Does “No Evidence of Disease Activity” at 2 Years Predict 16-Year MS Outcomes?

Setting treatment goals in multiple sclerosis (MS) and defining thresholds for suboptimal response have been hot topics. The formulation ‘no evidence of disease activity' (NEDA) encompasses clinical findings (freedom from relapses, disability progression) as well as radiologic ones (new lesions on MRI).

The interferon-beta 1b studies from the mid-1990s recruited 376 patients with active MS and randomized them to treatment or placebo. Investigators evaluated patients who had NEDA at 2 years for negative disability outcomes (NDOs) at 16 years. (Negative outcomes included death, need for wheelchair, and transitioning to secondary progressive disease.)

At 16 years, 245 of the 376 trial participants were assessed. An NDO was present in 129 patient…