TY - JOUR
T1 - Post-marketing survey on clinical response to interferon beta in relapsing multiple sclerosis
T2 - The Roman experience
AU - Pozzilli, Carlo
AU - Prosperini, L.
AU - Sbardella, E.
AU - De Giglio, L.
AU - Onesti, E.
AU - Tomassini, V.
PY - 2005/12
Y1 - 2005/12
N2 - Safety, tolerability and efficacy profiles of interferon beta (IFNβ) therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) has been widely verified both in trial settings and in daily clinical practice. However, for a variable percentage of treated patients, it remains only partially effective. In this study, we reported the post-marketing experience of the efficacy of IFNβ therapy for a large cohort of MS patients regularly attending the MS Outpatient Clinic of "La Sapienza University" in Rome. In this cohort we also sought clinical and paraclinical variables responsible for the clinical course of MS during IFNβ therapy. Patients that received treatment with one of the IFNβ formulations for at least 1 year were included. Clinical outcomes (i. e., relapses and disability score) were monitored throughout the entire study period. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed twice for each subject: at baseline and after 1 year of therapy. The occurrence of more than one relapse during the study period or a sustained disability progression in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score were considered as criteria for the definition of suboptimal clinical response to IFNβ therapy. During IFNβ therapy (number of patients 242, mean length of treatment 4.3±2.3 years) a reduction in the annualised relapse rate of 59% (p
AB - Safety, tolerability and efficacy profiles of interferon beta (IFNβ) therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) has been widely verified both in trial settings and in daily clinical practice. However, for a variable percentage of treated patients, it remains only partially effective. In this study, we reported the post-marketing experience of the efficacy of IFNβ therapy for a large cohort of MS patients regularly attending the MS Outpatient Clinic of "La Sapienza University" in Rome. In this cohort we also sought clinical and paraclinical variables responsible for the clinical course of MS during IFNβ therapy. Patients that received treatment with one of the IFNβ formulations for at least 1 year were included. Clinical outcomes (i. e., relapses and disability score) were monitored throughout the entire study period. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed twice for each subject: at baseline and after 1 year of therapy. The occurrence of more than one relapse during the study period or a sustained disability progression in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score were considered as criteria for the definition of suboptimal clinical response to IFNβ therapy. During IFNβ therapy (number of patients 242, mean length of treatment 4.3±2.3 years) a reduction in the annualised relapse rate of 59% (p
KW - Disability progression
KW - Interferon beta
KW - MRI
KW - Multiple sclerosis
KW - Predictors of response
KW - Relapse rate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=30644462726&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=30644462726&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10072-005-0510-x
DO - 10.1007/s10072-005-0510-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 16388353
AN - SCOPUS:30644462726
SN - 1590-1874
VL - 26
JO - Neurological Sciences
JF - Neurological Sciences
IS - SUPPL. 4
ER -