Abstract
Background:
Natalizumab (NTZ) is a highly effective disease-modifying therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), originally administered intravenously (IV). A subcutaneous formulation (SC_NTZ) became available in Switzerland in 2021, offering potential advantages.
Objective:
To investigate satisfaction and convenience of use of SC_NTZ in MS patients.
Design:
Swiss, prospective, multicenter study.
Methods:
Consecutive RRMS patients treated with either ⩽6 (starters) or > 6 (long-term users) SC_NTZ injections completed the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire with Medication-II (TSQM-II, higher scores indicating greater satisfaction) and the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) at baseline (Visit 1, V1). Starters were reassessed at the 9th SC_NTZ dose (Visit 2, V2). Non-parametric tests were applied to compare long-term users with starters at V1, and changes from V1 to V2 in starters.
Results:
One hundred six patients (73.6% female, median age 39.6 years, prior IV_NTZ 81.1%) were enrolled, including 79 long-term users and 27 starters. At V1, in the overall group the median (IQR) TSQM-II effectiveness, side effects, convenience and global satisfaction scores were 83 (67–100), 100 (92–100), 83 (72–89) and 83 (75–100), respectively. On the PSQ, the most commonly cited benefit was short administration time (80.2%). SC_NTZ treatment “never” affected work attendance in 54/87 (62.1%) employed patients. Seventy-nine percent participants reported spending ⩽1 h for SC_NTZ administration. Nonetheless, 76/86 (88.4%) of switchers from IV_NTZ found opportunities for discussions with healthcare professionals to be “similar”/”improved,” and 78 (90.7%) preferred SC_NTZ. Findings were consistent across subgroups and time points.
Conclusion:
This real-world, multicenter Swiss study supports SC_NTZ as a well-tolerated, highly accepted, and patient-preferred alternative to IV_NTZ.