A study has revealed significant therapeutic inertia in the treatment of women with multiple sclerosis (MS), highlighting gender disparities that could impact long-term health outcomes for women of childbearing age. The findings, presented today at ECTRIMS 2024, suggest that concerns related to pregnancy may lead to delayed or reduced use of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), even before pregnancy becomes a consideration. In an extensive analysis of 22,657 patients with relapsing MS (74.
2% women) who were on the French MS registry (OFSEP), researchers found that over a median follow-up of 11.6 years women had a significantly lower probability of being treated with any DMT (OR=0.92 [95% CI 0.
87-0.97]) and were even less likely to be prescribed high- efficacy DMTs (HEDMTs) (OR=0.80 [95% CI 0.
74-0.86]). The difference in DMT usage varied across different treatments and over time.
Teriflunomide, fingolimod, and anti-CD20 therapies were significantly underused throughout their entire availability, (OR 0.87 [95% CI 0.77-0.
98], OR 0.78 [95% CI 0.70-0.
86], and OR 0.80 [95% CI 0.72-0.
80, respectively]. Interferon and natalizumab were initially used less frequently, but their usage equalized over time (OR 0.99 [95% CI 0.
92-1.06], OR 0.96 [95% CI 0.
86-1.06], respectively). In contrast, glatiramer acetate and dimethyl fumarate were initially used equally between genders, but eventually became more commonly prescribed to women (ORs 1.
27 [95% CI 1.13-1.43], OR 1.
17 [95% CI 1.03-1.42], re.