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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
Switching to second-line therapies in interferon-beta-treated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients
E Portaccio1, V Zipoli, G Siracusa
1Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Viale G. Morgagni 5, Florence, Italy. portilio@tin.it
Background:
Interferon-beta (IFNB) therapies are the most widely used as first-line intervention in the treatment of relapsing-remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite long-term experience, however, the definition and prediction of response remain controversial.
Aim:
The objective of this study was to assess the long-term validity of the main clinical definitions of response applied after 1 and 2 years of IFNB therapy in a cohort of RRMS patients followed up for at least 5 years.
Methods:
We tested these different definitions against a 'hard' parameter of treatment failure, represented by the need to suspend IFNB and switch to an intravenous immunosuppressive (IVIS) treatment, using Kaplan-Meier and Cox survival analyses.
Results:
Out of 147 RRMS patients treated with IFNB therapy and followed up for 7.8 +/- 2.1 years, 26 (18%) were switched to an IVIS therapy. On the whole, disability progression as indicated using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and a higher number of relapses in the first 2 years of therapy were related to long-term treatment failure.
Conclusion:
Our study highlights the role of disability and high relapse rate in the first 2 years of treatment in predicting long-term response and the switching to second-line therapies.
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