Adherence to disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is critical for achieving therapeutic goals in multiple sclerosis (MS). Real-world evidence on persistence and adherence with ocrelizumab (OCR) is limited.
This analysis aimed to examine the persistence and adherence to OCR compared with other MS DMTs.
This analysis was conducted in the PharMetrics Plus commercial claims database and included patients with MS who initiated a new DMT between April 2017 and September 2018. Patients were required to have health plan enrollment for ≥12 months before and after DMT initiation. Persistence and adherence were measured in patients with ≥12 months and ≥18 months of follow-up. Persistence was defined as no switch to other DMTs and no gap in supply of initiated DMT for ≥60 days. Adherence was assessed using the proportion of days covered (PDC), calculated as the total days of supply of DMT during the postinitiation period divided by either 365 days (12-month analysis) or 548 days (18-month analysis). Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to compare discontinuation of (nonpersistence) and nonadherence (PDC <0.80) with OCR vs oral, injectable, and other intravenous (IV) DMTs.
A total of 4,587 (OCR, 1,319; injectable, 1,051; oral, 1,876; IV, 341) patients were included. At 12 months, patients initiating OCR had the highest mean PDC (93.4%) compared with other groups (injectable, 69%; oral, 74%; IV, 76%) and the highest proportion of patients persistent with therapy (92% vs 57%, 68% and 72%, respectively). Compared with OCR, adjusted relative risks of 12-month discontinuation (95% CI) were 5.5 (4.1–7.5), 3.8 (3.0–4.9) and 3.3 (2.3–4.6) in patients initiating injectable, oral and IV DMTs, respectively, and relative risks of nonadherence were 6.8 (5.0–9.3), 5.1 (3.9–6.6) and 4.9 (3.6–6.8), respectively. Among patients with 18 months of follow-up (n=2,319), 83% of OCR patients demonstrated persistence vs 45%, 59% and 60% of injectable, oral and IV patients, respectively. Trends in discontinuation and nonadherence for the DMT groups over 18 months were consistent with 12-month results in fully adjusted models.
Patients initiating ocrelizumab had superior persistence and adherence at both 12 and 18 months of follow-up compared with other groups of MS DMTs. Long-term persistence and adherence should be monitored as ocrelizumab experience accrues in a real-world setting.