Long-term disease modifying therapies for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were effective at reducing relapse and disability accumulation, according to study results published in Neurology.
The predominant goal of MS treatments is the prevention of long-term disability accrual. Study researchers sought to determine whether immunotherapy could prevent long-term disability in patients with relapsing-remitting MS.
This was an observational cohort study during which researchers assessed patients with multiple sclerosis who were eligible for class IV immunotherapy
In this observational cohort study, researchers assessed patients (N=14,717) with MS who were eligible for class IV immunotherapy. They collected patient data from the MSBase registry.
71% of patients were women (mean age, 36 years; mean age at disease onset, 30±9 years) and had a median of 6 (interquartile range [IQR], 3.1-10) years of prospective follow-up data. Patients had a median of 4 (IQR, 2-6) relapses, and 69% were exposed to immunotherapies. A total of 1085 patients had at least 15 years of follow-up data (median years of prospective follow-up, 17 years; 95% CI, 15.6-18.8).