Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Background: Immunotherapies are integral in managing multiple sclerosis (MS) and related demyelinating diseases, but adverse drug reactions significantly affect the tolerability of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Objectives: This study aims to assess the safety profile of DMTs within a real-worl...

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Main Authors: Amelie Kirschbaum, Felix Luessi, Arda Civelek, Stefan Bittner, Johannes Piepgras, Frauke Zipp
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-04-01
Series:Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/17562864251320206
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author Amelie Kirschbaum
Felix Luessi
Arda Civelek
Stefan Bittner
Johannes Piepgras
Frauke Zipp
author_facet Amelie Kirschbaum
Felix Luessi
Arda Civelek
Stefan Bittner
Johannes Piepgras
Frauke Zipp
author_sort Amelie Kirschbaum
collection DOAJ
description Background: Immunotherapies are integral in managing multiple sclerosis (MS) and related demyelinating diseases, but adverse drug reactions significantly affect the tolerability of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Objectives: This study aims to assess the safety profile of DMTs within a real-world cohort affected by MS and related diseases and to identify atypical adverse events (AEs) and those of exceptional severity. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 3850 patients with MS, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and related conditions (2009–2022). Demographic and clinical data were analyzed for patients treated with DMTs. Parameters included prior treatments, AEs, treatment durations, and reasons for discontinuation. Results: Of the cohort, 1989 patients (71.1% female) with a median follow-up of 46.3 months during DMT use were included. Monotherapy was employed in 987 patients, while 1002 received sequential DMTs, totaling 3850 treatments. Adverse reactions led to discontinuation in 24.2% of cases, while disease progression accounted for 22.9%. Among 1878 AEs, 31 (1.7%) were atypical, and 59 (3.1%) were unusually severe, which was systematically categorized based on type, timing, and remission. Conclusion: Within the confines of this real-world study, DMT administration emerged as generally well tolerated in MS, related demyelinating diseases and NMOSD. The identification of a limited number of atypical AEs, nevertheless, broadens the spectrum of potential complications associated with DMTs. Although weaker evidence for causal associations between drug exposure and observed AEs remains a limitation in observational studies without comparable control groups, this study underscores the value of real-world investigations in offering insights into the long-term safety of DMTs, particularly for rare events.
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spelling doaj-art-df270093a8f849cbb230fbad03035d902025-08-20T01:52:22ZengSAGE PublishingTherapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders1756-28642025-04-011810.1177/17562864251320206Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorderAmelie KirschbaumFelix LuessiArda CivelekStefan BittnerJohannes PiepgrasFrauke ZippBackground: Immunotherapies are integral in managing multiple sclerosis (MS) and related demyelinating diseases, but adverse drug reactions significantly affect the tolerability of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Objectives: This study aims to assess the safety profile of DMTs within a real-world cohort affected by MS and related diseases and to identify atypical adverse events (AEs) and those of exceptional severity. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 3850 patients with MS, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and related conditions (2009–2022). Demographic and clinical data were analyzed for patients treated with DMTs. Parameters included prior treatments, AEs, treatment durations, and reasons for discontinuation. Results: Of the cohort, 1989 patients (71.1% female) with a median follow-up of 46.3 months during DMT use were included. Monotherapy was employed in 987 patients, while 1002 received sequential DMTs, totaling 3850 treatments. Adverse reactions led to discontinuation in 24.2% of cases, while disease progression accounted for 22.9%. Among 1878 AEs, 31 (1.7%) were atypical, and 59 (3.1%) were unusually severe, which was systematically categorized based on type, timing, and remission. Conclusion: Within the confines of this real-world study, DMT administration emerged as generally well tolerated in MS, related demyelinating diseases and NMOSD. The identification of a limited number of atypical AEs, nevertheless, broadens the spectrum of potential complications associated with DMTs. Although weaker evidence for causal associations between drug exposure and observed AEs remains a limitation in observational studies without comparable control groups, this study underscores the value of real-world investigations in offering insights into the long-term safety of DMTs, particularly for rare events.https://doi.org/10.1177/17562864251320206
spellingShingle Amelie Kirschbaum
Felix Luessi
Arda Civelek
Stefan Bittner
Johannes Piepgras
Frauke Zipp
Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
title Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
title_full Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
title_fullStr Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
title_full_unstemmed Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
title_short Atypical adverse events in a real-world study of long-term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
title_sort atypical adverse events in a real world study of long term immunomodulation for multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
url https://doi.org/10.1177/17562864251320206
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