Motivating Patients With Multiple Sclerosis May Improve Treatment Adherence, Outcomes

The following article is part of live conference coverage from the 2018 ACTRIMS Forum in San Diego, California. Neurology Advisor’s staff will be reporting breaking news associated with research conducted by leading experts in neurology. Check back for the latest news from ACTRIMS 2018.

Patients with multiple sclerosis who were motivated to adhere to treatment while on interferon beta-1b therapy generally had better outcomes, according to research presented at the ACTRIMS Forum 2018 in San Diego, California.

Regina Berkovich, from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and colleagues gathered data on 41 patients with multiple sclerosis who received interferon beta-1b therapy for ≥1 year and had ≥1 spinal lesion in addition to brain lesions at baseline. Researchers emphasized the importance of good adherence by reviewing imaging findings with patients and asking patients how many injections they had missed.

In total, 90.2% of patients were considered treatment adherent, or having missed <10% of injections. Thirty-seven patients were relapse free and 36 patients had reached no evidence of disease activity status.

Patients who were motivated to remain adherent to interferon beta-1b treatment experienced better outcomes, including, “low rates of relapse, little or no change in disability, favorable [magnetic resonance imaging] outcomes, and high rates of [no evidence of disease activity],” concluded the researchers.

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Reference

Berkovich R, Togasaki DM, Rametta M. Adherence facilitates outcomes in patients on interferon beta-1b. Presented at: ACTRIMS Forum 2018; February 1-3, 2018; San Diego, CA. Abstract P230.