Supportive strategies to improve adherence to IFN beta-1b in Multiple Sclerosis--results of the BetaPlus observational cohort study

BACKGROUND: Low adherence to treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been shown to lead to poor health outcomes. Various strategies to improve adherence have been suggested including educative programs, injection devices and dedicated nurse assistance. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of elements of the patient support program on adherence; to explore disease factors affecting adherence; and to determine whether these factors influence the choices of supportive elements. METHODS: A prospective, observational cohort study was conducted. MS patients were eligible if they had switched to Interferon beta-1b (IFNB-1b) between 1 and 3 months prior to inclusion. Data were collected at months 6, 12, 18 and 24 after inclusion. Adherence was defined as completion of both study protocol and medication at 24 months. Patients underwent evaluations of disability, quality of life, depression, and coping styles. RESULTS: A total of 1077 patients from 15 countries were included, of which 61.8% were adherent to IFNB-1b after 24-months. Depression, quality of life and autoinjector devices were baseline predictors of adherence at 24-months. Coping styles did not show to have substantial impact on adherence. Lower quality of life increased the probability of choosing supportive elements. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the usage of autoinjector devices chosen during the study was the strongest predictor of drug adherence of all the supportive elements tested in this study.