A study evaluated the effect of teriflunomide on fatigue in patients with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) after two years of treatment. The authors concluded that fatigue remained stable.
Patients from the two-year, prospective, observational French Teri-FAST study were assessed. Patients with RRMS received teriflunomide 14 mg. The French version of the modified fatigue impact scale (EMIF-SEP) was used to evaluate fatigue. The main outcome was change in EMIF-SEP score after two years of treatment with teriflunomide; other outcomes included depression per the Beck Depression Inventory, health-related quality of life (QoL; Two-Life Scale-QoL 10), self-reported physical activity, and adverse events.
There were 210 patients with RRMS included in the study. The mean age was 45.4 years, and the mean Expanded Disability Status Score at baseline was 1.76 (standard deviation, 1.43). Half of the cohort (52.4%) had received no previous treatment for MS.
A total of 163 patients completed at least one follow-up visit. In this group, the mean two-year change in EMIF-SEP score was –1.54 (95% confidence interval, –4.02 to 0.94), which suggested that patients’ fatigue was stable. After two years of treatment, depression level and QoL also remained unchanged. The proportion of patients who reported being physically active increased slightly, from 46% at baseline to 57% after two years. The teriflunomide safety profile did not differ from that observed during clinical development. Medication compliance was high.
“Fatigue scores remained stable in [patients with] RRMS treated with teriflunomide 14 mg over two years in real-life setting. Teriflunomide did not negatively impact depression or QoL,” the researchers concluded.
