Patient‑Reported Satisfaction in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Advantages of At‑Home Self‑Administered...

Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by demyelination and neurodegeneration. Disease-modifying therapies are available with a range of mechanisms of action, efficacies, safety profiles, places and routes of administration, and degrees of patient autonomy; however, comprehensive evaluations of satisfaction with high-efficacy therapies in patients with multiple sclerosis are lacking.

We aimed to evaluate satisfaction of patients treated with high-efficacy therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and identify factors influencing preferences and acceptance, focusing on the perceived impact of administration routes on quality of life, daily activities, and treatment burden.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 208 adults diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who were receiving high-efficacy therapies for at least 6 months between February and April 2025 at Italian MS centers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire designed for this study. Domains included: (I) Temporal and Organizational Burden of Therapy, (II) Perceived Impact of Therapy, (III) Therapy Administration Experience, and (IV) Decision-Making Involvement Experience.

A non-parametric analysis revealed that more favorable scores on the domains of (I) Temporal and Organizational Burden of Therapy, (II) Perceived Impact of Therapy, and (III) Therapy Administration Experience were associated with treatment with subcutaneous ofatumumab (n = 90), compared to the other high-efficacy therapies such as natalizumab (n = 55), ocrelizumab (n = 59), and alemtuzumab (n = 4) [all n = 118, p < 0.001]. Fewer than one in four patients recalled being offered the possibility of self-administering high-efficacy therapies at home.

Subcutaneous ofatumumab treatment, a therapy self-administered at home, was associated with more favorable experiences compared to other high-efficacy therapies, highlighting the importance of shared decision making and organizational and logistical factors when selecting therapies for multiple sclerosis.