Real-World Effectiveness of Cladribine for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Sicilian Multicentric Experience (Rewind Study)

Background Cladribine tablets are a highly effective option for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).Objective The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cladribine in a real-world setting.Methods This prospective real-world study consecutively screened all RRMS patients from seven different MS centers in Sicily (Italy) who completed the 2-year treatment course of cladribine tablets in the period between 11th March 2019 and 31st October 2021. Data about Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), relapses, previous treatments, adverse events (AEs) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were collected. Patients who were previously treated with other DMTs were further stratified into moderately active treatment (MAT) and highly active treatment (HAT) patients.Results A total of 217 patients (70% women, with a mean age of 38.4 +/- 11.3 years) were enrolled. Fifty patients (23.0%) were naive to treatment and 167 (77%) switched from other disease modifying therapies. After the second year of treatment, about 80% were EDSS progression free, 88% remained relapse-free at T24, and 48% of patients were MRI activity-free. Kaplan Meier analyses showed significant differences between MT and HAT in terms of time to first clinical relapse (HR: 2.43, IC 1.02-5.76; p = 0.04), time to the first new T1-gadolinium enhancing lesion (HR: 3.43, IC 1.35-8.70; \np = 0.009) and time to MRI worsening (HR: 2.42, IC 1.15-5.09; p = 0.02).Conclusion This study confirmed that cladribine is an effective treatment for MS, particularly in \nnaive patients and those who have switched from MATs.