Preferences and Perspectives of Specialist Multiple Sclerosis Nurses and Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Regarding the New RebiSmart® 3.0 Autoinjector versus Other Assistive Devices.

Purpose: RebiSmart® is an electromechanical multidose autoinjector developed for administering subcutaneous interferon beta-1a in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). This online survey aimed to understand MS nurses' and pwMS preferences and perceptions regarding the features of an upgraded version of the RebiSmart device (RebiSmart 3.0) compared to other assistive devices used for multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. Patients and Methods: Eligible MS nurses and pwMS from Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom completed a double-blind, 30-minute online self-administered questionnaire, including a 10-minute video describing the features of RebiSmart 3.0 and its use in administering interferon beta-1a. Results: In total, 102 participants (MS nurses, n=52; patients, n=50) completed the survey. Overall, 70% respondents found the RebiSmart 3.0 device "very"/"extremely" appealing, 53% were "very"/"extremely" interested in learning more, and 71% stated they would be "very"/"extremely" comfortable using (pwMS) or educating (MS nurses) on it. Among current or recent RebiSmart 2.0 users (vs RebiSmart 2.0 nonusers), 67% (vs 52%) rated RebiSmart 3.0 "very" or "extremely" appealing, 52% (vs 43%) were "very" or "extremely" interested in learning more about the device, and 67% (vs 48%) stated they would be "very" or "extremely" comfortable using the RebiSmart 3.0 device. Respondents ranked customizable injection process (including injection speed, hold time, depth and rotation guide), self-injection process, and hidden needle as the most important self-assistive device features. RebiSmart 3.0 was rated higher than other self-injecting devices on all tested features. Overall, with respect to the top three features, 89% of the MS nurses and 73% of PwMS rated RebiSmart 3.0 "very good" or "excellent". After reviewing the video, 52% respondents had no questions, 67% nurses recommended providing more information on the customizable injection process feature of RebiSmart 3.0 to patients, and 88% nurses considered patient demonstration materials to be the most helpful type of information for them when initiating and educating pwMS on self-assistive devices. Conclusion: The overall reactions of MS nurses and pwMS to the RebiSmart 3.0 device features were positive. The incremental advances over previous versions of the device as well as in comparison with other currently available assistive devices were welcomed. The MS nurses identified key needs for patient education on the use of the device and the suitable approaches (training videos and educational leaflets) to support MS nurses and pwMS.

A plain language summary on assessing the long-term effectiveness of cladribine tablets in people living with relapsing multiple sclerosis: The CLASSIC-MS study.

WHAT IS THIS SUMMARY ABOUT?: Previous studies have shown that people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with cladribine tablets have fewer relapses (where new symptoms occur or existing symptoms get worse for 24 hours or more) and delayed disability progression (slowing down of the disease getting worse). The CLASSIC-MS study looked at the long-term effectiveness of treatment with cladribine tablets in people living with MS who had taken part in the original CLARITY and CLARITY Extension clinical studies. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?: Results showed that people treated with cladribine tablets maintained their mobility (the ability to move freely) for longer and experienced other positive effects long after their treatment ended, including being less likely to need further treatment for their MS. WHAT DO THE RESULTS MEAN?: The results obtained from CLASSIC-MS show that the benefits of taking cladribine tablets carry on even when patients stop taking the treatment.

Is multiple sclerosis a length-dependent central axonopathy? The case for therapeutic lag and the asynchronous progressive MS hypotheses.

Trials of anti-inflammatory therapies in non-relapsing progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) have been stubbornly negative except recently for an anti-CD20 therapy in primary progressive MS and a S1P modulator siponimod in secondary progressive MS. We argue that this might be because trials have been too short and have focused on assessing neuronal pathways, with insufficient reserve capacity, as the core component of the primary outcome. Delayed neuroaxonal degeneration primed by prior inflammation is not expected to respond to disease-modifying therapies targeting MS-specific mechanisms. However, anti-inflammatory therapies may modify these damaged pathways, but with a therapeutic lag that may take years to manifest. Based on these observations we propose that clinically apparent neurodegenerative components of progressive MS may occur in a length-dependent manner and asynchronously. If this hypothesis is confirmed it may have major implications for the future design of progressive MS trials.

The relationship between the rate of brain volume loss during first 24 months and disability progression over 24 and 48 months in relapsing MS.

