Ozanimod for Relapsing MS Tied to Improvements in Quality of Life at Year 1

At 1 year, the use of ozanimod is reported to result in improvements in work impairments and overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS), according to the findings of an ongoing trial presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2024, held from February 29 to March 2, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Researchers reported 1-year results of the phase 3 multicenter open-label ENLIGHTEN trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04140305).

Participants in the study were adults with early RMS receiving 0.92 mg of ozanimod, 1 or fewer disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of 3.5 or lesser, at least 5 years since MS diagnosis, and 10 or fewer gadolinium-enhancing lesions.

The researchers collected scores on the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-Multiple Sclerosis (WPAI-MS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at baseline and 1 year.

A total of 185 patients (mean age, 39.5; women 78.4%; White 85.9%) were included in the current analysis. Mean time since MS diagnosis was 4.1 years.

At baseline, the WPAI-MS scores revealed that the majority of the cohort (72.4%) with employment had 8.4% of work absenteeism; 21.3% impairment during work; and 25.0% overall work impairment, all of which resulted from MS. Approximately 98% of participants had mean impairment in daily activities of 29.9%.

At 1 year of ozanimod treatment, rates of work absenteeism (mean percentage point change, -3.5%) and overall work impairment (mean change, -0.9%) reduced among patients with employment (n=69 and n=66, respectively); however, impairment during work increased (mean change, 1.2%). In addition, impairment in daily activities was also decreased (mean change, -2.6%; n=103).

The FSS scores showed little change from baseline to 1 year of ozanimod treatment (least squares mean change, 0.05; 95% CI, -0.19-0.28); MSQOL-54 scores improved at 1 year, especially in the physical health domain (mean change, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.1-5.0); and HADS score showed little change at 1 year (mean change, 0.05; 95% CI, -0.72 to 0.82).

“Ozanimod for 1 y [year] was associated with less absenteeism from work and improvement in physical health-related quality of life in patients with early RMS,” the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: This research was supported by Bristol Myers Squibb.