gap against drugs that bill every single year widens further.
Lemtrada has the same structure, so compare it the same way.

Scenario 5 — you have been putting off registration

You have the confirmed-diagnosis certificate, but the paperwork is a nuisance so you have delayed.
Surely it can wait?

Inputs: move the registration delay through 0 → 1 → 3 → 6 → 12 months
What to look at: within 30 days of the diagnosis date it is backdated, so there is no loss at one month.
Past 30 days, it applies only from the application date, and the charges in between are locked in at 30–60% rather than 10%.
The loss curve climbs steeply as the delay grows.
⚠️ Registration is not something you can backdate later by asking.
Once 30 days have passed, there is no mechanism to recover the difference for that period.
Do it now.

Four programmes that reduce your burden

① Out-of-pocket ceiling — exceed the annual cap and it is refunded

If the covered out-of-pocket you pay over a year exceeds your income-decile cap, the excess is refunded.
Since even the 10% rate leaves millions of KRW a year on a high-cost DMT, this is effectively what determines your real burden.

Income decile2026 annual ceiling
Decile 1KRW 900,000
Deciles 2–3KRW 1,120,000
Deciles 4–5KRW 1,730,000
Deciles 6–7KRW 3,260,000
Decile 8KRW 4,460,000
Decile 9KRW 5,360,000
Decile 10KRW 8,430,000

The basis is Annex 3 of the National Health Insurance Act Enforcement Decree.
⚠️ Non-covered and full-self-pay charges are outside the ceiling.
However large the bill, a drug outside the benefit criteria — such as Ocrevus for a PPMS patient — is never refunded.
🟡 The confirmed ceilings for 2026 care are published the following year, so these figures are subject to update.

② Rare-disease medical-cost support — even the 10% can be covered

Run by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), this programme includes multiple sclerosis (1,413 rare diseases are supported in 2026).
It can cover the copayment that the special case has already reduced to 10%, supporting even that remaining 10% — so for those who qualify, the real burden can approach zero.

  • • Income test: under 140% of the standard median income
  • • 2026 income limits: 1 person KRW 3,348,818 · 2 people KRW 5,505,721 · 3 people KRW 7,035,494 · 4 people KRW 8,536,882
  • • What is covered: covered-care copayments, care benefits, assistive-device purchases, and cash benefits (nursing costs, special dietary support)
  • • Where to apply: the public health centre for your registered address
  • • Information: KDCA rare disease helpline, helpline.kdca.go.kr

⚠️ There may be a separate asset test in addition to income.
We could not confirm the exact requirements, so the calculator refers to income and asset criteria.
Confirm your eligibility with your local public health centre.
💡 MS often begins between 20 and 40, which overlaps with years when income is still modest.
Rather than assuming “I would not qualify”, it is worth checking once.

③ Medical-expense tax credit — no KRW 7,000,000 cap

Article 59-4 of the Income Tax Act gives a 15% tax credit on medical expenses exceeding 3% of total salary.
An annual cap of KRW 7,000,000 normally applies, but expenses of patients with serious or rare/intractable diseases (special-case registrants) are not capped.

An MS patient is a registered V022 beneficiary, so the cap does not apply.
The full amount actually spent counts toward the credit.
💡 Note that ceiling refunds and medical-cost support are not amounts you actually bore, so they fall outside the credit.
The calculator computes the credit on the real burden remaining after the ceiling and support are deducted.

④ Long-term care insurance — available under 65 too

The name misleads people.
Long-term care insurance is aimed at those aged 65 and over, but people under 65 can apply if they have one of the designated “geriatric diseases”.
And multiple sclerosis is on that list.

Because MS starts between 20 and 40 and accumulates disability, this matters a great deal for patients with advanced disease.
With a care grade you can use home-visit care, home-visit bathing, and day-and-night care services, with a copay of around 15% for home-based benefits.
💡 Many MS patients and families never apply, thinking “I am not elderly, so this is not for me”.
If mobility support would help, ask the National Health Insurance Service about a grade assessment.
You can check the copay by care grade with Mowatool’s long-term care grade copay simulator.

Practical ways to cut the cost

  • Register for the special copay the moment you are diagnosed. Past 30 days the backdating is gone, and there is no way to recover the difference.
    MS takes time to confirm, which makes it easy to miss “the date the confirmed-diagnosis certificate was issued”.
  • Put the 5-year expiry on a calendar. The special case does not renew itself.
    Since MS has no cure, the renewal conditions (persisting disease, ongoing treatment) are effectively always met.
    The problem is never the conditions — it is forgetting the expiry.
  • Do not give up a better drug over its price. As long as it is covered, your real burden never exceeds your income-decile ceiling.
    However many times over the list price jumps, only a fraction of it reaches your pocket.
    If cost is what makes you hesitate about switching, show your neurologist the calculator result and talk it through.
  • But always confirm coverage first. This is where the real risk lies.
    In particular, PPMS plus Ocrevus means KRW 21,504,588 a year entirely self-paid, with neither the ceiling nor medical-cost support available.
  • Check the rare-disease medical-cost support programme. Under 140% of median income, even the 10% special copay can be supported.
    Apply at the public health centre for your registered address.
  • An annual MRI is not a cost — it is a requirement. The Pitarex criteria specify at least one MRI per year, and approval of a third Lemtrada course needs MRI assessment.
    Skipping MRI can put the coverage itself at risk.
  • Keep your receipts. Special-case registrants have no KRW 7,000,000 cap on the medical-expense tax credit.
    At year-end settlement, the full amount you actually bore counts.
  • Apply for a long-term care grade if mobility declines. MS is on the geriatric-disease list, so people under 65 can apply.
    Do not rule yourself out on age.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How do I register for the MS special copay?

