Oral Therapy Switches: How Many Patients Are Returning to Injectable Therapies?

Background: Oral drug medications for disease modifying therapies(DMT) have become more available in recent years. Some patients have been on an injectable therapy for many years and then switch to an oral therapy, only to switch back to their original injectable therapy. It is important to know how frequently this is occurring and for what reasons.

Objectives: The goal of the analysis is to review data that compares patients who switch from an injectable DMT to an oral DMT and stay on the oral DMT vs those who are on an injectable DMT and switch to an oral DMT, only to switch back later to their original injectable DMT.

Methods: A retrospective review of our clinics’ patients DMT history will be done. Our MS clinic has more than 1000 patients currently on a DMT. The time period January 1, 2010 to early 2016 will be examined. A comparative analysis of patients who switch from injectable therapies to oral therapies and remain on them vs those patients who switch from injectable therapies to oral therapies, and then switch back to an injectable will be made. The number and percentage of patients who switch from an injectable to an oral therapy will be calculated. As well, the number and percentage of patients who remain on the oral therapies will be calculated as well as those who switch back to an injectable. Known reasons for the switches will be grouped and categorized.

Differences in the two groups will be examined, and conclusions made if differences exist between the two groups.

Results: Those switches to an oral therapy who remain with the therapy will be tabulated as well as those who switch from an injectable therapy to an oral therapy and then back to an injectable therapy will be calculated. Percentage differences will be determined.

Conclusions: Conclusions based on the differences between both groups will be made.