Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2025
Measuring Progressive Neurological Disability in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis
Published on: November 14, 2016
Association of NEDA-4 With No Long-term Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis and Comparison With NEDA-3: A
Dalia Rotstein1, Jacqueline M Solomon2, Maria Pia Sormani2
1From the Department of Medicine, (D.R., A.M., G.S.), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; St. Michael's Hospital (D.R., A.M., G.S.), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, (J.M.S.), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Health Sciences (M.P.S.), Section of Biostatistics, University of Genova, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino (M.P.S.), Genova, Italy; Department of Neurology and Cemcat (X.M.), Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona; Department of Pediatrics (X.Y.Y., P.S.), Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Columbia University Irving Medical Center (D.D.), Department of Neurology, New York City; York Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) (D.D.), New York City; and Institute of Health (P.S.), Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Canada. dalia.rotstein@unityhealth.to.
Background And Objectives:
No evidence of disease activity (NEDA)-4 has been suggested as a treatment target for disease-modifying therapy (DMT) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). However, the ability of NEDA-4 to discriminate long-term outcomes in MS and how its performance compares with NEDA-3 remain uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate (1) the association between NEDA-4 and no long-term disability progression in MS and (2) the comparative performance of NEDA-3 and NEDA-4 in predicting no long-term disability progression.
Methods:
English-language abstracts and manuscripts were systematically searched in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane databases from January 2006 to November 2021 and reviewed independently by 2 investigators. We selected studies that assessed NEDA-4 at 1 or 2 years after DMT start and had at least 4 years of follow-up for determination of no confirmed disability progression. We conducted a meta-analysis using random-effects model to determine the pooled odds ratio (OR) for no disability progression with NEDA-4 vs EDA-4. For the comparative analysis, we selected studies that evaluated both NEDA-3 and NEDA-4 with at least 4 years of follow-up and examined the difference in the association of NEDA-3 and NEDA-4 with no disability progression.
Results:
Five studies of 1,000 patients (3 interferon beta and 2 fingolimod) met inclusion criteria for both objectives. The median duration of follow-up was 6 years (interquartile range: 4-6 years). The prevalence of NEDA-4 ranged from 4.2% to 13.9% on interferon beta therapy and 24.9% to 25.1% on fingolimod therapy. The pooled OR for no long-term confirmed disability progression with NEDA-4 vs EDA-4 was 2.14 (95% confidence interval: 1.36-3.37; I2 = 0). We did not observe any significant difference between NEDA-4 and NEDA-3 in the comparative analyses.
Discussion:
In patients with RRMS, NEDA-4 at 1-2 years was associated with 2 times higher odds of no long-term disability progression, at 6 years compared with EDA-4, but offered no advantage over NEDA-3.
