1. Results of treatment with alemtuzumab in a Spanish cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis in the real world: The RealMS study.
- Author
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Eichau, Sara, Ruiz, Rocío López, de Arcos, María Ruíz, Luis Ruiz-Peña, Juan, Navarro, Guillermo, Ángel Calleja, Miguel, Luis Moreno-Amador, José, and Dotor García-Soto, Julio
- Subjects
URTICARIA ,MAGNETIC resonance imaging ,ALEMTUZUMAB ,IDIOPATHIC thrombocytopenic purpura ,MULTIPLE sclerosis - Abstract
Background: Alemtuzumab (ALZ) is a humanized monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of patients with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) administered in two annual courses. The objective of this study was to describe the effectiveness and safety data of ALZ and to report the health resource utilization in patients receiving this treatment. Methods: In this retrospective, non-interventional study, information was retrieved from patients' medical charts at one center in Spain. Included patients were =18 years old, and ALZ treatment was initiated between 1 March 2015 and 31 March 2019, according to routine clinical practice and local labeling. Results: Of 123 patients, 78% were women. Themean (standard deviation, SD) age of patients at diagnosis was 40.3 (9.1) years, and themean time since diagnosis was 13.8 (7.3) years. Patients were previously treated with amedian (interquartile range; IQR) number of two (2.0-3.0) disease-modifying treatments (DMTs). Patients were treated with ALZ for a mean (SD) of 29.7 (13.8) months. ALZ reduced the annualized relapse rate (ARR) (1.5 before vs. 0.05 after; p < 0.001) and improved themedian EDSS (4.63 before vs. 4.00 after; p < 0.001). Most (90.2%) patients were relapse-free while receiving ALZ. The mean number of gadolinium-enhancing [Gd+] T1 lesions was reduced (1.7 before vs. 0.1 after; p < 0.001), and the mean number of T2 hyperintense lesions was maintained (35.7 before vs. 35.4 after; p = 0.392). A total of 27 (21.9%) patients reported 29 autoimmune diseases: hyperthyroidism (12), hypothyroidism (11), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) (3), alopecia areata (1), chronic urticaria (1), and vitiligo (1). Themean number of health resources (outpatient visits, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and tests performed in the hospital) used while patients were treated with ALZ progressively decreased from year 1 to year 4, except for a slight increase at year 2 of outpatient visits. Conclusion: The ReaLMS study provides real-world evidence that ALZ can promote clinical and magnetic resonance imaging disease remission, as well as disability improvement in patients with MS, despite several prior DMT failures. The ALZ safety profile was consistent with data available from clinical trials and other real-world studies. Healthcare resource use was reduced throughout the treatment period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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