Patient satisfaction with ExtaviPro™ 30G, a new auto-injector for administering interferon β-1b in multiple sclerosis: Results from a real-world, observational EXCHANGE study

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving long-term, subcutaneous interferon β-1b (IFN β-1b; Extavia®) often experience injection-site reactions and injection-site pain, which together with other side-effects (such as flu-like symptoms) result in suboptimal treatment compliance/adherence. The EXCHANGE study evaluated patient satisfaction with IFN β-1b treatment, administered using ExtaviPro™ 30G, a new auto-injector, in a real-world setting. Methods: This 26-week, open-label, prospective, non-interventional, observational, multi-country multi-centre study enrolled patients with MS who had been treated with IFN β-1b or other disease-modifying therapies with a self-administered auto-injector for ≥3months and who were planned to switch to IFN β-1b treatment administered using ExtaviPro™ 30G as part of routine clinical care. Patient-reported outcomes included overall patient satisfaction (primary outcome) and satisfaction associated with treatment effectiveness, convenience and side-effects, assessed using Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM)-14. The changes in TSQM scores from baseline to Week 26 were reported. All data were analysed using SAS statistical software (version 9.4). Results: Of the 336 patients enrolled, 324 were included in the analysis. At baseline, mean±standard deviation (SD) age of patients was 41.8±11.3years and 68.2% were women. The mean±SD of MS disease duration was 6.9±6.6years, and the majority of patients (94.1%) had relapsing-remitting MS. The mean±SD of TSQM score for overall patient satisfaction at Week 26 was 75.6±16.46 (baseline, 73.0±17.14; p=0.0342). The mean±SD of TSQM subscale scores for patient satisfaction with effectiveness, side-effects and convenience were 75.0±18.65 (baseline, 71.6±19.45; p=0.0356), 88.5±18.98 (baseline, 82.7±22.93; p=0.0002) and 77.6±16.72 (baseline, 71.1±17.53; p<0.0001), respectively. Conclusion: The results from this real-world study suggest that administering IFN β-1b with the new ExtaviPro™ auto-injector significantly improves overall patient satisfaction, including satisfaction associated with effectiveness, side-effects and convenience in MS patients.