Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40522622›Full record

ArticleNeurology and therapy2025

Comparative Effectiveness of Fumarates Versus Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor Modulators in Black Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Sophia Woodson, Edward J Gettings, Chu-Yueh Guo, Sylvia Klineova, Jong-Mi Lee, Rebecca S Romero, Aljoeson Walker, Nicholas Belviso, Sai L Shankar, Jason P Mendoza and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Sophia WoodsonUniversity Hospitals, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Edward J GettingsTemple Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Chu-Yueh GuoUniversity of California San Francisco Health, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Sylvia KlineovaMount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0406-0460
Jong-Mi LeeStanford Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Rebecca S RomeroUniversity of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Aljoeson WalkerMedical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Nicholas BelvisoBiogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA, 02143, USA.
Sai L ShankarBiogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA, 02143, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3249-8360
Jason P MendozaBiogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA, 02143, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2526-5542
Boyang BianBiogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA, 02143, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0153-4218
James B LewinBiogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA, 02143, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2352-9113
Kinyee FongBiogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA, 02143, USA. kinyee.fong@biogen.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a heterogeneous disease that disproportionately impacts Black people with MS (PwMS), who experience more severe disease and higher relapse rates compared with non-Black populations. Despite widespread use of fumarates and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators as oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for relapsing MS, their comparative effectiveness in Black PwMS has not been studied. This study aims to help address this gap using real-world claims data.

methodsThis retrospective analysis using the Komodo Health Claims Database included Black PwMS. Patients were aged 18-64 years with ≥ 1 claim for MS diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification code G35) and ≥ 1 prescription claim for fumarates (dimethyl fumarate or diroximel fumarate) or an S1P receptor modulator (fingolimod, siponimod, ozanimod, or ponesimod) between January 2017 and April 2023. Outcomes included annualized relapse rate (ARR) and time to first relapse. Propensity score matching (2:1) and inverse probability weighting were used to balance baseline characteristics. Relapse events were identified using a claims-based algorithm.

resultsThe analysis included 1664 Black PwMS (1231 and 433 in fumarate and S1P treatment arms, respectively). Post-index ARRs were comparable between groups (rate ratio [RR] 1.18, p = 0.423). Kaplan-Meier analyses showed similar relapse-free proportions at 24 months (72.6% and 74.7% in fumerate and S1P populations, respectively; p = 0.152). These findings were consistent in both the propensity score-matched and inverse probability weighted populations.

conclusionsThis real-world, claims-based analysis demonstrates that fumarates and S1P receptor modulators have similar effectiveness in reducing relapses among Black PwMS, with > 72% of patients in both treatment groups remaining relapse-free at 24 months. Given the underrepresentation of Black patients in MS clinical trials, these results provide valuable real-world evidence to guide treatment decisions for this population.

Indexed as

African American populationsDimethyl fumarateDiroximel fumarateEffectivenessMultiple sclerosisSphingosine-1-phosphate

Identifiers

PMID40522622
PMCPMC12255590

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.