Clinical evidence in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis suggests an association between MRI outcome measures and disability progression (DP). Post hoc analysis to investigate the association and potential predictive value of brain volume loss (BVL) with long-term DP in FREEDOMS. Patients were categorized into quartiles by SIENA-calculated percent brain volume change from baseline to month (M) 24. Patient characteristics at baseline were determined for each quartile, as were the proportions of patients at M24 and M48 reaching Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores of ≥4.0 or ≥6.0 or DP confirmed at 3 months (CDP3) or 6 months (CDP6), and change in EDSS and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite. MS disease activity and severity as well as brain volume at baseline were predictive of subsequent BVL over 24 months. The quartiles of patients with greater BVL at 24 months were at highest risk (odds ratio, p value) for reaching EDSS ≥4 (2.8, p = 0.001) or ≥6 (5.73, p = 0.0005) and experienced more DP at M24 (CDP3 2.13, p = 0.002; CDP6 2.17, p = 0.003) and M48 (CDP3 1.98, p = 0.006; CDP6 1.87, p = 0.018) compared to the quartile of patients with the least amount of BVL. These findings confirm the clinical relevance of early brain volume changes for long-term DP.

Prognostic factors for long-term outcomes in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to investigate potential clinical and MRI predictors of long-term outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: This was a post hoc analysis using data from all 382 patients in the PRISMS long-term follow-up (LTFU) study collected up to eight years after randomisation. An additional analysis was performed including only those patients originally randomised to receive early subcutaneous interferon (IFN) ß-1a (n = 259). Baseline/prestudy variables, indicators of early clinical and MRI activity (baseline to month 24), and indicators of IFN ß-1a treatment exposure (including medication possession ratio (MPR)) were investigated as candidate prognostic factors for outcomes measured from baseline and from month 24 to LTFU. Explanatory variables identified from univariate regression models (p ≤ 0.15) were selected for inclusion in stepwise multiple regression models. RESULTS: Candidate prognostic factors selected by the univariate analysis (p ≤ 0.15) included age, MS duration, baseline brain volume, EDSS score, and log(T2 burden of disease (BOD)). In most of the multivariate regression models applied, higher baseline brain volume and MPR predicted better long-term clinical outcomes, while higher baseline and greater early increase in EDSS score predicted worse outcomes. CONCLUSION: Identification of markers that may be prognostic for long-term disability could help identify MS patients at higher risk of disability progression.

Early treatment with high-dose interferon beta-1a reverses cognitive and cortical plasticity deficits in multiple sclerosis.

Acute inflammation is associated with cognitive deficits and alterations of cortical plasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS). We tested whether early treatment with high-dose interferon (IFN) beta-1a, known to reduce inflammatory activity, improves cortical function and cognitive deficits in MS. Eighty treatment-naïve relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS)patients received IFN beta-1a (44 mcg) subcutaneously three times per week. Cognitive performance and cortical plasticity were measured through the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) and intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) before and up to two years af-ter IFN beta-1a initiation. Before treatment, patients with gadolinium-enhancing lesions (Gd+) on MRI performed worse on the PASAT,and showed lower iTBS-induced plasticity, compared with Gd- patients. Six months after treatment initiation both PASAT and iTBS-induced plasticity improved in Gd+ and remained stable in Gd- patients. These results suggest that cognitive and synaptic plasticity deficits may be rescued during high-doseIFN beta-1a treatment in newly-diagnosed RRMS patients with Gd+ lesions.

Validation of the spanish version of the Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life (Musiqol) questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The Multiple Sclerosis International Quality Of Life (MusiQoL) questionnaire, a 31-item, multidimensional, self-administrated questionnaire that is available in 14 languages including Spanish, has been validated using a large international sample. We investigated the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of MusiQoL in Spain. METHODS: Consecutive patients with different types and severities of multiple sclerosis (MS) were recruited from 22 centres across Spain. All patients completed the MusiQoL questionnaire, the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) health survey, and a symptoms checklist at baseline and 21 days later. External validity, internal consistency, reliability and reproducibility were tested. RESULTS: A total of 224 Spanish patients were evaluated. Dimensions of MusiQoL generally demonstrated a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.70-0.92 for all but two MusiQoL domain scores). External validity testing revealed that the MusiQoL index score correlated significantly with all SF-36 dimension scores (Pearson's correlation: 0.46-0.76), reproducibility was satisfactory (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.60-0.91), acceptability was high, and the time taken to complete the 31-item questionnaire was reasonable (mean [standard deviation]: 9.8 [11.8] minutes). CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the MusiQoL questionnaire appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring quality of life in patients with MS in Spain and constitutes a useful instrument to measure health-related quality of life in the clinical setting.