A. Ask your neurologist to complete the Health Insurance Special Case Registration Form (Annexed Form No. 2), then submit it to the hospital’s administration desk or an NHIS branch.
Most hospitals will file it for you.
The special mark is V022 and the diagnosis code is in the G35 family; once registered, your copay becomes 10% of total covered charges.
File within 30 days of the confirmed-diagnosis date to have it backdated, so start as soon as you receive the certificate.

Q. Does the special copay end after 5 years?

A. It lasts 5 years from registration and does not renew automatically.
However, under Article 8(1)(2) of the notice you can apply to re-register where the condition is confirmed to persist at the end of the period and you remain under treatment.
Since MS has no cure and DMT continues for life, the renewal conditions are effectively always satisfied.
The risk is not the conditions but missing the expiry date, so mark it in advance and prepare the paperwork with your neurologist.

Q. If I switch to a more expensive drug, does my burden rise a lot?

A. If the drug is covered, far less than the price gap suggests.
The special copay brings you to 10%, and the out-of-pocket ceiling then caps whatever is left at your income-decile limit.
For a decile-5 patient (ceiling KRW 1,730,000), switching from Copaxone (list KRW 10,920,000) to a first Lemtrada course (list KRW 51,858,500) raises the list price by KRW 40,940,000, yet the real burden rises only from about KRW 1,092,000 to KRW 1,730,000 — about KRW 600,000.
But convergence happens only when both drugs sit above the ceiling.
A cheap first-line drug like Copaxone stays below it, so that amount simply is your real cost — it is genuinely cheaper, not identical.
At decile 1 (ceiling KRW 900,000) both drugs clear the ceiling and cost exactly the same KRW 900,000, and high-cost drugs converge even at decile 5 — Ocrevus (KRW 21,504,588) and Lemtrada (KRW 51,858,500) both land on KRW 1,730,000.
So national health insurance absorbs most, though not always all, of the list-price difference.
For a combination that is not covered the opposite is true, so always confirm coverage before switching.

Q. Is it true that Ocrevus is not covered for PPMS?

A. Yes.
PPMS is included in the MFDS marketing authorisation, but the Korean benefit criteria cover only RRMS (second line) and SPMS (notice No. 2026-69).
So a PPMS patient who receives it pays the full KRW 21,504,588 a year under the clause “outside these criteria, the patient shall bear the full price of the drug”.
This is true even with special-copay registration.
The special case lowers the rate on covered care; it does not convert non-covered care into covered care.
Because the charge is non-covered, neither the out-of-pocket ceiling refund nor rare-disease medical-cost support is available.

Q. Oral drugs come from a pharmacy — do they still get 10%?

A. Yes, they do.
Article 5 of the notice states that covered care under the special case “includes cases where medicines are dispensed at a pharmacy, or at the Korea Orphan and Essential Drug Center, on a prescription issued the same day”.
So oral drugs such as Pitarex, Aubagio, Tecfidera, and Mavenclad are charged at 10% when dispensed at a pharmacy.
Being an oral drug does not mean paying 30%.

Q. Can I get Kesimpta or Mayzent in Korea?

A. No.
Kesimpta (ofatumumab), Mayzent (siponimod), and Briumvi (ublituximab) are not approved in Korea.
Zeposia (ozanimod) is approved, but for ulcerative colitis only — it has no MS indication here.
Ponvory (ponesimod) is approved for MS but is not listed for reimbursement, so it is non-covered.
Patients often encounter these drugs in international sources and expect to be prescribed them here, but approval and reimbursement are separate gates that differ from country to country.
In Korea, the drugs reimbursed for SPMS are interferon beta and Ocrevus.

Q. Will private indemnity insurance reimburse my DMT?

A. It depends on when you took out the policy and on its terms, so check with your insurer.
As a general matter, covered copayments for therapeutic care are eligible for outpatient and inpatient reimbursement, but generation-specific self-pay rates (10–20% on covered charges) and per-visit outpatient caps apply.
Amounts already refunded through the out-of-pocket ceiling are not expenses you actually bore, so in principle they are not reimbursed twice.
⚠️ A policy taken out after diagnosis will usually exclude the condition, and a “multiple sclerosis diagnosis benefit” is a separate product.
This calculator models only the national health insurance system and does not include private reimbursement.

