Several neuroimmunological registries have been established in Germany during the last 10 years. The common aim is to investigate the course of different diseases, mainly under various therapeutic conditions, to identify predictive factors as well as the side effects of immunomodulating therapies. Six nationwide neuroimmunological registries will be presented in this article. The German Network for Research on Autoimmune Encephalitis (GENERATE) with more than 40 participating clinical centers and 570 documented patients (September 2016) collects data and biomaterials of autoimmune encephalitis with known and unknown antibodies. The registry coordinates and mediates between scientists and clinicians and acts as a platform for the development of guidelines and procedures. The neuromyelitis optica study group (NEMOS) has established a national registry for patients with neuromyelitis optica and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. In addition to 22 academic hospitals, 17 regional hospitals and several practices are participating. Currently, 250 patients are enrolled. Moreover, NEMOS is now establishing a prospective patient cohort (NationNMO) within the competence network multiple sclerosis. Current research focuses on treatment strategies for relapses and interval therapy of neuromyelitis optica. The competence network multiple sclerosis has initiated a multi-center, prospective cohort study of patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) (NationMS), with the aim of long-term follow-up and clinical and paraclinical characterization of the patients. Between August 2010 and December 2014, 1,212 patients in 22 university und non-university centers were enrolled in the NationMS cohort. Standardized clinical data as well as biomaterial and MRI images were collected and stored. The German MS Society (DMSG, Bundesverband e.V.) established in 2001 a long-term project to obtain a consistent and reliable overview of MS patients in Germany. Since 2014 the registry has been revised comprehensively, with the main purpose of establishing a permanent data repository for healthcare research while ensuring the collection, storage and provision of data over decades and enabling the description of long-term outcomes. Currently, more than 170 German centers are participating and over 48,000 patients are enrolled in the registry. Since 2013, the competence network multiple sclerosis has established the immunotherapy registry REGIMS with the objective to obtain information on incidence, type and characteristics of adverse events of new immunomodulating therapies for patients with multiple sclerosis or clinical isolated syndrome. As of January 2017 more than 700 patients have been recruited from 36 active centers. The German Multiple Sclerosis and Pregnancy Registry aims to obtain safety information of disease modifying drug exposure during pregnancy. In addition to safety aspects, disease course during pregnancy and postpartum and the identification of predictors of disease activity are investigated. During the last ten years 1,500 pregnant MS patients were prospectively enrolled in the registry and at least 250 new pregnancies are followed every year. These six registries make an important epidemiological and scientific contribution. Numerous colleagues from clinics and practice support these registries. The objective is the closer understanding of the disease course, the influence of therapeutic decisions and thus the improvement of counseling and care.

The long-term and potential rare side effects of new immunomodulating drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) are often not well known. Spontaneous case report systems of adverse drug effects are a valuable source in pharmacovigilance, but have several limitations. Primary data collections within registries allow a comprehensive analysis of potential side effects, but face several challenges. This article will outline the chances and challenges of registry-based adverse event reporting, using the example of the German immunotherapeutic registry REGIMS. REGIMS is an observational, clinical multicenter registry that aims to assess the incidence, type, and consequences of side effects of MS immunotherapies. Patients treated with an approved MS medication are recruited by their physicians during routine visits in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and MS-specialized practices. REGIMS incorporates an electronic physician-based documentation in each center and a paperbased patient documentation, both at baseline and regular follow-up visits. By the end of 2019, 43 REGIMS centers were actively recruiting patients and performing follow-up documentations. The majority of the first 1000 REGIMS patients were female (69.3%), had relapse-remitting MS (89.8%), and were treated with a second-line therapy. During the implementation of REGIMS, several logistic and procedural challenges had to be overcome, which are outlined in this paper. Pharmacovigilance registries such as REGIMS provide high-quality primary data from a specific patient population in a real-world care setting and enable pharmacovigilance research that cannot be carried out using secondary data. Despite the logistic and procedural challenges in establishing a multicenter pharmacovigilance registry in Germany, the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. Alexandra Simbrich and Jasmine Thibaut have shared first authorship/are equally contributing authors. The members of the REGIMS Investigators are mentioned in the Acknowledgements section.

Purpose: To describe drug-use patterns in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) and to estimate the incidence of severe adverse events (SAEs) of treatment. Methods: We conducted a cohort study within the German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2013. MS patients on DMDs were described in terms of clinical characteristics and drug-use patterns. Next, we assessed the incidence of AEs in new users of fingolimod, natalizumab, glatiramer acetate, and IFNβ 1a. Results: Among approximately 11 million insured members of German Statutory Health Insurance, the DMD-user cohort comprised 15,377 patients with MS, with a mean age of 39.6 years and 68% females. Nearly half of all DMD users had a diagnosis of depression, with prevalence ranging from 40.1% for IFNβ 1a to 62.3% for immunoglobulins. The overall rate of MS relapses per patient and year was 0.34 (95% CI 0.33-0.34). During an average follow-up of 1,650 days, the majority (42.4%) of MS patients were adherent to DMD treatment ("continuous single users"), followed by patients interrupting treatment (39.5%, "interrupters"). Switch of DMD treatment (11.9%) was less frequent, and only 5.6% discontinued treatment. Treatment discontinuation was most common in users of natalizumab (7.5%) and IFNβ 1b (7.0%). The most frequent SAE was hospitalization for depression, followed by any infectious disease and any malignancy. The incidence rate of all adverse events did not significantly differ across different DMDs. Conclusion: Treatment discontinuation with DMDs and treatment switch were rare. Causes of rather frequent DMD-treatment interruption have to be evaluated in further studies based on primary data collection. Active safety monitoring of new DMDs based on claims data requires large data sets to detect rare AEs and availability of up-to-date data.

