The return of natalizumab: weighing benefit against risk.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Douglas Goodin.
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The EVIDENCE trial demonstrated that interferon (IFN) beta-1a, 44 mcg subcutaneously (sc) three times weekly (tiw) (Rebif), was significantly more effective than IFN beta-1a, 30 mcg intramuscularly (im) once weekly (qw) (Avonex), in reducing relapses and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at both 24 and 48 weeks of therapy. We now present final comparative data on these patients, showing that the superior efficacy of IFN beta-1a, 44mcg sc tiw, for relapse measures and MRI activity, compared with IFN beta-1a, 30mcg im qw, was sustained for at least 16 months. The development of antibodies to IFN was associated with reduced efficacy on MRI measures and fewer IFN-related adverse events, but did not have an impact on relapse outcomes.
BACKGROUND: African Americans (AAs) with multiple sclerosis (MS) seem to have a more severe disease course than white Americans (WAs). To our knowledge, it is not known to what extent treatment with interferon beta-1a will effect the MS disease course within the AA population. OBJECTIVE: To compare the response to treatment with interferon beta-1a between AA and WA MS patients. DESIGN: This is an exploratory post hoc analysis of the Evidence of Interferon Dose-Response: European North American Comparative Efficacy (EVIDENCE) study. SETTING: The EVIDENCE study is a randomized controlled trial that compared the efficacy of once weekly, intramuscular, 30-microg interferon beta-1a treatment with thrice weekly, subcutaneous, 44-microg interferon beta-1a therapy in treatment-naïve MS subjects. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six AA subjects were compared with 616 WA subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of MS exacerbations, the proportion of exacerbation-free subjects, and the number of new MS lesions present on brain magnetic resonance imaging were compared between AA and WA subjects at 24 and 48 weeks after initiating treatment with interferon beta-1a. RESULTS: The AA subjects experienced more exacerbations and were less likely to remain exacerbation free (statistical trends). The AA subjects developed more new MS lesions on T2-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging at 48 weeks (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample size, AA subjects appeared less responsive to treatment than WA subjects on outcome measures, reaching significance only for T2-weighted lesion count at 48 weeks. However, it is difficult to base these differences solely on response to treatment given the potential differing in MS disease course in AA patients.
BACKGROUND: The EVIDENCE (Evidence of Interferon Dose-Response: European North American Comparative Efficacy) Study demonstrated that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who initiate interferon beta-1a therapy with 44 microg 3 times weekly (TIW) were less likely to have a relapse or activity on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with those who initiate therapy at a dosage of 30 microg 1 time weekly (QW). OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of changing the dosage from 30 microg QW to 44 microg TIW in this extension of the EVIDENCE Study. DESIGN/PATIENTS: Patients with relapsing MS originally randomized to interferon beta-1a, 30 microg QW, during the comparative phase of the study changed to 44 microg TIW, whereas patients originally randomized to 44 microg TIW continued that regimen. Patients were followed up, on average, for an additional 32 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The within-patient pretransition to post-transition change in relapse rate. RESULTS: At the transition visit, 223 (73%) of 306 patients receiving 30 microg QW converted to 44 microg TIW, and 272 (91%) of 299 receiving 44-microg TIW continued the same therapy. The post-transition annualized relapse rate decreased from 0.64 to 0.32 for patients increasing the dose (P<.001) and from 0.46 to 0.34 for patients continuing 44-microg TIW (P = .03). The change was greater in those increasing dose and frequency (P = .047). Patients converting to the 44-mug TIW regimen had fewer active lesions on T2-weighted MRI compared with before the transition (P = .02), whereas those continuing the 44-microg TIW regimen had no significant change in T2 active lesions. Patients who converted to high-dose/high-frequency interferon beta-1a therapy had increased rates of adverse events and treatment terminations consistent with the initiation of high-dose subcutaneous interferon therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving interferon beta-1a improved on clinical and MRI disease measures when they changed from 30 microg QW to 44 microg TIW.
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An underlying complex genetic susceptibility exists in multiple sclerosis (MS), and an association with the HLA-DRB1*1501-DQB1*0602 haplotype has been repeatedly demonstrated in high-risk (northern European) populations. It is unknown whether the effect is explained by the HLA-DRB1 or the HLA-DQB1 gene within the susceptibility haplotype, which are in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD). African populations are characterized by greater haplotypic diversity and distinct patterns of LD compared with northern Europeans. To better localize the HLA gene responsible for MS susceptibility, case-control and family-based association studies were performed for DRB1 and DQB1 loci in a large and well-characterized African American data set. A selective association with HLA-DRB1*15 was revealed, indicating a primary role for the DRB1 locus in MS independent of DQB1*0602. This finding is unlikely to be solely explained by admixture, since a substantial proportion of the susceptibility chromosomes from African American patients with MS displayed haplotypes consistent with an African origin.