Clinical, Radiological and Electrophysiological Comparison of Immunomodulatory Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION Although it has been shown that immunomodulatory therapies (IMTs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) can modify the course of the disease by reducing the relapse rate and delaying the progression of disability, no study comparing IMTs head-to-head in terms of clinical, radiological, and electrophysiological changes is available. We aimed to investigate the effects of interferon-beta (IFN-B) 1b, IFN-B-1a subcutaneous (sc), IFN-B-1a intramuscular (im), and glatiramer acetate (GA) therapies on clinical, electrophysiological, and radiological findings. METHODS We studied a cohort of 85 MS patients who were followed up for at least 2 years and had complete charting, including pre-treatment and post-treatment clinical, radiological, and electrophysiological findings. We compared the IMTs' effects on these findings retrospectively. RESULTS Annual relapse rates were 0.1 for IFN-B-1a sc, 0.2 for IFN-B-1b, 0.3 for GA, and 0.5 for IFN-B-1 a im (p=0.01). The percentages of relapse-free patients after one year were 54.5% for IFN-B-1a im and GA, 82.9% for IFN-B-1a sc, and 86.4% for IFN-B-1b, and after two years the percentages were 27.3% for IFN-B-1a im, 54.5% for GA, 72.7% for IFN-B-1b, and 78% for IFN-B-1a sc (p<0.05). Disability scores after 2 years increased for IFN-B-1a im, decreased for IFN-B-1a sc (with a 0.1-point increase compared to the first year), and did not change for IFN-B-1b or GA compared to before treatment. Within the 2-year treatment period, no significant increase in the number of magnetic resonance T2 lesions was observed. No significant differences were found for any of the therapies in terms of evoked potentials. CONCLUSION Our results revealed that high dose and more frequent regimens were more effective in terms of reducing the relapse rate, whereas there were no differences in terms of efficacy on radiological and electrophysiological findings between groups. Additional prospective studies comparing the efficacy of IMTs on MS are needed.