ZusammenfassungIn den letzten 10 Jahren wurden in Deutschland mehrere neuroimmunologische Register aufgebaut. Grundlegendes Ziel ist es, mehr über den Verlauf der entsprechenden Erkrankung, insbesondere unter therapeutischen Bedingungen, oder auch Nebenwirkungen eingesetzter Immuntherapeutika zu erfahren, im besten Fall prädiktive Marker zu identifizieren. Sechs dieser Register möchten wir im folgenden Artikel vorstellen.Das Deutsche Netzwerk zur Erforschung autoimmuner Enzephalitiden (GENERATE) mit mehr als 40 beteiligten Zentren und 570 dokumentierten Patienten (Stand September 2016) sammelt klinische Daten und Biomaterialien von Patienten mit autoimmunen Enzephalitiden mit bekannten und unbekannten Antikörpern. Es koordiniert und vermittelt die Verbindung zwischen Wissenschaftlern und Klinikern und dient als Plattform zur Entwicklung gemeinsamer Leitlinien und Prozeduren.Die NeuroMyelitis Optica Studiengruppe (NEMOS) hat ein nationales Register für Patienten mit Neuromyelitis optica und Neuromyelitis optica Spektrum-Erkrankungen aufgebaut. Am Register sind neben 22 Kliniken der Maximalversorgung auch 17 regionale Krankenhäuser und etliche Praxen beteiligt, aktuell sind etwa 250 Patienten erfasst. Mit „NationNMO“ baut NEMOS derzeit innerhalb des Kompetenznetzes Multiple Sklerose eine prospektive Kohorte auf. Die besten Behandlungsstrategien sowohl für akute Schübe als auch deren Prophylaxe stehen im Fokus der aktuellen Forschungsarbeit von NEMOS.Das Kompetenznetz Multiple Sklerose hat eine multizentrische, prospektive Kohortenstudie für therapienaive Patienten mit klinisch isoliertem Syndrom (KIS) und früher schubförmiger Multipler Sklerose (MS) initiiert (NationMS), mit dem Ziel der langfristigen Beobachtung und klinischer wie paraklinischer Charakterisierung der Patienten. Von August 2010 bis Dezember 2014 wurden in 22 universitären und nicht-universitären Zentren 1212 Patienten in die NationMS-Kohorte eingeschlossen, von denen standardisierte klinische Daten, Biomaterial und MRT-Bilddaten asserviert wurden.Die Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft, Bundesverband e. V. begann 2001 die Etablierung eines MS-Registers als ein Langzeitprojekt, um eine einheitliche, verlässliche Übersicht über die MS-Erkrankung in Deutschland zu erhalten. Nach einer umfassenden Revision im Jahre 2014 ist nun das primäre Ziel, ein dauerhaftes Datenrepositorium für die Versorgungsforschung zu etablieren, welches die Erfassung, Speicherung und Bereitstellung von Daten von MS-Erkrankten über Jahrzehnte gewährleistet und somit die Darstellung von Langzeitverläufen ermöglicht. In über 170 deutschlandweiten Zentren konnten bisher mehr als 48 000 Patienten eingeschlossen werden.Ebenfalls vom Kompetenznetz Multiple Sklerose wurde Anfang 2013 das Immuntherapieregister REGIMS initiiert. Primäres Ziel von REGIMS ist die Erfassung der Inzidenz, Art und Eigenschaft von unerwünschten Ereignissen aktueller und zukünftiger Immuntherapeutika in der Behandlung von Patienten mit einer gesicherten MS-Diagnose oder KIS-Patienten. Zum 01.01.2017 umfasste das Register 36 aktive Zentren mit über 700 eingeschlossenen Patienten.Das Deutsche Multiple Sklerose und Kinderwunschregister (DMSKW) hat das Ziel, Sicherheitsinformationen zur Exposition mit immunmodulierenden Therapien in der Schwangerschaft zu gewinnen. Neben Sicherheitsaspekten interessieren auch der Verlauf der MS in der Schwangerschaft und postpartum, sowie die Identifikation modifizierbarer Schubrisikofaktoren. In das DMSKW konnten bisher 1500 Schwangerschaften eingeschlossen werden, pro Jahr kommen mindestens 250 prospektiv verfolgte Schwangerschaften hinzu. Alle in diesem Artikel vorgestellten Register leisten einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Erforschung verschiedener neuroimmunologischer Erkrankungen. Viele Kollegen, sowohl in der Klinik als auch in der Praxis, unterstützen die hier vorgestellten Register. Ziel ist es, den Verlauf und den Einfluss therapeutischer Entscheidungen besser zu verstehen, aber auch die Beratung und Versorgung dieser Patienten zu verbessern.