Introduction: High frequency of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) challenges multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. This study aims to assess the nature and frequency of ADRs induced by MS medications in an observational cross-sectional study.
Methods: ADRs of all outpatients who had seen a neurologist and had received at least one disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for MS during the last three months were investigated.
Results: A total of 484 ADRs were detected in these patients. The preventability rate was 5.9%, and 0.61% of reactions were serious.
Conclusion: The high frequency of adverse drug reactions in this study shows a strong need for strategy planning to increase patients' adherence to treatment.
Highlights: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common in MS patients using disease modifying therapies.Such ADRs are more common in women than men.Various brand names of biosimilar disease-modifying therapy (DMT)s may have a different ADR profile.
Plain language summary: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can be managed by using disease modifying medications. Such medication could trigger an adverse reaction in the patients., affecting their commitment to the treatment. By identifying these adverse reactions and educating the MS patients about these reactions and how the adverse effects can be managed, healthcare providers can improve the treatment process. This study recorded the adverse drug reactions in 250 MS patients who were receiving the medication for at least three months. Most of the patients (76.4%) experienced some kind of adverse reaction. A bigger proportion of women experienced adverse reactions than men. About 84% of these reactions occurred within the first 3 hours of receiving the medication. Depending on the medication's brand name, the rate of adverse drug reactions were different in some cases. The results of this study point out the fact that experiencing adverse drug reactions is common in MS patients and these experiences could be different for each medication with a different brand name. Therefore, it is important for the healthcare providers to inform the patients about such reactions and the patients should seek all the information they need to manage these adverse effects by consulting their physician.
Keywords: Adverse drug reactions; Compliance; Interferons; Neurology; Neuropharmacology.
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