Eleven-Year Outcomes in the Early Treatment of MS

The BENEFIT trial was a 2-year, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, manufacturer-funded study to evaluate interferon β-1b (IFN) for the prevention of a second clinical relapse in patients with an initial demyelinating event and abnormal brain magentic resonance imaging indicating possible multiple sclerosis (MS). Placebo recipients (delayed-treatment group) were provided the option to receive IFN open-label upon having a second clinical event or after completion of 2 years of follow-up. Of the original 468 randomized patients, 278 (59%) underwent regular assessments available for analyses. Of these, 167 had received early treatment and 111 had delayed treatment.

With early versus delayed treatment, a second clinical event occurred a…