Supportive strategies to improve adherence to IFN beta-1b in Multiple Sclerosis — Results of the BetaPlus observational cohort study

Improving adherence to injectable disease-modifying drugs in multiple sclerosis

“…Injectable drugs, i.e., interferon beta preparations and glatiramer acetate, belong to the first-line therapeutics in MS, but long-term adherence to injectables for MS treatment is insufficient. The article by Lugaresi in the February issue of Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery [4] describes in detail that autoinjection devices, available for all disease-modifying MS drugs, can improve injection tolerability and patient's satisfaction compared with manual injection and that the use of an autoinjector has been found to be the strongest predictor of adherence at 24 months [5]. The following major predictors of poor adherence, as summarized in general in the review by Osterberg and Blaschke [1], may be attributed to individual patients with MS: presence of psychological problems, particularly depression, presence of cognitive impairment, inadequate follow-up, side effects of medication, patient's lack of belief in benefit of treatment, patient's lack of insight into the illness, poor provider--patient relationship, presence of barriers to care or medications, missed appointments, complexity of treatment and cost of medication, copayment, or both.…”

Autoinjector Preference Among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Results From A National Survey

“…2,12 A variety of surveys has evaluated patient satisfaction with electronic and mechanical autoinjectors as well as manual injection to date. [8][9][10][14][15][16][17][18][19] In our survey, we queried patient needs and preferences with respect to current electronic (Betaconnect, RebiSmart) and mechanical (ExtaviPro) autoinjectors.…”

“…Patients using an autoinjector at baseline and during the study were more adherent than patients not having used a device. 12 Furthermore, the use of the autoinjector is positively associated with quality of life. 21 Addressing adherence is not only a matter of the dosage form, but particularly of perceiving patients' needs in terms of education (necessity of long-term treatment, realistic expectations), 2 support (support programs, MS nurse, electronic diary with reminder function), 2,[21][22][23] and convenience (ideal autoinjection device).…”

“…11 Moreover, their use was found to be a predictor of adherence. 12 Autoinjection devices simplify MS therapy and often provide additional features to improve patient comfort and adherence. These features comprise reminder functionsas forgetfulness is a major obstacle for self-administered therapies 2,3,13 -simplicity, adjustability of injection speed and depth, optical and acoustic signaling at the beginning/ end of the injection process, hidden needle, low-force safety release to ensure the device is positioned on the skin correctly at the time of injection, and an LED-display for visualization of the injection progress.…”

The Evolving Role of the Multiple Sclerosis Nurse - Implications of Future Management Directions

“…First, it has been demonstrated that using smaller (narrower) needles and autoinjectors improves patient experiences and improves adherence. [22][23][24] Second, rotation of the injection site can reduce ISRs, pain and trauma and may improve compliance. 25 In addition, autoinjectors can be helpful for patients with limited mobility or dexterity and provide the ability to administer injections at body sites that were previously inaccessible.…”