Early experience in MS generated concerns that interferon beta treatment might provoke onset or worsening of depression. The objective of the study was to compare depression incidence in relapsing-remitting MS patients receiving interferon beta-1b (IFNB-1b) or glatiramer acetate (GA) in the BEYOND trial. 891/897 (99 %) of English, French, Spanish and Italian speakers among 2244 patients randomized (2:2:1) to receive either IFNB-1b 500 µg, 250 µg, or GA 20 mg QD for 2-3.5 years submitted Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) scores at screening and serially thereafter, in which scores ≥14 indicated depression. Baseline BDI-II scores ≥14 were reported in 232/891 patients (26.3 %), with no meaningful difference among the three treatment arms noted at this or at any other time during the study including trial end. Percentages of patients depressed by BDI-II scores deviated little in any arm at any time (IFNB-1b 500 µg: 24.7 %, IFNB-1b 250 µg: 24.4 %, GA: 32.4 %). Antidepressant usage was likewise similar among the three treatment arms (IFNB-1b 500 µg: 33.7 %, IFNB-1b 250 µg: 31.8 %, GA: 28.8 %) as was depression severity and the frequency with which non-blinded treating physicians recorded depression as an adverse event (IFNB-1b 500 µg: 17.2 %, IFNB-1b 250 µg: 17.0 %, GA: 14.4 %). Treating physicians attributed depression to IFNB-1b 250 µg therapy in 53.6 % and to GA in 21.9 % of instances. This large, prospective, randomized-controlled MS dataset showed no increased risk of depression above baseline values with standard or double-dose IFNB-1b or GA QD treatment.
Keywords: BEYOND study; Clinical trial; Depression; Glatiramer acetate; Interferon beta; Multiple sclerosis.