Improved treatment satisfaction after switching therapy to rituximab in relapsing–remitting MS

OBJECTIVE: New disease-modifying treatment strategies in multiple sclerosis offer possibilities for individualised treatment. In this study, we evaluated patient-reported outcome measures before and after a switch in therapy from first-line injectable treatments to rituximab. METHOD: A total of 75 patients with clinically stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) receiving ongoing first-line injectable treatment at three Swedish centres had their treatment switched to rituximab in this open-label phase II multicentre study. Assessment of treatment satisfaction, patient-perceived impact of the disease on daily life, fatigue, cognitive symptoms and disease progression was performed 3 months before and at the time of the treatment shift and then for a subsequent 2-year period. RESULTS: The overall treatment satisfaction rating improved significantly from a mean of 4.8 (scale range: 1-7), while on injectable therapies, to a mean of 6.3 after 1 year of rituximab treatment ( p < 0.001). This improvement was sustained after 2 years. There was no significant change in scores for patient-perceived impact of disease, fatigue or disease progression. CONCLUSION: A shift in therapy from first-line injectables to rituximab in a cohort of clinically stable RRMS patients was followed by improved treatment satisfaction. This is clinically relevant as it may influence long-term adherence to immunomodulating therapy.