Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurological disease that requires life-long treatment, and new therapies must be safe and effective over a long treatment duration. Ocrelizumab is a humanized antibody that selectively targets CD20⁺ B cells and has been shown to be efficacious for the treatment of both relapsing MS (RMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS). Effectiveness data in large, real-world populations are needed for better informed clinical treatment.

Objectives

CONFIDENCE (ML39632, EUPAS22951) evaluates the safety and effectiveness of ocrelizumab in patients with RMS & PPMS in a real-world setting. Here, we present the first analysis of one-year effectiveness data from patients newly treated with ocrelizumab.

Methods

CONFIDENCE is a non-interventional study in patients with RMS or PPMS newly treated (up to 30 days prior or 60 days after enrolment) with ocrelizumab or other selected disease modifying therapies (DMTs) during the course of their disease. Data will be collected for 3000 ocrelizumab-treated patients and 1500 patients treated with other DMTs according to label at ~250 centers in Germany for up to 10 years. Here, we analyze effectiveness outcomes for patients treated with ocrelizumab for the first year, including treatment success (the proportion of patients with no relapse, progression or treatment discontinuation due to an adverse event) and change in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) from baseline. In addition, we will present patient-reported outcomes. Safety assessments are presented separately.

Results

As of 30 June 2020, 2,129 patients have been recruited for ocrelizumab treatment. The interim analysis is expected to include data from approximately 559 patients newly treated with ocrelizumab that had one year of follow up. Of these patients, ~82% had RMS and ~18% had PPMS. Mean (standard deviation [SD]) baseline EDSS was 3.3 (1.9) for patients with RMS and 4.5 (1.7) for patients with PPMS. Preliminary data show that 64% of patients were female (66% female RMS; 55% female PPMS). Over an observational period of one year, 83.6% of RMS and 93.2% of PPMS patients experienced treatment success. About 85.3% of patients with RMS experienced no relapses. The mean (SD) change in EDSS from baseline after one year of treatment was 0.0 [0.6] for patients with RMS and 0.1 [0.6] for patients with PPMS.

Conclusions

This analysis of one-year interim data in the CONFIDENCE study shows the effectiveness of ocrelizumab in a real-world setting.

Background

As of April 2020, >160,000 patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) or primary progressive MS (PPMS) worldwide had started treatment with ocrelizumab (OCR), a humanized monoclonal antibody selectively targeting CD20⁺ B-cells.

Pivotal studies established the risk-benefit profile of OCR under controlled trial conditions.

Objectives

Real-world data are needed to further characterise the safety of OCR in clinical practice. Here we present 1-year, real-world safety data for patients receiving OCR.

Methods

CONFIDENCE (ML39632, EUPAS22951), a non-interventional, post-authorization safety study, aims to enrol 3,000 patients with RMS or PPMS newly treated (up to 30 days prior or 60 days after enrolment) with OCR and 1,500 patients newly treated with other selected DMTs according to label at ~250 German neurological practices. Each patient is followed for 7.5–10 years. Study visits, documented circa every 6 months, follow routine clinical practice. The primary outcome is the incidence and type of uncommon adverse events (AEs) (incidence of 0.1% to 1% [1 to 10 out of 1000 patients] or less). Statistical analyses are mainly descriptive and exploratory. Assessments of effectiveness (secondary objectives) are presented separately.

Results

As of 30 June 2020, 2,129 patients treated with OCR had been recruited. The interim analysis is expected to include approximately 559 OCR-treated patients, ~82% with RMS and ~18% with PPMS, with 1-year follow-up data (mean baseline age [SD], 45.5 [11.4] years; 64.4% female; mean baseline EDSS [SD] RMS 3.3 [1.9], PPMS 4.5 [1.7]). Preliminary data showed that ~63.0% of patients had ≥1 AE during OCR treatment; ~26.8% had treatment-related AEs (TRAEs). The most common AEs were infections and infestations (~31.5%), nervous system disorders (~14.7%), and general disorders and administration site conditions (~12.3%). The incidence of serious AEs was ~14.0%, most frequently infections and infestations (~3.6%; RMS, ~3.9% [n=18]; PPMS, ~1.9% [n=2]), nervous system disorders (~3.2%), and injury, poisoning and procedural complications (~2.1). The most frequent serious infections were urinary tract infections (~1.3% [n=7]) and pneumonia (~0.5% [n=3]). Seven patients overall (1.3%) had treatment-related serious infections.

Conclusions

The safety profile of OCR in this first interim analysis of the CONFIDENCE study, representing a real-world population currently treated with OCR in Germany, was consistent with controlled clinical trials.

Background

Ocrelizumab (OCR) is a humanised anti-CD20+ monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS and PPMS). Real-world evidence on adherence and persistence with OCR is limited.

Objectives

To examine the persistence and adherence to OCR in a real-world setting.

Methods

CONFIDENCE (ML39632, EUPAS22951) is an ongoing non-interventional, post-authorization safety study, aiming to enroll 3,000 patients newly treated with OCR and 1,500 patients newly treated with other DMTs at ~250 centers in Germany. Follow up regardless of discontinuation of treatment will be for up to 10 years. In this ad-hoc analysis of CONFIDENCE, persistence and adherence were measured exclusively for patients treated with OCR with at least one post-initiation (i.e., first two 300mg doses IVs') assessment visit. Persistence was examined as a survival function of event-free time from discontinuation. Patients were considered at-risk until the last assessment visit recorded prior to data cut-off (31 March 2020) or censored at time of OCR discontinuation, whichever occurred first. Adherence was assessed using median time intervals between infusions.

Results

Overall, 1614 patients treated with OCR were included in this analysis; 1296 patients with RMS and 318 with PPMS. Median [IQR] age at OCR initiation was 42 [44, 57] years and 52 [33, 51] years in patients with RMS and PPMS, respectively. Most RMS patients were females (66.7%) while gender distribution in PPMS patients was approximately equal (51.6% females). Median [IQR] disease duration from diagnosis up to OCR initiation was longer in RMS (7.9 [3.0, 14.7] years) than in PPMS patients (3.4 [0.8, 9.7] years). Median [IQR] EDSS at OCR start was 3.0 [2.0, 4.5] and 4.5 [3.5, 6.0] in the RMS and PPMS population, respectively. At data cut-off, the median [IQR] OCR exposure duration was 7.85 [5.5, 13.1] months for RMS and 6.87 [0.5, 12.5] months for PPMS patients. Overall, the median time between infusions ranged from 5.9 and 6.0 months and did not differ between RMS and PPMS cohorts. Treatment persistence at 18 months was 96.6% (95% CI: 95.3-97.8%) and very consistent between RMS and PPMS patients.

Conclusions

Adherence to disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is critical for achieving therapeutic goals in MS. This analysis shows high treatment persistence for OCR patients at 18 months and strong adherence to recommendations to administer OCR infusions every 24 weeks.