Interferon-β1b in Multiple Sclerosis: Effect on Progression of Disability and Clinical Markers of Treatment Response

There is limited long-term data on the effect of interferon-β1b (IFN-β1b) on disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). There is also no reliable way of predicting individual responses to IFN-β1b treatment. This prospective study investigated early clinical prognostic markers of disease activity and progression in 115 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) treated with IFN-β1b for almost 5 years. The study also compared progression of disability in IFN-β1b-treated patients with a historic untreated cohort of MS patients (n = 44). The number of relapses in the first 2 years of MS and in the 2 years before treatment predicted an early relapse after IFN-β1b treatment. The IFN-β1b-treated group experienced a slower progression of disability than the untreated cohort, suggesting that IFN-β1b treatment delays progression of disability in RRMS.