Treatment of multiple sclerosis with interferon-beta: Experience at the MS center of La Sapienza University in Rome

Tomassini, Valentina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7368-6280 and Frontoni, M. 1999. Treatment of multiple sclerosis with interferon-beta: Experience at the MS center of La Sapienza University in Rome. Giornale di Neuropsicofarmacologia 21 (6) , pp. 179-184.

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Abstract

Aim of the study, was to evaluate the impact of rIFN beta therapy ill Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RR-MS) in terms of efficacy and tolerability during a defined period of day-to-day clinical practice at the MS Centre of "La Sapienza" University in Rome. Material and Methods: the study, concerned RR-MS patients observed IS months before and 18 months during a treatment with 8 MIU rIFN beta-1b (Betaferon(R), Schering), three rimes a week, subcutaneously. Clinical and demographic baseline characteristics of each patient have been considered and the clinical trend of the disease has been evaluated Adverse events, date and reasons of drug withdrawal have been recorded. Results: ninety-five patients out of 137 had complete records and no previous treatment with immunosuppressant drugs. The therapy was well tolerated. Twenty patients dropped out of treatment before the end of the study: 15 (15.8%) due to collateral effects, 2 (2.1%) to unsatisfying therapeutic response to the drug, and 3 (3.2%) to poor compliance. In the 75 patients who completed the follow-up, during the therapy, we found a significant reduction of relapse rate (64%) and of steroid courses (methylprednisolone) (73%), and an increase of relapse-free patients (47%). With respect to the pre-treatment period, the relapse rare recorded in the 18 months before drug administration was significantly related to the relapse rate of the treatment period (r = 0.34; p < 0.01). For most of the treated subjects no variations of disability have been recorded during the study: only 11% of patients got worst after the first drug administration. Conclusions: the study results confirm the efficacy and tolerability of rIFN beta-1b therapy in day-to-day clinical practice of MS Centre.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG)
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Publisher:	C I C- Edizioni Internazionali SRL
ISSN:	0391-9048
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2022 09:57
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/83010

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