title: Relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis switching from interferon to fingolimod or glatiramer acetate: a US claims database study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Approximately one-third of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are unresponsive to, or intolerant of, interferon (IFN) therapy, prompting a switch to other disease-modifying therapies. Clinical outcomes of switching therapy are unknown. This retrospective study assessed differences in relapse rates among patients with MS switching from IFN to fingolimod or glatiramer acetate (GA) in a real-world setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  US administrative claims data from the PharMetrics Plus™ database were used to identify patients with MS who switched from IFN to fingolimod or GA between October 1, 2010 and March 31, 2012. Patients were matched 1∶1 using propensity scores within strata (number of pre-index relapses) on demographic (e.g. age and gender) and disease (e.g. timing of pre-index relapse, comorbidities and symptoms) characteristics. A claims-based algorithm was used to identify relapses while patients were persistent with therapy over 360 days post-switch. Differences in both the probability of experiencing a relapse and the annualized relapse rate (ARR) while persistent with therapy were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The matched sample population contained 264 patients (n = 132 in each cohort). Before switching, 33.3% of patients in both cohorts had experienced at least one relapse. During the post-index persistence period, the proportion of patients with at least one relapse was lower in the fingolimod cohort (12.9%) than in the GA cohort (25.0%), and ARRs were lower with fingolimod (0.19) than with GA (0.51). Patients treated with fingolimod had a 59% lower probability of relapse (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.21-0.80; p = 0.0091) and 62% fewer relapses per year (rate ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.21-0.68; p = 0.0013) compared with those treated with GA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a real-world setting, patients with MS who switched from IFNs to fingolimod were significantly less likely to experience relapses than those who switched to GA.
authors: Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Niklas
authors: N
authors: Bergvall
authors: IMS Health, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Makin
authors: Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Raquel
authors: R
authors: Lahoz
authors: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors: Neetu
authors: N
authors: Agashivala
authors: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors: Ashish
authors: A
authors: Pradhan
authors: Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Gorana
authors: G
authors: Capkun
authors: IMS Health, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Allison A
authors: AA
authors: Petrilla
authors: IMS Health, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Swapna U
authors: SU
authors: Karkare
authors: IMS Health, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Catherine Balderston
authors: CB
authors: McGuiness
authors: IMS Health, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Jonathan R
authors: JR
authors: Korn
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D000068876:Fingolimod Hydrochloride; D000068717:Glatiramer Acetate; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010455:Peptides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011409:Propylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D011409:Propylene Glycols; D000068717:Glatiramer Acetate; D007372:Interferons; D000068876:Fingolimod Hydrochloride; D013110:Sphingosine