BACKGROUND: Validated measures of sustained improvements in neurological function have not been established for multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical studies. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate sustained Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) change as a potential indicator of neurological improvement and as an outcome measure in MS clinical studies. METHODS: Analyses were performed on patients (n = 620) from the pivotal natalizumab study AFFIRM with baseline EDSS scores ≥2.0. Cumulative probabilities of neurological improvement, defined as a 1.0-point decrease in EDSS score sustained for ≥12 weeks, were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model identified associated baseline factors and examined treatment effects. RESULTS: Sustained improvement (as well as sustained worsening) in neurological disability was seen in AFFIRM patients. Sustained EDSS changes correlated well with quality of life measurements (SF36 and VAS). Natalizumab increased the cumulative probability of improvement over 2 years by 69% versus placebo (HR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.16-2.45; p = 0.006). Sensitivity analyses showed consistent benefits of natalizumab with variations in improvement magnitude and duration, and baseline disease activity. CONCLUSION: These analyses demonstrate that sustained EDSS improvement is an additional measure that is sensitive to treatment effects over 2 years and correlates with quality of life. Further research is warranted to validate its use as an MS study clinical outcome.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Validated measures of sustained improvements in neurological function have not been established for multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical studies. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate sustained Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) change as a potential indicator of neurological improvement and as an outcome measure in MS clinical studies. METHODS: Analyses were performed on patients (n = 620) from the pivotal natalizumab study AFFIRM with baseline EDSS scores ≥2.0. Cumulative probabilities of neurological improvement, defined as a 1.0-point decrease in EDSS score sustained for ≥12 weeks, were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model identified associated baseline factors and examined treatment effects. RESULTS: Sustained improvement (as well as sustained worsening) in neurological disability was seen in AFFIRM patients. Sustained EDSS changes correlated well with quality of life measurements (SF36 and VAS). Natalizumab increased the cumulative probability of improvement over 2 years by 69% versus placebo (HR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.16-2.45; p = 0.006). Sensitivity analyses showed consistent benefits of natalizumab with variations in improvement magnitude and duration, and baseline disease activity. CONCLUSION: These analyses demonstrate that sustained EDSS improvement is an additional measure that is sensitive to treatment effects over 2 years and correlates with quality of life. Further research is warranted to validate its use as an MS study clinical outcome.
Authors: Heinz Wiendl; Ralf Gold; Thomas Berger; Tobias Derfuss; Ralf Linker; Mathias Mäurer; Martin Stangel; Orhan Aktas; Karl Baum; Martin Berghoff; Stefan Bittner; Andrew Chan; Adam Czaplinski; Florian Deisenhammer; Franziska Di Pauli; Renaud Du Pasquier; Christian Enzinger; Elisabeth Fertl; Achim Gass; Klaus Gehring; Claudio Gobbi; Norbert Goebels; Michael Guger; Aiden Haghikia; Hans-Peter Hartung; Fedor Heidenreich; Olaf Hoffmann; Zoë R Hunter; Boris Kallmann; Christoph Kleinschnitz; Luisa Klotz; Verena Leussink; Fritz Leutmezer; Volker Limmroth; Jan D Lünemann; Andreas Lutterotti; Sven G Meuth; Uta Meyding-Lamadé; Michael Platten; Peter Rieckmann; Stephan Schmidt; Hayrettin Tumani; Martin S Weber; Frank Weber; Uwe K Zettl; Tjalf Ziemssen; Frauke Zipp Journal: Nervenarzt Date: 2021-07-23 Impact factor: 1.214
Authors: Miriam Mattoscio; Richard Nicholas; Maria P Sormani; Omar Malik; Jean S Lee; Adam D Waldman; Francesco Dazzi; Paolo A Muraro Journal: Neurology Date: 2015-03-11 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Ludwig Kappos; Paul W O'Connor; Christopher H Polman; Patrick Vermersch; Heinz Wiendl; Amy Pace; Annie Zhang; Christophe Hotermans Journal: J Neurol Date: 2013-01-05 Impact factor: 4.849