Lymphocyte reconstitution after DMF discontinuation in clinical trial and real-world patients with MS

Andrew Chan, John Rose, Enrique Alvarez, Amit Bar-Or, Helmut Butzkueven, Robert J. Fox, Ralf Gold, Mark Gudesblatt, Jodi Haartsen, Tim Spelman, Katy Wright, Diana Ferraro, Patrizia Sola, Suzanne Hodgkinson, Tomas Kalincik, Jeannette Lechner-Scott, Christopher McGuigan, Karen Spach, Chongshu Chen, Sami FamFan Wu, Catherine Miller

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26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

BackgroundDelayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF) has demonstrated robust efficacy in treating patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Decreases in absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) are a well-known pharmacodynamic effect of DMF treatment, but lymphocyte recovery dynamics are not well characterized after discontinuation of DMF.MethodsData sources included the Biogen DMF integrated clinical trial data set, a retrospective US chart abstraction study, and data from MSBase. We assessed rate and time course of lymphocyte reconstitution after DMF discontinuation.ResultsThe majority of patients who developed lymphopenia while treated with DMF and subsequently discontinued treatment experienced ALC reconstitution. The median time to reach ALC ≥0.8 × 109/L was 2-4 months after discontinuation for patients treated in real-world data sets; the median time to reach ALC ≥0.91 × 109/L was 2 months after discontinuation in DMF clinical trials. Severity of lymphopenia on treatment and decline in ALC within the first 6 months did not affect the ALC reconstitution rate after DMF discontinuation; rather, on-treatment lymphopenia duration influenced the reconstitution rate. In patients with severe, prolonged lymphopenia for ≥3 years, lymphocyte reconstitution to ≥0.91 × 109/L was 12-18 months vs 2-3 months in patients with lymphopenia persisting <6 months.ConclusionsThe majority of patients who discontinued DMF due to lymphopenia experienced ALC reconstitution within 2-4 months following DMF discontinuation. This may help guide clinicians in managing patients who develop lymphopenia during DMF treatment. Prolonged lymphopenia on DMF treatment is associated with slow lymphocyte recovery after DMF discontinuation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)510-519
Number of pages10
JournalNeurology: Clinical Practice
Volume10
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2020

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