Peginterferon beta-1a every 2 weeks demonstrated better clinical outcomes than glatiramer acetate once-daily in patients with RRMS: Propensity score matching of phase 3 data from ADVANCE and CONFIRM

Abstract

Introduction Peginterferon beta-1a and glatiramer acetate (GA) have been studied in different clinical studies, and head-to head efficacy comparisons are lacking. Objectives Compare peginterferon beta-1a vs. GA on clinical efficacy endpoints at 2 years in patients from ADVANCE and CONFIRM using PSM. Patients and methods PSM (1:1) based on key baseline characteristics was performed on 512 peginterferon beta-1a patients and 350 GA patients. Outcomes included annualised relapse rate (ARR), which was assessed using negative binomial regression, and 12-week and 24-week confirmed disability worsening (CDW), which were evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results After matching, 336 patients were included. At 2 years, patients treated with peginterferon beta-1a had a significantly lower ARR (0.204 vs. 0.282; rate ratio 0.724; P = 0.0453), a significantly lower probability of 12week CDW (10,0 % vs. 14.6 %; hazard ratio (HR) 0.625; P = 0,0476), and a numerically lower probability of 24-week CDW (7.7 % vs. 10.6 %; HR 0.684; P = 0.171) compared with patients treated with GA. Discussion NA. Conclusion Peginterferon beta-1a showed significantly better clinical outcomes in terms of relapses and 12 week disability worsening compared to GA over 2 years.