Sustained improvement in physical function, as measured on the EDSS scale, was associated with improved quality of life for patients with relapsing MS taking TYSABRI
This study evaluated the relationship between sustained changes in disability, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and changes in patient-reported quality of life in TYSABRI patients. Disability improvement may be associated with improvements in patient-reported outcomes.
This analysis showed that sustained improvement in physician-rated EDSS scores was associated with sustained improvement in patient-reported QoL, including physical and mental components of QoL (as measured by Physical Component Summary, PCS, [p 0.0001] p=”0.0250]” –
The poster, Improvement in EDSS Corresponds with Improvement in Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (P02.169), will be available for viewing on April 13 from 3 – 7:30 p.m. EDT.
MS patients report improvements in quality of life, including physical and psychological well-being, as well as reduced fatigue and improved cognitive function after one year of treatment with TYSABRI
In this ongoing one-year longitudinal study, patients with MS were asked to assess their outcomes using validated patient-reported outcome measures prior to treatment initiation and after the third, sixth and 12th infusions with TYSABRI. The posters presented at AAN show that patients reported significant improvements in quality of life, including physical and psychological well-being, as well as reduced fatigue and improved cognitive 
One of the posters on this study, Effect of Natalizumab on Disease-Specific Quality of Life after One Year of Natalizumab Treatment (P02.164), will be available for viewing on April 13 from 3 – 7:30 p.m. EDT. Another titled Improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Natalizumab in the United States (P02.166) will be available for viewing on April 13 from 3 – 7:30 p.m. EDT. A third titled Improvement in Patient-Reported Fatigue and Cognitive Function over Time with Natalizumab Treatment (P06.167) will be available for viewing on April 15 from 3 – 7:30 p.m. EDT.
AAN platform presentation shows MS patients treated with TYSABRI experienced no substantial changes in the presence of JCV DNA, and second platform shows that patients who developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) had evidence of antibodies to JCV that suggests prior infection
One platform presents data suggesting that treatment with TYSABRI does not have a substantial effect on the presence of JCV DNA in MS patients. In the Dose Suspension Safety Assessment (n=1397) and STRATA (n=1094), JCV DNA was detected in less than 1 percent of all patients, approximately 50 percent of whom were TYSABRI naïve.
The second platform presents data indicating that patients who developed PML had evidence of prior infection with JCV, as measured by the presence of anti-JCV antibodies. Investigators evaluated serum samples from TYSABRI patients who developed PML where blood samples had been collected at least one year prior to the diagnosis of PML. Most of these samples were collected prior to beginning treatment with TYSABRI. In all of these patients, serum samples were positive for JCV antibodies prior to onset of PML, suggesting pre-existing JCV infection in these patients. Additional analyses are needed to determine whether anti-JCV antibodies are useful in stratifying for PML risk.
The first platform presentation, Effects of Natalizumab Treatment on the Presence of JC Virus DNA in Blood or Urine in Multiple Sclerosis Patients (S31.002), is on April 14 during the session from 4:15 – 5:30 p.m. EDT, and the second, Evaluation of the Incidence of Anti-JCV Antibodies in a Cohort of Natalizumab-Treated MS Patients (S31.003), is on April 14 during the session from 4:15 – 5:30 p.m. EDT.
