Spasticity improvement in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis switching from interferon-β to glatiramer acetate: The Escala Study

Abstract Background A recent pilot study suggested spasticity improvement during glatiramer acetate (GA) treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who previously received interferon-β (IFN-β). Objective To evaluate changes in spasticity in MS patients switching from IFN-β to GA. Methods Observational, multicentre study in patients with relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) and spasticity switching from IFN-β to GA. The primary endpoint comprised changes on Penn Spasm Frequency Scale (PSFS), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Adductor Tone Rating Scale (ATRS), and Global Pain Score (GPS) at months 3 and 6 after starting GA. Results Sixty-eight evaluable patients were included (mean age,41.7±9.5years; female,70.6%; mean time from MS diagnosis to starting GA,7.6±5.7years). Previous treatments were subcutaneous IFN-β1a in 42.6% patients, intramuscular IFN-β1a in 41.2% and IFN-β1b in 32.4%, whose mean durations were 3.5±3.3, 2.7±2.5 and 4.4±3.6years, respectively. Statistically significant reductions in mean scores on all spasticity measurements were observed from baseline to month 3 (PSFS, 1.7±0.9 vs 1.4±0.6, p Conclusion Spasticity improvement in terms of spasm frequency, muscle tone and pain can be noted after three months and prolonged for six months of GA treatment.