Identification of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis eligible for high-efficacy therapies

Abstract

Relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) presents a highly variable clinical evolution among patients, and its management should be personalized. Although there is no cure at present, effective disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are available. Selection of the most appropriate DMT for each patient is influenced by several clinical, radiological and demographic aspects as well as personal preferences that, at times, are not covered in the regulatory criteria. This may be a source of difficulty, especially in certain situations where so-called ‘high-efficacy DMTs’ (usually considered second-line) could be of greater benefit to the patient. In this narrative review, we discuss evidence and experience, and propose a pragmatic guidance on decision-making with respect to the indication and management of high-efficacy DMT in adult patients with RMS based on expert opinion.