Anti-CD20 therapy shows no effect on disability progression in MS

For patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), the time to confirmed disability progression (CDP) does not differ for those who are anti-CD20-treated and untreated, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in Neurology.

Marion Hay, M.D., from Rennes University Hospital in France, and colleagues analyzed CDP in a cohort of patients with PPMS treated with anti-CD20 therapies versus a weighted untreated control cohort in a retrospective study using data from the French MS registry. A total of 1,184 patients met the inclusion criteria: 426 treated and 758 untreated (median age, 56 years; 52.7 percent female).

Among treated patients, 295 and 131 received rituximab and ocrelizumab, respectively. The researchers found that anti-CD20-treated patients were younger and had more active disease at baseline. There was no statistical difference observed in time to first CDP. A nonsignificant trend toward fewer patients relapsing in the treated group was observed in time to first relapse analysis. No significant difference was seen between the two groups for magnetic resonance imaging activity. Male sex and MS duration were risk factors associated with CDP in the treated group. Serious infection incidence ratios were 6.67 and 2.67 per 100 person-years in the treated and untreated groups, respectively.

“Our results indicate that there should be a constant evaluation of all available data to ascertain the best risk/benefit ratio for patients with PPMS, especially for newly diagnosed patients for whom inflammatory activity is very often not well defined,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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