Contributions
Abstract: EP1513
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Therapy - disease modifying - Long-term treatment monitoring
Background: Well-designed observational studies are currently recognized as a design which could provide significant information on the long-term impact of therapy.
Goals: To assess the impact of interferon (IFN)-beta treatment on the confirmed worsening disability in IFN-beta treated and untreated relapsing-remitting (RR) patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using prospective cohort study.
Methods: A cohort of 364 RRMS (233 IFN-beta-treated and 131 untreated) patients was followed for 10 years. One hundred and thirty three patients were treated with IFN-beta 1a 44 mcg, sc, three times weekly and remaining 100 patients were treated with IFN-beta 1b 8 MIU sc, each other day. Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for the number of relapses in the last year before first visit was used to assess the differences between the two groups for the three end points: secondary progression (SP), and confirmed Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score 4 and 6. Time from disease onset was used as survival time variable.
Results: There were no significant differences between the IFN-beta-treated and untreated MS patients for all baseline clinical variables except for number of relapses in the last year before the visit. The IFN-beta-treated group showed a highly significant reduction (hazard ratio [HR], 0.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-0.36, p < 0.001) in the risk of SP when compared with untreated patients. There were significant differences in favor of the IFN-beta-treated group for the end point EDSS score of 4 (HR = 0.43, 95%CI 0.28-0.65, p < 0.001) and EDSS score of 6
(HR = 0.24, 95%CI 0.13-0.45, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: This observational study further supports the notion that IFN-beta could have potential long-term beneficial effect on worsening disability in RRMS.
Disclosure:
J Drulovic has received compensation for consulting services, travel expenses for scientific meetings, and speaking honoraria from Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck Serono, Medis, and Actavis; supported by a grant of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia (No. 175031).
S Mesaros has received compensation for travel expenses for scientific meetings, and speaking honoraria from Merck Serono, Bayer Schering Pharma, Medis, Genzyme, and Teva; supported by a grant of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia (No. 175031).
I Dujmovic received lecture fees and/or travel grants from Merck Serono, Bayer, Medis, Teva and Boehringer Ingelheim and was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (No. 175031).
V Martinovic supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (No. 175087).
T Pekmezovic has received compensation for consulting services, travel expenses for scientific meetings, and speaking honoraria from Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck Serono, and Actavis; supported by a grant of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia (No. 175087).
Abstract: EP1513
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Therapy - disease modifying - Long-term treatment monitoring
Background: Well-designed observational studies are currently recognized as a design which could provide significant information on the long-term impact of therapy.
Goals: To assess the impact of interferon (IFN)-beta treatment on the confirmed worsening disability in IFN-beta treated and untreated relapsing-remitting (RR) patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using prospective cohort study.
Methods: A cohort of 364 RRMS (233 IFN-beta-treated and 131 untreated) patients was followed for 10 years. One hundred and thirty three patients were treated with IFN-beta 1a 44 mcg, sc, three times weekly and remaining 100 patients were treated with IFN-beta 1b 8 MIU sc, each other day. Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for the number of relapses in the last year before first visit was used to assess the differences between the two groups for the three end points: secondary progression (SP), and confirmed Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score 4 and 6. Time from disease onset was used as survival time variable.
Results: There were no significant differences between the IFN-beta-treated and untreated MS patients for all baseline clinical variables except for number of relapses in the last year before the visit. The IFN-beta-treated group showed a highly significant reduction (hazard ratio [HR], 0.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-0.36, p < 0.001) in the risk of SP when compared with untreated patients. There were significant differences in favor of the IFN-beta-treated group for the end point EDSS score of 4 (HR = 0.43, 95%CI 0.28-0.65, p < 0.001) and EDSS score of 6
(HR = 0.24, 95%CI 0.13-0.45, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: This observational study further supports the notion that IFN-beta could have potential long-term beneficial effect on worsening disability in RRMS.
Disclosure:
J Drulovic has received compensation for consulting services, travel expenses for scientific meetings, and speaking honoraria from Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck Serono, Medis, and Actavis; supported by a grant of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia (No. 175031).
S Mesaros has received compensation for travel expenses for scientific meetings, and speaking honoraria from Merck Serono, Bayer Schering Pharma, Medis, Genzyme, and Teva; supported by a grant of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia (No. 175031).
I Dujmovic received lecture fees and/or travel grants from Merck Serono, Bayer, Medis, Teva and Boehringer Ingelheim and was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (No. 175031).
V Martinovic supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (No. 175087).
T Pekmezovic has received compensation for consulting services, travel expenses for scientific meetings, and speaking honoraria from Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck Serono, and Actavis; supported by a grant of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia (No. 175087).