Disability
All patients included in the BENEFIT 15 study can be considered to have started treatment with BETAFERON relatively early in the course of the disease [1]. (Patients originally allocated to placebo started therapy on average (SD) 1.5 (0.7) years after their first clinical event suggestive of MS [1].) At 15 years, there was no difference in disability between groups. Patients overall had relatively mild disability, with 79% of all patients experiencing no impairment to walking (EDSS ≤ 3.5) [1]. Median EDSS increased from 1.5 at baseline to 2.0 at year 15 [1].
Furthermore, patients had a low risk of conversion to SPMS within 15 years: the Kaplan-Meier estimate of risk of secondary progressive MS (SPMS) was 10.2% overall [1].
Disability status of the patients included in the BENEFIT 15 study. Overall, the early BETAFERON treated patients experience relatively mild disability 15 years after disease onset [1]
Return to overview of BENEFIT long-term study outcomes
EDSS: Expanded Disability Status Scale
SD: standard deviation
References
- Kappos L et al. American Academy of Neurology. Annual Meeting 2019, P3.2-080. Return to content
