Comparative Effectiveness of High-Efficacy Multiple Sclerosis Treatments

Head-to-head data exist for alemtuzumab versus thrice-weekly subcutaneous interferon beta 1a (IFN) and for fingolimod versus weekly intramuscular IFN. However, no trial data are available comparing alemtuzumab with natalizumab and with fingolimod. Researchers have now compared these treatments' effects on relapse rates and other outcomes using MSBase, a longitudinal international registry that prospectively collects observational data from multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical practices. Treatments are based on physician and patient preferences, along with payer approval. The researchers used propensity scores to match patients between treatment groups based on baseline characteristics.

Of 15,783 eligible patients, detailed propensity matching re…