Abstract
BACKGROUND: The enthusiasm for natalizumab, a highly efficacious agent in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), has been tempered by the risks of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy associated with its use, and strategies to minimize those risks are of great interest. Extended interval dosing (EID) has been proposed as a way to maintain the efficacy of natalizumab while reducing exposure to it. We reviewed a cohort of patients who received natalizumab at 6-8-week intervals instead of the typical infusions every 4 weeks with the goal to assess if patients on EID had an increase in clinical relapses. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of all patients with MS treated with natalizumab at two MS centers where patients were offered the opportunity to switch to an EID every 6 or 8 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 361 patients received natalizumab for 22 ± 13 months (minimum duration 6 months). Of these, 96 patients received EID natalizumab at some point for 20 ± 11 months (minimum duration 6 months). Over the study period, there was no significant difference between the relapse rate in the monthly dosing (13%) and the EID (13%) groups of patients. CONCLUSION: Natalizumab is effective in controlling MS as very few clinical relapses were observed in our dataset. We found that EID did not compromise the treatment effect as measured by relapse rate and no significant breakthrough disease activity was observed. EID is an optional regimen for maintenance natalizumab therapy, but prospective studies are warranted to determine its efficacy.