Tolerability, treatment satisfaction and quality of life outcomes in stable multiple sclerosis patients switched from injectable therapies to auto injected intramuscular interferon beta 1a: The SFERA study

Multicenter Interventional Phase IV Study for the Assessment of the Effects on Patient's Satisfaction of Peg IFN Beta-1a (Pre-filled Pen) in Subjects With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Unsatisfied With Other Injectable Subcutaneous Interferons (PLATINUM Study)

Subcutaneous (SC) interferons beta (IFN-beta) are effective therapies for the treatment of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Factors such as dosing schedule, needle intolerance/fatigue, and side effects may impact patient satisfaction with treatment. Improvement of patient satisfaction may increase the adherence to treatment and the patient quality of life. This study was aimed at evaluating the impact of switching to “Peginterferon beta-1a (Peg-IFN beta-1a)” in patients with RRMS unsatisfied with other SC interferons. The multicenter, open-label, phase IV PLATINUM study was conducted in 32 Italian centers. The primary endpoint was changes from baseline in the score of a convenience satisfaction domain of the TSQM-9 questionnaire at 12 weeks. The secondary endpoints were patients' global satisfaction, short-term adherence to treatment, satisfaction with the injection system, effect on fatigue, disease activity, and patient inability score. A total of 193 patients were enrolled and 166 (86%) completed the study, receiving Peg-IFN beta-1a for 24 weeks. Patients switching to Peg-IFN beta-1a from other SC interferons reported a significant improvement (p < 0.001) of Convenience Score and all other scores of the TSQM-9 questionnaire at 12 and 24 weeks (p < 0.001). Peg IFN beta-1a attained very high adherence to the treatment (92 and 86% at 12 and 24 weeks, respectively) with a stable annualized relapse rate (ARR). At 24 weeks, 94% of the participants were relapse free. Adverse events (AEs), recorded on 82 patients (42%), were mild or moderate. The most common AE was flu-like syndrome (29.2%). Patients switching from SC IFN beta therapy to Peg IFN beta-1a showed high treatment satisfaction with a positive safety profile, comparable with that of other currently approved first-line injectable SC interferons. This study suggests that Peg IFN beta-1a might represent a treatment choice to improve adherence in RRMS patients unsatisfied with other SC interferons.