title: Efficacy and tolerability of different brands of intravenous immunoglobulin in the maintenance treatment of chronic immune-mediated neuropathies.
abstract: High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is effective in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN). Not all brands of IVIg are however licensed for these neuropathies. We reviewed six patients with CIDP and seven with MMN treated with maintenance therapy with IVIg from 2009 to 2013. In all patients, we measured the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Overall Neuropathy Limitation Scale (ONLS) scores before each infusion, registered the monthly dose and brand of IVIg, and recorded adverse events. Patients were treated for 25-60 months (mean 49 months) alternating different brands of IVIg including IgVena, Gammagard, Kiovig, and Flebogamma. Minor and transient side effects were equally observed with each brand. No difference in the MRC or ONLS scores was observed in relation to the brand of IVIg used. Chronic maintenance treatment with IVIg in patients with MMN and CIDP was not associated with a different tolerability or efficacy despite the use of different brands of IVIg.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), University of Milan, 2nd Neurology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gallia
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), University of Milan, 2nd Neurology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balducci
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), University of Milan, 2nd Neurology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nobile-Orazio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000145:classification* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020277:Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous
keywords: IVIg; chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy; multifocal motor neuropathy; therapy