Unjustified fears about harm in pregnancy is preventing the use of highly effective medications in women with MS, new research suggested.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Women of childbearing age with multiple sclerosis receive fewer highly effective medications than men with similar levels of disability, even after accounting for treatment discontinuations during pregnancy and the postpartum period , new research suggested.
The researchers analyzed the French MS registry of 22,657 patients with relapsing MS between 1997 and 2022 for treatment differences between women and their male counterparts. The results were adjusted for multiple factors including educational level, disease activity, disability levels, and discontinuation of drugs during pregnancy.
Interferon and natalizumab were initially used less frequently in women, but the use of these medications equalized over time. "Women may not be receiving the most effective therapies at the optimal time, often due to concerns about pregnancy risks that may never materialize," said the study's lead investigator Sandra Vukusic, MD, Lyon University Hospital, Lyon, France.
First, clinicians have to select a level of treatment based on disease activity and then choose the best option, depending on the woman's plans with respect to pregnancy.
Multiple Sclerosis MS - Multiple Sclerosis Pregnancy Pregnant France French Disability Glatiramer Acetate Hospitals Monoclonal Antibody Cetuximab Rituximab Postpartum Postpartum Period Postnatal Puerperium Biologic Therapy Biologics Antineoplastic Drug Anti-Cancer Agents Erlotinib Gefitinib Imatinib Rituximab Su11248 Sunitinib Trastuzumab
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