Quantifying the Benefits of Dimethyl Fumarate Over β Interferon and Glatiramer Acetate Therapies on Work Productivity Outcomes in MS Patients

INTRODUCTION: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is a novel oral therapy used for the treatment of relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In two 2-year pivotal Phase 3 trials in patients with RRMS, DMF significantly reduced disease activity based on both clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. However, there is currently a lack of comparative data which explore the relationship between work productivity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes in RRMS and how these differ among RRMS therapies, including DMF. METHODS: We explored this relationship through patient-reported data from the EuroQol Five-Dimensions (EQ-5D) tool, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI), and the Hamburg Quality of Life Questionnaire in Multiple Sclerosis (HAQUAMS) using the Adelphi MS DSP® dataset. RESULTS: Our data demonstrated that patients receiving DMF experienced better outcomes, relative to patients receiving beta (β)interferons or glatiramer acetate, in all WPAI subscales [overall; average treatment effect (ATE) −13.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) −18.87 to −7.08; p < 0.001], EQ-5D (ATE +0.075, 95% Cl 0.014–0.136; p = 0.016) and HAQUAMS [ATE −0.45, 95% Cl −0.61 to −0.29; p < 0.001]. The EQ-5D and HAQUAMS were used with WPAI to determine the relationship between HRQoL outcomes and work productivity. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity and number of comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that therapy with DMF was associated with increased work productivity and HRQoL for patients with RRMS and that these outcomes were consistently improved compared to outcomes with interferon and glatiramer acetate therapies.