A Systematic Review and Mixed Treatment Comparison of Pharmaceutical Interventions for Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Since 2010, 27 mixed-treatment comparisons (MTCs) of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis have been published. However, there has been continued evolution in the field of MTCs. Additionally, limitations in methodological approach and reporting transparency, even in the most recent publications, makes interpretation and comparison of existing studies difficult.

Overview of Differences and Similarities of Published Mixed Treatment Comparisons on Pharmaceutical Interventions for Multiple Sclerosis.

Introduction: Mixed treatment comparisons (MTCs) are increasingly important in the assessment of the benefit-risk profile of pharmaceutical treatments for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Interpretation of MTCs requires a clear understanding of the methods of analysis and population studied. The objectives of this work were to compare MTCs of pharmaceutical treatments for RRMS, including a detailed description of differences in populations, treatments assessed, methods used and findings; and to discuss key considerations when conducting an MTC.

Patient and physician preferences for multiple sclerosis treatments in Germany: A discrete-choice experiment study.

Objective: To assess heterogeneity in patient and physician preferences for multiple sclerosis treatment features and outcomes via a discrete-choice experiment.

Method: Patients with self-reported multiple sclerosis and treating physicians participated in an online discrete-choice experiment. Patients, each considering a better or worse reference condition, and physicians, each considering two patient profiles, chose between hypothetical treatment profiles defined by seven attributes with varying levels: years until disability progression, number of relapses in the decade, mode of administration, dosing frequency, and risks of mild, moderate, and severe side effects.

Measuring the impact of multiple sclerosis: Enhancing the measurement performance of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) using Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT).

Background: Study objectives were to evaluate the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) and explore an optimized scoring structure based on empirical post-hoc analyses of data from the Phase III ADVANCE clinical trial.

Methods: ADVANCE MSIS-29 data from six time-points were analyzed in a sample of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT) analysis was undertaken to examine three broad areas: sample-to-scale targeting, measurement scale properties, and sample measurement validity.

Reconsidering the economic value of multiple sclerosis therapies.

Objectives: To illustrate a more comprehensive view of value associated with medicines treating a highly severe illness and to apply these insights to estimate the costs and benefits of 3 treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS): Avonex, Tysabri, and Tecfidera.

Study Design: Retrospective study spanning 2002 to 2013. We used economic theory to derive the value of therapy to patients with MS and to individuals who face the risk of contracting MS in the future, under the alternative assumptions that therapies were fully insured or paid for out of pocket.

Pain relief and improved physical function in knee osteoarthritis patients receiving ongoing hylan G-F 20, a high-molecular-weight hyaluronan, versus other treatment options: data from a large real-world longitudinal cohort in Canada.

From the Southwestern Ontario database, one of the largest primary-care datasets in Canada, 1,263 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of one or both knees were identified who received two consecutive series of intra-articular (IA) injections of hylan G-F 20 preparation and no other prescribed OA medications, and were evaluated fully between 2006 and 2012. A cohort of 3,318 demographically matched OA patients who had not been treated with IA injection therapy was identified from the same database for comparison. Responses to therapy were assessed by means of a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) for pain at rest and after completion of a 6-minute walk test (6 MWT), while physical capacity was measured by performance in the 6 MWT itself.