Q. Can I register a disability for MS?

A. Sometimes.
MS is not a disability category in itself; registration follows the residual impairment, typically as a brain lesion disorder or physical disability, or a visual disability where the optic nerve is involved.
However, the assessment criteria, the required duration of impairment, and reassessment intervals could not be confirmed from primary sources, so this calculator does not include any disability-related costs or reductions.
Discuss your specific situation with your neurologist, your local community service centre, and the National Pension Service disability assessment centre.

Q. Are these figures accurate?

A. It depends on the item.
DMT prices, dosing, benefit criteria, the V022 special case, copay rates, ceilings, and medical-cost support requirements are verified against primary sources.
By contrast, the total cost of a relapse admission (KRW 800,000–2,000,000) and of a brain MRI (KRW 300,000–500,000) are estimates, which is why both are exposed as user-adjustable inputs.
Drug prices also change often.
Betaferon alone was cut six times, from KRW 81,381 in 2017 to KRW 73,458 in 2026.
Use this as planning guidance, and confirm exact amounts with your treating hospital and the National Health Insurance Service.

What this calculator does not cover

Rather than inventing plausible numbers for values we could not verify, here is what we deliberately left out.
If any of these apply to you, read the calculator’s result as excluding that cost and confirm the amount with your hospital.

  • • Total cost of a relapse admission — KRW 800,000–2,000,000 for a 3–5 day stay is a reference range with no confirmed source.
    It is exposed as a user-adjustable input
  • • Total cost of a brain MRI — the contrast add-on points could not be obtained, so KRW 300,000–500,000 is an estimate.
    The default is KRW 400,000 and it is adjustable
  • • Plasma exchange (PLEX) — the fee schedule could not be confirmed, so it is not included
  • • Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) — reimbursement status for an MS indication could not be confirmed, so it is not included
  • • OCB (oligoclonal bands), VEP (visual evoked potentials), AQP4-IgG, and JCV antibody tests — individual fees could not be confirmed, so they are not included.
    These are used in diagnosis and in pre-Tysabri assessment
  • • Disability assessment — the detailed criteria could not be confirmed, so no disability-related costs or reductions are modelled
  • • Unapproved and non-covered drugs — Kesimpta, Mayzent, Briumvi, Zeposia, and Ponvory are excluded from the drug list
  • • Private indemnity reimbursement — variation across policy generations and terms is too large to model
  • • Indirect costs such as caregiving, transport, and lost employment — this calculator covers medical costs only

Sources

  • • MOHW notice Standards for Special Cases of Copayment No. 2026-101 (issued 29 April 2026, effective 1 May 2026) — Article 5 · Article 7(3) · Article 8(1)(2) · Annex 4
  • • National Health Insurance Act Enforcement Decree, Article 19(1) Annex 2, item 3(b)(2) (effective 19 February 2026)
  • • National Health Insurance Act Enforcement Decree, Annex 3 — annual out-of-pocket ceilings
  • • HIRA — Rare and Intractable Disease Special Case Conditions — Multiple sclerosis (G35) V022
  • • MOHW notice No. 2021-26 (effective 1 February 2021) — benefit criteria for interferon beta, glatiramer acetate, teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, cladribine, natalizumab, and alemtuzumab
  • • MOHW notice No. 2026-69 (effective 1 April 2026) — benefit criteria for ocrelizumab, adding coverage of the subcutaneous formulation
  • • HIRA Detailed Criteria and Methods for the Application of Health Insurance Benefits — “outside these criteria, the patient shall bear the full price of the drug”
  • • Drug Reimbursement List and Maximum Prices — DMT benefit-ceiling prices (retrieved 2026)
  • • Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center benefit data · MFDS drug safety portal approval data — dosing and indications
  • • Income Tax Act Article 59-4 — medical-expense tax credit (no cap for special-case registrants)
  • • KDCA Rare Disease Helpline (helpline.kdca.go.kr) — rare-disease medical-cost support programme
  • • 2026 health insurance conversion factors (effective 1 January 2026) — clinics KRW 95.6 · hospitals/general hospitals KRW 83.8
  • • Brain MRI relative value structure — Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology (PMC9431867)
  • • Act on Long-Term Care Insurance for the Aged, Enforcement Decree — list of geriatric diseases (includes multiple sclerosis)
  • • McDonald criteria 2017 — dissemination in time and space for MS diagnosis

Check coverage before you check the price

Enter your MS type and treatment history to get a coverage decision along with your annual real out-of-pocket after both the 10% special copay and the annual ceiling.
Put all 13 DMTs side by side and see for yourself how far the list price is from what you actually pay.

This calculator is a 2026 reference estimate based on Korean rules, and it is not medical advice.
Treatment decisions must be made with a neurologist, and exact amounts and coverage must be confirmed with your hospital and the National Health Insurance Service.