1. Real-world durability of relapse rate reduction in patients with multiple sclerosis receiving fingolimod for up to 3 years: a retrospective US claims database analysis
- Author
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Miranda Peeples, Edward Fox, Maria Cecilia Vieira, Arielle G. Bensimon, James Signorovitch, Vivian Herrera, and Kristen Johnson
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Time Factors ,Databases, Factual ,Relapse rate ,Real world evidence ,Drug Administration Schedule ,Cohort Studies ,Insurance Claim Review ,03 medical and health sciences ,Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting ,0302 clinical medicine ,Recurrence ,Humans ,Medicine ,In patient ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Claims database ,Retrospective Studies ,Fingolimod Hydrochloride ,business.industry ,Multiple sclerosis ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Fingolimod ,United States ,Discontinuation ,Neurology ,Median time ,Female ,Neurology (clinical) ,business ,Immunosuppressive Agents ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Objective To assess real-world durability of reduction in relapse rates among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving fingolimod therapy over a longer-term period of follow-up. Methods Patients with MS who initiated fingolimod were identified from a US claims database (January 1, 2009 to September 30, 2016) and followed for 3 years post-initiation. Annualized relapse rates (ARRs) were calculated during the 1-year pre-initiation period, and during each year over the 3-year follow-up period. Time from fingolimod initiation to discontinuation (≥60-day treatment gap) was also summarized. Results Among 1599 fingolimod initiators, 1158 (72%) had continuous fingolimod use up to the start of year 2 and 937 (59%) had continuous fingolimod use up to the start of year 3. The mean baseline ARR during the 1-year pre-initiation period for all initiators was 0.51. After fingolimod initiation, mean ARRs were consistently lower in each year of follow-up: 0.25 (95% CI: 0.22, 0.28) in year 1 for all fingolimod initiators, 0.22 (0.18, 0.25) in year 2 for patients with continuous fingolimod use up to the start of year 2, and 0.23 (0.19, 0.27) in year 3 for patients with continuous fingolimod use up to the start of year 3. Median time on treatment was 33 months for all patients initiating fingolimod. Conclusions Patients with MS who received continuous fingolimod therapy experienced a sustained reduction in relapse rates (>50% vs. baseline) during each year of a 3-year follow-up period.
- Published
- 2019
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