Assessment of malignancy risk in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with intramuscular interferon beta-1a: retrospective evaluation using a health insurance claims database and postmarketing surveillance data

Twenty Years of Subcutaneous Interferon-Beta-1a for Multiple Sclerosis: Contemporary Perspectives

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system. Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), the most common form of the disease, is characterized by transient neurological dysfunction with concurrent accumulation of disability. Over the past three decades, disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) capable of reducing the frequency of relapses and slowing disability worsening have been studied and approved for use in patients with RRMS. The first DMTs were interferon-betas (IFN-βs), which were approved in the 1990s. Among them was IFN-β-1a for subcutaneous (sc) injection (Rebif®), which was approved for the treatment of MS in Europe and Canada in 1998 and in the USA in 2002. Twenty years of clinical data and experience have supported the efficacy and safety of IFN-β-1a sc in the treatment of RRMS, including pivotal trials, real-world data, and extension studies lasting up to 15 years past initial treatment. Today, IFN-β-1a sc remains an important therapeutic option in clinical use, especially around pregnancy planning and lactation, and may also be considered for aging patients, in which MS activity declines and long-term immunosuppression associated with some alternative therapies is a concern. In addition, IFN-β-1a sc is used as a comparator in many clinical studies and provides a framework for research into the mechanisms by which MS begins and progresses.

Risk of cervical pre-cancer and cancer in women with multiple sclerosis exposed to high efficacy disease modifying therapies

There is a growing need to better understand the risk of malignancy in the multiple sclerosis (MS) population, particularly given the relatively recent and widespread introduction of immunomodulating disease modifying therapies (DMTs). Multiple sclerosis disproportionately affects women, and the risk of gynecological malignancies, specifically cervical pre-cancer and cancer, are of particular concern. The causal relationship between persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer has been definitively established. To date, there is limited data on the effect of MS DMTs on the risk of persistent HPV infection and subsequent progression to cervical pre-cancer and cancer. This review evaluates the risk of cervical pre-cancer and cancer in women with MS, including the risk conferred by DMTs. We examine additional factors, specific to the MS population, that alter the risk of developing cervical cancer including participation in HPV vaccination and cervical screening programs.

Managing Risks with Immune Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis

Since the introduction of the interferons in the 1990s, a multitude of different immunomodulatory and immunosuppressant disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) have been developed. They have all shown positive effects on clinical endpoints such as relapse rate and disease progression and are a heterogeneous group of therapeutics comprising recombinant pegylated and non-pegylated interferon-β variants, peptide combinations, monoclonal antibodies, and small molecules. However, they have relevant side effect profiles, which necessitate thorough monitoring and straightforward patient education. In individual cases, side effects can be severe and potentially life-threatening, which is why knowledge about (neurological and non-neurological) adverse drug reactions is essential for prescribing neurologists as well as general practitioners. This paper aims to provide an overview of currently available MS therapies, their modes of action and safety profiles, and the necessary therapy monitoring.

A systematic review of the incidence and prevalence of comorbidity in multiple sclerosis: overview

Background:

Comorbidity is an area of increasing interest in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective:

The objective of this review is to estimate the incidence and prevalence of comorbidity in people with MS and assess the quality of included studies.

Methods:

We searched the PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE and Web of Knowledge databases, conference proceedings, and reference lists of retrieved articles. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts. One reviewer abstracted data using a standardized form and the abstraction was verified by a second reviewer. We assessed study quality using a standardized approach. We quantitatively assessed population-based studies using the I² statistic, and conducted random-effects meta-analyses.

Results:

We included 249 articles. Study designs were variable with respect to source populations, case definitions, methods of ascertainment and approaches to reporting findings. Prevalence was reported more frequently than incidence; estimates for prevalence and incidence varied substantially for all conditions. Heterogeneity was high.

Conclusion:

This review highlights substantial gaps in the epidemiological knowledge of comorbidity in MS worldwide. Little is known about comorbidity in Central or South America, Asia or Africa. Findings in North America and Europe are inconsistent. Future studies should report age-, sex- and ethnicity-specific estimates of incidence and prevalence, and standardize findings to a common population.

A systematic review of the incidence and prevalence of cancer in multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Studies of cancer incidence and prevalence in multiple sclerosis (MS) have produced conflicting results.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the incidence and prevalence of cancer in persons with MS and review the quality of included studies.

METHODS

We searched the PUBMED, SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge, and EMBASE databases, conference proceedings, and reference lists of all articles retrieved. Abstracts were screened for relevance by two reviewers. Data from included articles were captured using a standardized form, and the abstraction was verified by a second reviewer. We assessed quality of the included studies. We quantitatively assessed studies using the I (2) statistic, and conducted meta-analyses for population-based studies.

RESULTS

We identified 38 studies. Estimates for incidence and prevalence varied substantially for most cancers. In population-based studies, cervical, breast, and digestive cancers had the highest incidence. The risk of meningiomas and urinary system cancers appeared higher than expected, while the risks of pancreatic, ovarian, prostate and testicular cancer were lower than expected.

CONCLUSION

The complexity of understanding cancer risk in MS is augmented by inconsistencies in study design, and the relative paucity of age, sex and ethnicity-specific risk estimates from which the strong impact of age on the incidence of cancers can be assessed.

New and emerging immune-targeted drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease with a major inflammatory component that constitutes the most common progressive and disabling neurological condition in young adults. Injectable immunomodulatory medicines such as interferon drugs and glatiramer acetate have dominated the MS market for over the past two decades but this situation is set to change. This is because of: (i) patent expirations, (ii) the introduction of natalizumab, which targets the interaction between leukocytes and the blood-CNS barrier, (iii) the launch of three oral immunomodulatory drugs (fingolimod, dimethyl fumarate and teriflunomide), with another (laquinimod) under regulatory review and (iv) a number of immunomodulatory monoclonal antibodies (alemtuzumab, daclizumab and ocrelizumab) about to enter the market. Current and emerging medicines are reviewed and their impact on people with MS considered.