If this is not your name, click here.
| | If this is not your name, click here. | | |
| | Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague | | |
| |  Intramuscular Interferon Therapy Shows Greater Compliance Than Other Disease-Modifying Therapies: Presented at ENS By Chris Berrie MILAN, Italy -- June 25, 2009 -- Treatment with intramuscular (IM) interferon beta (IFNB)-1a shows significantly greater compliance than other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to an observational study presented here at the 19th Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS). Presenting on behalf of the Spanish Global Adherence Project (GAP) Study Group on June 22, Estefania Arroyo, Biogen Idec Iberia, SL, Madrid, Spain, said, “This is a subanalysis from the [Spain, Portugal and Iberia] GAP Study… where in Iberia it was followed for 5 years.” The primary objective was to evaluate adherence rates to approved DMTs in patients with RRMS, and the secondary objective was to explore factors that influence this adherence, accompanied by monitoring of patient quality of life. Study patients (n = 416) had been treated with the same DMT for >=6 months: 93 with IM IFNB-1a; 63 with subcutaneous (SC) IFNB-1a 22 mcg; 86 with SC IFNB-1a 44 mcg; 99 with IFNB-1b; and 75 with glatiramer acetate (GA). “Adherence was defined as not missing a DMT injection or changing a dose in the 4 weeks before completion of the survey,” said Arroyo. At a median of 29.0 months on their current DMTs, the overall adherence rate was 83.9%. Patients taking IM IFNB-1a were significantly more adherent (94.6%) than all the other treatments: IFNB-1a 22 mcg, 81.0% (P = .0072); IFNB-1a 44 mcg, 74.4% (P = .0002); IFNB-1b, 85.9% (P = .0421), and GA, 81.3% (P = .0069). At 1 year of follow-up (n = 141), with an overall 86.6% adherence rate, the significant difference remained for adherence to IM IFNB-1a (93.9%) over SC IFNB-1a 22 mcg (66.7%; P = .0251). After 2 years of follow-up (n = 131), the adherence remained high at 82.4% but with no statistical differences between the treatments. The most common reasons for nonadherence (experienced by >10% of patients) were forgetfulness, being tired of taking injections, flulike symptoms, weakness, fatigue, skin reaction, and injection anxiety. Seventy percent of the reasons were injection related. “We can try to improve all of these factors, and we can communicate [the improvements to the patients [as] follow-up for them to keep to their medication,” added Arroyo. Funding for this study was provided Biogen Idec Iberia, Madrid, Spain. [Presentation title: Five-Year Study of Adherence to Disease-Modifying Therapies in Patients With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: 2-Year Interim Results. Abstract P353]
|
