Real-world data will provide clearer answers
Rates of adverse events, serious adverse events, and adverse events leading to discontinuation were all higher in patients aged 45 or older. “This was not a surprising finding,” said Dr. Hua. “The differences appeared small, and the study was not powered to detect if these differences were significant. ... In general, older patients are more likely to have more cardiac events and infections than younger patients.”
Few studies have analyzed the efficacy and safety of MS therapy by age, said Dr. Hua. In 2015, Matell et al. evaluated the effectiveness of natalizumab in patients over age 50 years. In that study, a greater number of older patients, compared with younger patients, stopped treatment because of lack of effectiveness. Studies of other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have included subgroup analyses based on age, “but subgroup analyses are limited in the ability to make any strong conclusions regarding significant differences in safety,” said Dr. Hua. “A recent meta-analysis of published clinical trials of all DMTs performed by Weideman et al. indicated that the efficacy of DMTs appears to wane after age 53 years. However, there are limitations in interpreting this data, as they weren’t able to evaluate the raw data. And in most clinical trials, the age cutoff is usually 55 years, which limits generalizations. Real-world data analyses are needed to truly understand efficacy and safety of DMT in older patients.”
Novartis funded the study. Dr. Hua received fees from Novartis, Biogen, Celgene, EMD Serono, Genentech, and Genzyme.
SOURCE: Hua L et al. ACTRIMS FORUM 2020, Abstract P029.