Interferon beta in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis : daily clinical practice.
OBJECTIVE
Observational studies may provide additional information about the behaviour of different drugs in the post-marketing period. We present the data from a cohort of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients treated with interferon beta (IFNbeta-1b) at our MS clinic.


METHODS
This was an independent, open-label, non-randomised, observational study. Within the period 1998 to 2005, all patients with SPMS who started therapy with IFNbeta-1b at our centre were studied. Each patient was included in a follow-up protocol collecting demographic and baseline clinical data.


RESULTS
We studied 146 SPMS patients with a median follow-up of 60 months. Over the total study period, 62.2% of patients had confirmed progression. The analysis of the time to con- firmed progression showed that patients with two or more relapses in the 2 years before IFNbeta initiation, had a higher risk of disability increase than those patients with less than two relapses (p = 0.002). Multiple regression analysis showed disease activity in terms of relapses as the only factor to predict increase of disability during the follow-up period. A significant proportion of patients (36%) stopped treatment during the follow-up period. IFNbeta was safe, although some unexpected adverse events were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
A higher disease activity before the beginning of treatment with IFNbeta in SPMS patients with a given EDSS rank could identify those with faster disability progression after treatment initiation.
Río
Jordi
J
2a planta EUI, Unitat de Neuroimmunología Clínica Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Psg Vall d'Hebron 119-120, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. jrio@vhebron.net
Tintoré
Mar
M
Nos
Carlos
C
Téllez
Neus
N
Galán
Ingrid
I
Pelayo
Raul
R
Montalban
Xavier
X
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D019370:Observation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis
D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016899:Interferon-beta